The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers
by FireValkyrie
Summary: Disappearing clothing, fantasy inducing ice cream, strange creatures, fun with scanty clothing, a sexy disease known as Sexlexia, animagus forms and utter chaos. Oh my! Just a few mishaps in the lives of Fred and George Weasley. Total randomness!
1. A Lesson in Flask Dodging

-_I decided that I needed to go through the fic and check for spelling errors, take out responses to reviews, and do a little overall cleanup. FYI.  
__-FireV._

**Warning: **Unauthorized reposting is not tolerated. Harry Potter copyright respective owners. Storyline and Creativity herein copyright FireValkyrie: Miss T. Vaughn S. For archiving information and express permission to archive elsewhere, please contact me at horrormoviebufy at yahoo . com or slytherinsnakequeensupreme at yahoo . com. There is no acceptable excuse for unauthorized postings as I am quite reachable (see profile for more places to reach me). If this story is found on any other site except fanfiction . net, please contact me. Thank you!

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, stole their virtue, so there!

Description: Disappearing clothing, fantasy-inducing ice-cream, strange creatures, fun with scanty clothing, a sexy disease known as Sexlexia, animagus forms and utter chaos. Oh my! Just a few mishaps in the lives of Fred and George Weasley. Insane randomness and fun with OCs. Enjoy! Slightly AU.

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 1: A Lesson in Flask Dodging

sSs

A blonde, sugar-fueled Gryffindor came bursting into the dark bedroom like a bouncy ray of sunshine, all aimed upon one unsuspecting sleeper.

"WAKE UP, TERRY! WE'RE GOING TO THE BURROW TODAY!"

A rather appropriate scream ensued, followed by a glare. "What time is it?!"

"It's 8 o'clock!" the hyper-sunlight known as Kara answered.

"They make an 8 o'clock now?"

"Yes! Now come on, you have to help me wake up Live!" Kara said, hopping up and down impatiently on Terry's bed. "Now get up, you bum!"

Terry shoved Kara aside and proceeded to roll out from under the covers. Terry had been staying at Kara and Live Hunter's household for the last two weeks before school started. Now with only four days of vacation left to them, the three were going to the Weasley's for a little sort of get-together before school started. The two Gryffindors were friends with the Weasley children from Hogwarts, and it was a special treat to see them a few days before normal school session. And this way they could all head to King's Cross together in four days.

"Hurry up!"

Terry was stirred her from her thoughts with a jolt. "Hey! You know if you derail my train of thought, it won't get back on track for a few hours."

"You don't need to think, you just need to help me wake up Live. You know she doesn't believe in mornings! Or sunlight for that matter!"

Kara's older sister Live was snoring peacefully under a mound of plush purple blankets. Kara grabbed a corner of the thick blanket and instructed Terry to do likewise.

"Okay, on the count of three, and shield your eyes! I don't think she's wearing PJ's!" Terry shuddered inwardly. _Does she ever?_ But she nodded with courage.

"One…"

_Wait, should we be doing this?_

"Two…"

_I'm not ready! I'm too young to die!_

"Three!"

_OH GOD!_

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOIN'?!!"

"Oh, no! I got the full blast of it!!"

"Hey, I'm wearing undies!" the elder blond shrieked indignantly from her de-blanketed mattress.

"Yeah, but that's all!!"

"You're lucky it was anything at all. I told you to shield your eyes!" Kara chastised.

"I was flustered! I haven't done this in a while!"

Live flung an empty butterbeer flask at Kara, who ducked out of habit; the flask instead bounced off Terry's temple.

"Ow! Dammit, Kara! You didn't say we'd be under fire!" At that moment, Terry launched into one of her infamous strings of nonsensical curse words that would put the Osbourns to shame. She cursed far more than was healthy for any one person. Kara blamed her sister's influence.

"Sorry, it's just normal to me now. I didn't think I'd have to tell you… Hey wait a minute…" Live was attempting to pull the covers back onto herself, refusing to get up.

"Come on, Live! We have to leave by noon and you know how long it takes us to get ready."

"Is that today?" Live asked sleepily.

"Yes, now get your ass out of bed," Terry said bitterly, looking at the dented flask on the floor accusingly.

"Sod off. It's not like it hurt," Live said disdainfully. "Nothing could penetrate that thick skull of yours."

"Typical Slytherin," Terry muttered as she made her way to the bathroom.

"Screw you! I hope you drown in there!" Live retaliated.

It was quite odd that Kara was a Gryffindor when her sister was Slytherin through and through. It was possible that Kara was a closet Slytherin, as she did have a devious streak a mile wide, but she was sorted Gryffindor anyways, and mum and dad couldn't have been prouder. It was odd either way, being they were both half and half- their dad was a wizard and their mother was a muggle. Live being in Slytherin was a shock to all, except maybe those who saw it coming, like Kara ("I knew you'd be Slytherin, Live!"). Either way, she was such a Slytherin in manner that she more than made up for her 'lack', as some of the purebloods called it. The more discriminating ones who liked her thought it was just a wicked rumor to make her look bad, and ignored it, while more thought it impossible that she could be anything but.

Either way, Live was happy to be who she was, and it was useful for Kara and the other Gryffindors to have a Slytherin ally when they needed it.

sSs

Fours hours later and the girls were still scrambling for their things, not in the least bit ready. It was much weighing on Terry's nerves.

"Ready to go?" Terry yelled up the stairs, tapping her foot impatiently. Live sat munching on a piece of toast, almost bored in attitude. Though sleep-deprived, when she wanted to be ready, she could get the job done quite quickly.

"Almost!" Kara came running down the stairs, pulling on a set of casual robes.

"Hurry, dammit! We're going to be late," Terry said, brandishing a fist.

"You better drop that sailor talk before Mrs. Weasley hears you," Live warned. While Kara and Terry were only 5th years, Live was a 6th year and cursed more floridly than any real sailor she'd ever come across. However, she firmly believed in the creed 'Do as I say and not as I act'. And to better her purposes, she currently employed her creed to her benefit. "Honestly Terry. It's not very becoming for a lady."

"Piss off!" Terry pointed her wand at the Slytherin and Live in turn pulled out her wand and declared: "Keep it up and you'll get pissed on!" Terry put her wand down as Live looked anything but kidding. Underage wizardry or not, Live wouldn't hesitate to act when provoked. Besides, she couldn't be fined if she couldn't be found.

"I'm ready!" Kara yelled beaming, completely oblivious to the anger vibes emanating from Terry and Live. The latter hopped off her chair and grabbed her things, completely nonchalant as if nothing had happened. Terry shrugged. This was commonplace for them. The three then dragged their trunks over to the fireplace.

"Honestly, there's gotta be a better way…I hate traveling by floo," Live voiced her displeasure to no one in particular.

"I'll go first!" Terry affirmed, grabbing a handful of floo powder from the sack hanging from the mantel. She threw it into the fire and yelled "The Burrow!" before walking into the blue flames.

"Me next!" Kara said enthusiastically, grabbing some of the powder and practically bouncing into the fire.

Live rolled her eyes as she scooped the powder into her hand. She'd have to teach those two about floo-powder safety sometime, lest they accidentally end up at a house of ill-repute as she had. Once. On accident. Although it had been very educational.

As she was stepping into the fire, she hit her head on the mantel.

"Ow shit!" she yelled just as she arrived at the Weasley residence. The identical pair of Weasleys awaiting their arrivals eyed her skeptically with raised brows, and Mrs. Weasley cleared her throat in disapproval. Live muttered 'hello' sheepishly and to 'watch out for that last step' in order to diffuse the situation.

Mrs. Weasley agreed that she'd have Arthur look into it, and clapped her hands in closing. "Well then, now that we're all here, I'll get lunch ready."

Terry surveyed the room to see that Harry Potter and Hermione Granger were also there, which was not surprising in the least.

"Hi Hermione," Terry said with false enthusiasm. She and Kara shared a dorm with Hermione and a girl named Parvati at Hogwarts. Personally, Terry didn't really like her because her know-it-all attitude annoyed the crap out of her. The fact that Hermione was right about what she preached and did indeed seem to know it all annoyed her even more. However, it was just that smart attitude that made she and Live get along so well, which was amazing as far as Slytherin-Gryffindor relations went. Hermione was very clever for a fifth year, and Live liked to have intelligent conversations with her- something she felt impossible with Kara and Terry.

"Hello!" Hermione replied to Terry sincerely.

"Come on!" Fred piped up to the fifth year girls.

"We need to show you something!" George continued, tugging Kara and Terry out of the room and up the stairs. Live watched for a moment, wondering if she should supervise this or not, and decided not to play foreman today. If the four of them blew themselves to high heaven, she would have no part in it. It was still summer vacation, after all, and as far as she was concerned, it wasn't her duty.

"Can I help you with anything, Mrs. Weasley?" Live inquired, feeling guilty about the swearing, as well as needing to busy herself.

"No, no dear, I can handle it. You just go make yourself at home." Mrs. Weasley shooed her out of the kitchen and set plates and such to making themselves useful. There were oh-so-many advantages to being magically inclined.

Live took up a conversation with Hermione about books they'd read over summer vacation, being almost as hungry as Hermione for knowledge. A close second to the smart little Witch was their friend Kelena, who they'd be meeting later on in Diagon Alley. But that would have to wait until later.

Ron and Harry threw out challenges to one another and grabbed their brooms, running outside shadowed closely by Ginny. Ron's younger sister was fast becoming Live's own prodigy, and truly, the Slytherin witch didn't think she could have been happier with educationally-corrupting the Weasley's only daughter with questionable-material and information.

Meanwhile…

"George, do you really think it's wise to have that inside the house?" Kara inquired.

"Look who you're asking," Terry pointed out to Kara.

"No really, we think we've got it right this time," Fred told her assuredly. The twins had a large quantity of fireworks, both wizard and muggle, stashed under a floorboard in their room. It was vital to the business experience and 'experiments', as they put it. It was safe to say that the girls had volunteered, however foolishly, to test out some of their Wheezes products, and even more so, they _knew _what to expect from Fred or George. Kara was experimenting with many of her own types of things- however, they were far safer than the items Fred and George wanted to sell to the public. It was always safer as well, they had learned, to do these experiments outside. And with these particular fireworks in mind, they couldn't have been righter.

George was currently armed with a particularly dangerous-looking one.

"Really, don't point that at me. I like my face the way it is," Kara said with inspection, shielding her face with more readily-expendable appendages (read: hands).

"Don't worry, they won't go off unless we mean them to. You won't end up like Disfigured Dave."

"He was just David Smith before you got to him!" Kara said accusingly. George just grinned and went about preparing a demonstration.

"So what does _this _one do?" Terry asked, pulling a string.

"NO DON'T!"

Downstairs, Live and Hermione were disturbed from their conversation by a loud bang that came from above. At that very same moment, they heard a yell and a thud as Terry collided midair with Ron on his broom outside, knocking them both to the ground. Live and Hermione quickly ran to see what had happened.

"Oh dear God, I'm sorry, Ron! Are you ok?" Terry said, flushing furiously as she climbed off Ron. Her hair was standing on end, smoking, and her face was covered in soot.

Harry had landed and was helping a frightened looking Ron to his feet. If he hadn't been flying so close to the house, Terry could have been seriously hurt.

"I'm ok," Ron replied with a dazed look. His eyes were a bit glazed over, but other than that, he seemed alright.

"Terry, are you ok?" Kara called down from a smoking window.

"Just peachy!" she shouted, her face growing purple with rage.

"I told you not to!" Fred called down disdainfully, holding up his hands in defense. "I take no responsibility for you whatsoever!"

"What's going on out here? What's all this smoke from?" Mrs. Weasley asked with ready accusation in her voice, emerging from the kitchen with a wooden spoon in one hand and a wand in the other.

"Nothing," they all said in unison, a bit too quickly and suspiciously for Mrs. Weasley's nerves. She sighed, knowing her twins were already up to mischief and it hadn't even been an hour since the new arrivals. She went back into the house, wondering if she should call in a special guard to keep those kids in line.

Terry looked around and wiped some soot off her face as Hermione looked horrified at the scene. "Is he alright?"

"He's okay," Harry said reassuringly, patting Ron on the back as soot from Terry's fall clouded off him.

"Good thing you had something soft to cushion your fall, Terry!" George yelled out of the window. "Nice catch Ron!"

"Honestly you two, we've been here five minutes and you've already blown something up!" Live said with amazement, reprimanding the two younger girls. It wasn't so much the explosion that got Live to rebuking them as it was the fact that they'd almost been caught. As both herself and a Slytherin, it was practically drilled into her brain not to get caught if you were going to do something fun (otherwise read: stupid). It was still something her younger sister had trouble with remembering.

"It's not like anything important was damaged," Kara said with a grin, motioning to Terry down below. The girl in question glared daggers up at her, and then flipped her off. Fred and George looked positively resentful as they looked from Terry to Kara. They would have to re-do that firework. Blast it all.

Live sighed as she ushered Hermione back inside, and Terry made her way into the house and back up the stairs, for all they knew, to wreak more havoc. Before she was completely out of earshot, she heard Hermione speak to Live about the horros in Gryffindor Tower, and Live's agreeing laughter. "Really, the four of them shouldn't be allowed in the same room together…"

Terry had herself a few bitter thoughts laced with extreme profanities as she raced back up the stairs. The smell of smoke wafted through the hall and as she entered the room, billows of it hitting her in the face.

"You should really listen to us next time," Fred said plainly, not at all bothering with an apology. If you entered their room (which had several loving nick-names, like The Lab, Testing Grounds, and as Kara so fondly referred to it, Area 51), then you had better be careful. "We're older and wiser than you."

"Blow off," Terry spat angrily.

"Really, talk like a lady," Kara said with distaste. No matter what the situation, Terry insisted on her cursing. Hardly lady-like, and it wasn't very becoming. If she had to curse all the time, then use it as Live did: for comical value, articulation, and more often than naught, true ire.

"I see no ladies here," George quipped, getting a punch in the arm from Terry.

"Really? I see _four _ladies," Terry snapped back.

"Well maybe Fred here holds some resemblance to the opposite sex, but I hardly agree," George said, looking an astounded Fred over studiously.

"You're twins! You both look the same!" Kara pointed out. George quickly retracted his statement with a wry look.

"Hey you guys! Lunch is on!" Live yelled up the stairs. Thankfully preoccupied with eating and then unpacking, the rest of the night was pretty uneventful for the Weasleys and their guests.

sSs

It was yet another beautiful day, the smell of breakfast wafting through the air, and a whole twenty-four hours of trouble and pranking to look forward to. Either way, Live wasn't too thrilled about actually starting off the new day.

"Why on Earth does the sun rise this early?"

"It's 9 o'clock, Live!"

"Your point being?"

"You're impossible!" Terry said with a sigh.

Ron and Harry had bunked with Fred and George, while Kara, Terry, and Live had taken temporary space in Ron's room. Ginny and Hermione shared Ginny's room with no complaints.

"You think Ron likes quidditch?" Kara asked redundantly, eyeing the various Chudley Cannons posters that plastered Ron's walls. "It's kinda creepy…almost obsessive."

"Just go downstairs without me. I'll be down in a few minutes," Live said in an attempt to rid herself of her wake-up call. She would rather miss out on breakfast and sleep a bit more anyway, though they didn't need to know that…

"Fair enough," Kara said as she and Terry went downstairs. When they arrived in the kitchen they were surprised to find Bill Weasley sitting at the table. He hadn't been there the previous night. But apparently he popped in quite a bit for minor visits during the summer.

"Hey Bill!" they greeted chipperly together.

"How's it going?" he asked cheerfully. They quickly started chatting about how their summers had gone, Bill's being decidedly the more interesting of the tales, and settling in for breakfast while waiting for their Slytherin sister. After half an hour with no Live, Kara and Terry decided it was quite out of their hands, and sought outside help.

"Hey Fred, George, wanna do us a favor?" Kara asked.

"Depends on what it is," Fred said warily, eyeing the younger Gryffindor up and down. One could never be too careful when dealing with the Hunter sisters. And this one was as crafty as she was devious.

"Live refuses to get up, and every attempt usually ends in injury. Far too dangerous for ladies," Kara assured, turning on the charm. True, she may live with Live, share blood with her, but she did _not_ prefer to wake her from her favorite pastime. "This is man's work, and I think we've got the perfect candidates right here!"

Fred and George exchanged mischievous grins.

"It would be our pleasure!" George exclaimed a little too enthusiastically, a wicked gleam in his eye.

They ran up the stairs, eager to give the Slytherin a fright and have her hurry herself up. After a few moments of silence, Live's screams echoed through the house, mingled with Fred and George's cries of "My eyes! Dear God, my eyes!"

A deafening silence ensued, in which all eyes were trained on the stairs with expectance. Nobody dared move or utter a word. Then Fred and George came calmly down the stairs, expressions of utter shock frozen on their faces. They sat down at the kitchen table next to Bill, who quirked an eyebrow at them with an amused half-grin.

"I'll never look at that Slytherin the same way again," George said, his eyes glazing over in confused thought.

"You pulled off the blankets didn't you?"

They suddenly came out of their unintentional trance and started snickering to themselves, but didn't answer.

Everyone continued to eat their breakfast, and after about ten minutes Live came skulking down the stairs, looking very harassed and disheveled, as if she'd done only the basest of throwing on clothes in case they came back.

"Hey Bill," she muttered a polite greeting to the eldest male Weasley at the table, ignoring the others and suddenly becoming more self-conscious of her hair and her current dress. He nodded from behind his coffee cup, which was, for a matter of fact, hiding a huge grin. It wasn't that hard to put two and two together, and he only held pity for what she would do to his little brothers. If school hadn't changed since he'd attended Hogwarts, then he knew one truth still rang true: don't give a Slytherin a reason for vengeance.

"That was record time," Terry whispered to Kara with true amazement. "We should have Fred and George do that more often." They both started to giggle.

Live heard her and shot them both a glance only a Slytherin would be capable of making. She sat down between Hermione and Ginny when Fred and George erupted in a sea of giggles that caused her cheeks to redden. They bent close together and continued to whisper and snicker as they glanced in Live's direction, their eyes scanning her a little too closely for her comfort. George waggled an eyebrow at her, and it was too much for her to keep silent about.

"And what, may I ask, is so funny?" Live asked with courageous venom, finally unable to tolerate it.

George looked at her with the utmost seriousness, his demeanor calm and almost scholarly in conclusion. "That's a very interesting birthmark," he decided.

It was made clear by her reactions and expressions coupled with the furious blush on her face that this was not a normally visible birthmark. Live leaned in close across the table and mouthed a rather lewd suggestion (and threat in most scenarios) to the twins.

"It's a bit early for that sort of thing, isn't it?" Fred asked out loud, much to the delight of Kara and Terry who were bursting with laughter. It was much to the horror of Live to see that Bill was laughing just as hard, if not harder. So much to gaining the deference of yet another Weasley.

Ron's ears were redder than his hair, Ginny looked puzzled, Hermione was massaging her temple and staring down at her plate, Harry was smiling a little, but seemed absorbed in playing with his food, and Mrs. Weasley was dragged from her conversation with her husband, shooting Mr. Weasley a look that seemed to say, "Do something about this!"

"Now boys, that's very inappropriate," he said, trying to sound serious, "now let's just drop it."

The roaring laughter dropped to muffled giggles as everyone tried to continue eating. Live's face was more red than the hair of their hosts. The rest of breakfast went on without disturbance, except for that fact that every couple of minutes, either Fred or George would look up and wink at Live, who looked both insulted and affronted at the same time.

sSs

_fyi: so many people ask. Live's name is pronounced like Liv Tyler, or as in, "Doctor, I want to live!" or as in the first part of the word _Live_rpool. But if you read it differently and like to read it like 'Live nudes!' then more power to ya._

_-FireV._


	2. Diagon Alley

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 2: Diagon Alley

sSs

With only two days before school started, the Weasleys and their guests had set the day aside to go to Diagon Alley. And by the grace of God, it was eight AM, and Live was amazingly up and dressed.

"Why Live, you're up early. I thought you usually slept in."

"Hmph."

At that moment, Fred and George entered the room and Live glared menacingly at them. They merely snickered and remarked to her what a fine morning it was. She said nothing in reply and went to help Mrs. Weasley with the breakfast preparation.

Kara then came bouncing down the stairs, dragging Terry by the wrist.

"It's. Too. Damn. Early!"

"Geez Terry, even _Live's _up, so stop complaining."

"Never! If Live's up this early, it can't be good at all."

"Wait, you've got a point. Why _is_ Live up this early?"

"Because she knows we have to go to Diagon Alley soon," Hermione said matter-of-factly from the breakfast table. "And you know how awful the lines can be with school not two days away. We want first-pick of the new books!" Terry took a step towards Hermione in threat, her annoyance with the brunette high with the earliness of the hour. Kara grabbed her arm with a look of resentment.

"Don't start, Terry."

At that moment, Live peeked her head out of the kitchen, looked her sister in the eye, frowned to get her point across as she shook her head, and motioned towards Fred and George, thus going back to whatever she had been doing. Kara appreciated the gesticulated explanation.

"Oh! _That's_ why she's up early. Didn't want to face another rude awakening…" She looked to see that Fred and George were snickering to themselves conspiratorially.

Ginny came walking down the stairs, sleepy-eyed, and Bill apparated into the room. Ginny muttered "Show off," and sat down at the table.

Terry and Kara sat down, and Terry immediately reached for the sugar bowl. Anything to get her energy up this morning. Hermione reached it before her and added some to her tea. Terry shot her a death look.

Kara saw another row coming, and she rolled her eyes at Terry. "What're you gonna put that sugar on, chief?"

Terry turned her glare on Kara. "I happen to enjoy a spoonful to get me going in the morning, thank you."

"You shouldn't eat plain sugar, it'll rot your teeth," Hermione remarked. "I read an article on it. It was horrid."

Terry looked like she might want to do harm to the other girl as Kara pinched her. Terry yelped and looked at Kara with 'what in the hell?' written on her face.

"She would know, after all," Kara pointed out. "Her parents _are _dentists."

"I just wish they'd stop lecturing me about braces," Hermione muttered dolefully.

It took a few minutes, but Terry settled into her chair in defeat and lethargy. She'd have to get her fix in Diagon Alley.

With a few congenial laughs, Mrs. Weasley and Live emerged from the kitchen carrying trays of food.

"Breakfast!"

Mrs. Weasley began to dish out the food on Terry's side of the table; Live on Ginny's. Live dished out food to the Weasley's only daughter and started a conversation with Bill on the types of curses involved in his work, dishing him out a generous amount of breakfasty-goodness in show of goodwill, while fully ignoring Fred and George's empty plates. This was only the beginning of what she would do to them.

"Still upset, are we?" Fred gave Live a cheeky grin, who sneered at him in a way only a Slytherin could truly perfect.

George ignored his twin and didn't join in the taunting as his stomach made him forget everything but the fact that he needed food and needed it now. Live came over to George and dished him out his share first as Fred was agitating her, and she received a most sparkling smile of gratitude in return. She smiled back at the silent Weasley who was obviously smarter than his twin in the ways and wiles of women. As she approached Fred's plate, her smile diminished and Fred's grew.

"We're ever so hungry. Dish us out a share, eh? And make it a lot! I'm starving!" he said, speaking in the royal 'we' as Live found herself so often doing. It quite pissed her off.

"You want a lot, eh?" She slopped food on his plate with the air of a prison matron feeding the 'special' inmates. The spoon made a loud THUNCK on Fred's plate and the food a thick PLOP. She gave him a very special grin, hoping he'd think she poisoned his share, or something of the like. Anyone _but_ a Slytherin, and the look might not be so threatening. "Bon appetite!"

Fred looked warily at his food for any damage that might be waiting to happen. He shrugged as he realized it was probably just getting cold, and started eating, but not without an oblivious wink in Live's direction. She showed Fred her Slytherin finger behind Mrs. Weasley's back before sitting down and starting on her own meal.

sSs

After a few squabbles ensuing order of floo-departure, and more than a few death threats and suggestive winks, everyone arrived at Diagon Alley. And the trip was not to be without incident.

There was a small commotion in one of the squares as they exited a bakery. A platinum haired boy was throwing a fit, screaming and crying like no other, while beating his arms upon the ground.

"Daddy _why_?! Why won't you hug me?! You hug the house-elves!" he yelled, tears streaming down his face as witches and wizards alike walked by pretending not to stare. Some, however, were outright staring, no, better said gawking, goggled-eyed, at the spectacle of the Malfoy boy crying in the street.

"Eh, wot? Is that _Malfoy_?!" Fred asked incredulously as the Weasleys and their guests wandered up the streets.

"No, couldn't be!!" George denied with elated shock as they ran up to the square to see if their dream had come true. It had! "WOW! I thought that the day I saw Malfoy cry in public was the day that Percy got laid!"

Malfoy, becoming increasingly aware that he had an audience, stood up and wiped his face full of snot.

"I think I wet my bottom," was all he said, and then he ran away through the nearest alley with Fred and George on his tail, too mystified by the scene to let well-enough alone.

They both caught sight of him turning a corner and sprinted to catch up.

"Hey Malfoy! What's wrong? Did your mommy spank your wittle bottom?" George taunted down the alley. Fred guffawed at this as they turned around the corner, determined to commit such a scene to memory. They stopped, however, at the sight of a girl pulling out some stashed robes from a trash bin. Whoever she was, she put on the robes and calmly walked away without so much as a look of interest in their direction. Fred and George stood there for a good while trying to figure out what was going on and where they could have misplaced the spectacle they had been chasing. Wasn't he just there? Whatever happened to Malfoy and shouldn't that girl have seen him? They were sure she looked familiar, but her features didn't fit just right with their thoughts. Did she go to school with them? But no, she wasn't _that_ familiar.

"Well, I'm sure we're not going to get any owls from Percy celebrating his initiation into manhood soon." George shrugged and followed his twin out the alley.

They rejoined the others who were staring puzzled at the spot where they had last seen a blubbering Draco Malfoy.

"What was that all about?" Harry asked Fred and George with a puzzled grin. They said nothing as they were still trying to figure out where the git could have disappeared to.

"I'm never going to let him live it down. I only wish we'd gotten pictures to put up in the Slytherin common room," Live mused, ruing the day she'd forgone bringing her camera.

"I'm not sure whether to be happy or disgusted," Kara said, eyeing the spot suspiciously.

"Exactly. Have any of you guys seen Kelena yet? She sent an owl today telling us that she'd be here," Live said while staring at a display of newt eyes.

"Did she say what she'd look like?" Terry asked.

Kara shrugged to both of them. Not knowing information was an old hat to her. Kelena was a 6th Year like Live, cohort to said Slytherin, but she was a fellow Gryffindor. It was a little weird how she was friends with Live seeing as Live was evil embodied and Kelena was…Kelena. Not only that, but the two girls were what one would refer to as 'late-bloomers'. Unlike the majority of Hogwarts, they had started school a bit later than most first years making them among the elders of their year, Kara included. ("It must run in our blood.") Not that it really mattered, but it was helluva fun confusing people of their years. Especially when it came to age-specific, legal and illegal activities...

"Hey, I didn't even know you had any friends, Live. When were you planning to introduce us? Does she know about your birthmark?" teased Fred, still amazed that any Gryffindor had friendly-business with the Slytherin.

"Fred Weasley I swear I'll take a broom and shove it so far up-"

"There's a time and a place for that, Live."

She mouthed a rather dirty suggestion involving chains and a dungeon. It hardly helped to deter them.

"That's a question in itself, actually," Fred replied, smiling haughtily.

"Or is it an _invitation_?" George asked with a wink which sent Live into violent shivers, placing a blocking hand over her face at his sheer brass.

"Time and place, Live?" Fred inquired with a barely-managed serious-tone.

George feigned a look of exasperation and enthusiasm. "Just give us some answers, that's all we ask for! Answers!"

Live was just about to give him an answer when a short girl interrupted them. She had dark looks and even darker hair, and she was wearing the robes Fred and George had seen that other girl take from the behind the bin. But they _knew_ this girl. It was Kelena, finally. They knew her as a Gryffindor from their house, but not as well as Live did. The Hunter girls introduced the sixth-year witch to the Weasleys. Or more, Kara did, as Live was bent on plans of destruction for the twin boys giving her winks and lewd grins.

"Yo, what up?" Kelena interrupted Live's thoughts with a grin.

Live woke from dreams of homicide and looked her friend in the face. "Jeez Kelena, could you _be _any more late? I swear you almost beat your old record," Live exclaimed, grabbing her aside for moral support.

"I've been here awhile, actually," she said with a smirk as Live's face dawned sudden realization. "I got bored. _Really_ bored."

"Was that _you_ earlier? Malfoy? _Crying_?"

"Indeed it was," she whispered back as they both shared a private laugh. Their moment was quickly interrupted.

"Kelena! I can't wait to show you this new charm! I think it can kill small animals!" Terry informed her as they started walking toward Flourish and Blott's. Kelena grinned and listened to her detail the curse as Mrs. Weasley called after them:

"Girls! Girls, remember to get all your books, too. We'll meet back in three hours. And take Ginny with you!"

"Mother, don't!" Ginny squealed, turning red with embarrassment.

"Oh pish-posh, I'm sure the girls won't mind shopping with you," Mrs. Weasley scolded as she separated the boys from the group of gossiping girls, twin faces blowing indiscrete kisses to the furious Slytherin. The boys still had to go get their robes while the girls had already gotten theirs in advance, and then some, seeing as how they couldn't wait to put them on.

"Yes, I'm sure she'll fetch a good price in the white-slave market. At least a thousand, perhaps more because of that hair," mused Kelena thoughtfully, eyeing the youngest Weasley appraisingly. Ginny was wide-eyed with confusion and befuddlement, and was on the verge of thanking Kelena for the strange compliment when Live declared they wouldn't be selling her to anyone for anything. Ginny was rather perplexed, and Hermione told her not to ask.

Fred and George stared at Kelena with thinking frowns. Apparently the girl wasn't quite in the same mold as the others, perhaps with the exception of their evil Slytherin companion, and they didn't quite know how to deal with her. Do they tease her like Live, or confide in her like Kara? Then there was the fact that Kelena was almost two heads shorter than them. How do you deal with someone who's within hitting-range of your family jewels?

As the girls walked away with smiles and laughs, they made for stares and looks walking down the street. Two fair skinned blondes, a freckled redhead, and two brunettes; one dark, one fair. It was a Technicolor dream, and they were an utterly strange lot.

"So what did you guys do this summer? Any unexplained deaths? Blinded anyone in the mornings?" Kelena asked with a sudden coughing fit sounding strangely similar to Live's name.

This brought on a coughing fit from Kara, whose coughs carried the distinct sounds of the twin Weasley's names. It seemed a sudden terrible cold was going around. Ginny giggled helplessly at the exchange.

"Well it wasn't blinded, more like seared their eyes with flashing paleness," Terry elaborated, having had the same treat day before them.

"Hey man, that hurts! And besides, they liked it, those pervs!" Live exclaimed adamantly, crossing her arms over her chest in subconscious protection. She lowered her voice with clandestine secrecy required for the routine security check. "Anyway, did you have any noteworthy adventures this summer, Kel?" She raised an eyebrow. "Those of the..._impersonating _variety? No one else knows that you're a Metamorphmagus, do they?"

Kelena grinned. "No, although I did seduce a muggle delivery boy. Funny what having a perfectly proportioned body can get you. That was loads of fun. I'm pretty sure that I won't be telling anyone else anytime soon, and I've kept it secret well-enough. Especially to those at school. My records say nothing of my specials talents, and I'm hardly one to go advertising it," Kelena relayed as they examined quills.

"Only because then they can't pin anything on you," Terry commented.

"Too true," agreed Kelena with a wicked grin, "and besides, I can get useful information out of people who wouldn't give it otherwise. Don't Fred and George know all the secret passages in and out of school?"

"Yeah. But we know _most_ of them. Especially the one to the kitchen."

"And I'm pretty sure we're the only ones who know about the secret way into the prefect's bathroom...Not even Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum know about that. That time was fun, wasn't it?" Live asked with a conspiratory grin.

"Last year..." Kelena mused, looking into shop windows.

"The room was covered in strawberry bubbles..."

"And the teachers had no idea how it got that way."

Live laughed. "I think that was one of the best inter-house parties ever held. I don't think the founders of Hogwarts would've ever guessed the best of the four houses could be brought together by one random act of delinquency-"

"I think it's better stated as late-night debauchery-"

"Point and check. Anyways, I can't believe they didn't figure out who did it. I mean, you could see it in everyone's faces. I don't even _remember_ who was there, and I could peg them out the next morning."

"Well, anyone who _did_ remember wasn't really there," Kelena said with a wicked grin, the two girls erupting into giggles and laughter.

The rest of their party regarded their companions with curious interest. They'd heard tales of that event and what had transpired in the prefect's bathroom, what with it's industrial pool-sized bath and adjoining facilities. They'd heard it was so wild that even the mermaid in the bathroom painting had to be replaced for a week to recover from the late-night, renegade festivities. But never in their wildest dreams did they think the Gryffindor and Slytherin before them had been the lead provocation for such an unruly night.

Then again, knowing the two, it was hard _not_ to place them in the primary line of suspects. Sometimes the two girls could give Fred and George a run for their money.

"Oooh, let's go in here!" Hermione said to the group as they were passing Flourish and Blotts.

Kara looked disdainfully up at the book shop. She'd much rather be regaled with more tales of late-night crimes than go about their supposed business. "Er...let's get something to eat first. Books later," she said with the hopes that Hermione would forget about it with the temptation of treats.

"Oh no, we should get all of the important shopping done first!" Hermione affirmed, her eyes burning with the hunger for learning. "And I heard they have the latest autobiography on…."

Kara had long since stopped listening. She was dying for food, or candy of some kind. She felt quite deprived without her usual stash on her.

Live and Kelena mused how fun it would be to turn Hermione's love of learning into love of something else...A most worthy idea indeed...After all, she was so interested in Guilds and organizations…They just might have the thing for her.

How unfortunate for Terry, Kara, and Ginny that Live and Kelena, like Hermione, had a healthy love of books, and were in no mood to just buy their school-required books and leave. There were far too many new and interesting tomes in. Madame Honeycut's new book just came in.

After about an hour in which Kara dozed off, Ginny found an illustrated book in the adult section and Terry threatened a small child, the group decided to head out and finish the rest of their school shopping.

"We have so much to buy after all," Hermione said, going over her list from Hogwarts as if she had had no part in their lengthy-time in the book store. Having been made a Gryffindor prefect along with Ron, she was exercising her authority over the group a little early. ("I don't have to listen to her. I'm in _Slytherin_, dammit!")

Kara, lured by the prospect of sugar in the morning, had managed to persuade Hermione that it would be a good idea to stop off for ice-cream at Florean Fortescue's. Who could say no to ice cream?

"What kind do you want Ginny?" asked Live off-handedly.

No answer.

"Ginny?" She turned around to see Ginny staring fixedly into the book she had found at Flourish and Blotts, Kara leaning over her shoulder. Surprising that she would buy something like that on her own.

"Doesn't that look kinda painful?" Kara asked, pointing to a particular diagram.

Live leaned over the two, inspecting the moving illustrations. "Not if you do it correctly. See? The book warns against trying without warming up and stretching, first. You know, just like any acrobatics. For safety, of course." Live grinned over at Terry, and raised an insinuating eyebrow. "You don't want any undue back injuries, do you?"

Terry looked disgusted. "Oh, honestly, you guys are freaks!" She wasn't interested in the 'arts' as Live quite was. Perhaps 'interested' wasn't the right word, so much as 'devoted'. Live was a very 'devoted' student with much time spent in the lab for analysis and further invention.

Kelena made her way over to where Kara and Ginny were standing, ready to defend their love of books to the younger girl. "Come now, every girl needs some sort of hand-boo-- _woah_," she uttered when she got a good look at the page. In unison, the three girls turned their heads sideways to get a better look as they turned the page.

Live glanced over at the page nonchalantly. Then, seemingly uninterested, she went back to pay Mr. Fortescue for the ice-cream. Hermione blushed and tried to hide behind her banana-nut ice-cream cone. Of all things for books to be written about…Wizarding books with _moving_ pictures at that…

"Oh come on, you know you want to see it," Ginny said tauntingly, an evil grin growing on her face. She was spending all too much time in Live's own company.

"You need to have a well-rounded education, 'Mione. Remember, books are your friends," Kelena said as she gave her friend a wink. "Hey Live, you want in on this?" Kelena offered of the rather dirty pages.

If possible, Hermione's blush deepened. Terry scoffed loudly, but Live said in an airy tone, "It's not as if I haven't seen it before. You should see what the Slytherin girls keep beneath the floorboards-"

"Is it a body?!" Ginny interjected quickly.

Live gave her a glare. "No, but it makes that book you have there look like Dr. Seuss."

"Who?"

"Did I really need to hear that?" Kara asked, a bit disgruntled.

Ginny looked to Kara. "What kind of freaky doctor is that?!"

"Well, you know how those Slytherins are..." Kelena teased, smiling wickedly. Ginny raised an eyebrow in Live's direction, and Kelena licked her ice-cream cone appreciatively to elaborate before Live flipped her off, and Kelena erupted in a gale of laughter. Live looked at the Gryffindors with indignation.

"Hey, it's not like I've really done anything! I've never even kissed a guy! Shut up Kelena! I already told you that dreams don't count! And besides, you wouldn't want me to elaborate on _you_!" Live stared angrily at Kelena as she choked on her ice cream at the prospect of any of them knowing about her more intimate thoughts. As far as dirty dreams went, Kelena's were not child-friendly tales.

"Okay okay, I'm sorry. But remember, we all know you have more lab study in than time in the field when it comes to guys."

Live scowled. "I prefer to study them from a contained environment, thank you very much. Nothing more!" she shot with airy indignation, her cheeks flushed a light pink.

They made their way back to the shops, Ginny and Kara occasionally looking at each other and bursting into giggles, while Hermione and Terry actually walked together up ahead, trying not to seem like they were a part of the pervy group they were currently walking with.

Kelena snickered as she whispered to Live. "Hermione looked mighty interested in those diagrams, no matter what she says. I think we should take her into our tutelage. She just needs some loosening up. I wouldn't want our Sexpert Licenses to gather dust!"

They both reached into their wallets and looked at the newly laminated cards. Their pictures giggled and waved back at them, dressed in nothing but tarty lingerie. They both had a laugh and a half when they had gone out to take the pictures, wearing only their cloaks over their risqué getups. Oh the face the photographer made when they showed up dressed in _that! _They'd gotten half-off the price, no pun intended.

"You guys made those up!! There's no such thing as Sexpert Licenses! Only pervety minds who think alike!" Kara exclaimed, catching the tail end of their conversation.

"Sod off! It's not our fault that you couldn't pass our stringent tests," Live sniffed haughtily.

"What tests? You wanted me to write a chapter in that smutty fic of yours!" Kara exclaimed. She dodged a flying Chocolate frog, which hit Terry in the back of her head in mid-croak. ("Fucking SHIT!")

"Oh, it was only a chapter and we even gave you some words and synonyms to use! It was on the list!" Kelena said.

"What list?! It wasn't a list! It was a bunch of pictures you cut out of magazines!!" Kara shuddered dramatically, pantomiming stabbing her eyes out. Ginny giggled as Terry struggled to get chocolate guts out of her hair.

Hermione tried to help her, getting most of it out. It really made no difference in the color seeing as how Terry never swam in the lake if she could help it ("Grindylows are frightening!"), or went out into the sun for that matter when she could help it. She preferred to stay inside. She could have easily given Live a run for her money, being so pale and all, and her sun-denying efforts hadn't helped to lighten up her hair any. Live, through consequence of her pale skin and sleep-all-day-stay-up-all-night habits, was given over to the title of 'bloodsucking vampire' to those whom loved her. It helped a lot to keep unruly kids from other houses off her back. Live enjoyed the night and the moon, Terry was just an indoor enthusiast, though that helped when it got too hot out.

Live really wasn't a real fan of the light.

"Hey Kelena, I think it's a bit '_chili_' isn't it?" Live motioned with her head up the street as they saw the Weasley boys and Harry come out of a shop, followed by Mrs. Weasley with a load of packages and bags in her arms. The secret code-word for impending trouble caught her friend's attention.

"Brr, I'm positively cold! I think we should get those guys over there to warm us up, how about you?" Kelena motioned towards some handsome seventh years at a shop window. She grinned and raised a brow.

"I wholeheartedly concur," Live snickered, in for a bit of fun. "Let's be off then." The two sauntered off for indiscrete flirtations while Ginny, Hermione, and Kara walked over to help Mrs. Weasley with her load.

Terry gave a disgusted sigh as she stared at Live and Kelena talking to the storefront hotties. She made to join the boys, but didn't so much as speak a word out of awkwardness, so she just stood there staring around admiring the goods for sale in the window.

"So how was your shopping girls?" Mrs. Weasley asked absently, trying to balance the remaining packages of clothes in her arms.

"Good, good. We got our books first priority," Hermione said with an authoritative air, making to show Mrs. Weasley with satisfaction..

"That's lovely, dear," she replied, manipulating a package in her arms to get a better look.

"Yes. Flourish and Blotts certainly has an interesting variety of reading material if I do say so myself, doesn't it, Ginny?" Kara asked, winking at Ginny conspiratorially. It was Hermione, however, that blushed at the allusion. Ginny just grinned innocently as she tucked a certain book under her arms and looked over her shoulder to see Kelena and Live chatting up the hotties in front of the store window.

"So, you guys are really into quidditch then," Kelena stated, happily inspecting the muscles the guys were proudly displaying, honed from years of quidditch practice. They easily knew what buttons to press to make the guys show off their stuff. God bless quidditch practice!!

"Can I see your Quaffle?" Live asked saucily with a raised eyebrow to a chestnut-haired god.

"Live!" Terry spat, most disturbed as the young man raised an amused eyebrow at her.

"What?" she said in a purely Slytherin snarl only meant for Terry to hear as she turned back and smiled sweetly at the guys. "How 'bout it?" she dared. Terry paled and looked slightly affronted while Live merely waited expectantly, wondering if they would call her bluff. The guys whispered to one another and elbowed each other slightly with grins as the chestnut-haired ethereal being slipped a miniaturized Quaffle from his pocket into his hands.

"Catch!" he said with a wolfish grin, throwing the small ball to Live as she caught it with snake-like reflexes. She looked it over for a minute, a wicked expression owned only by Slytherins occupying her face.

"This is it? Rather small, isn't it?" she asked sincerely, turning the small ball over in her hands with inspection. "I thought it would be bigger." The guys started laughing at that, pointing at their friend and guffawing loudly ("She's got your number, Johnny!").

The guy in question, a one Jonathan McNabb, started shoving his friends as they laughed even more, playfully returning the attacks as Live and Kelena watched with amusement. They settled down after a moment, having gotten many a stare from passer-bys and a threatening look from the owner of the storefront.

Kelena turned to Live as she still played with the small ball, a smug grin of Slytherin satisfaction upon her face. One could only really get away with this kind of stuff _out_ of school. "It really is rather dinky, isn't it?"

"I suppose you'll have to help him with that then, won't you?" Kelena stated, earning a secret death-glare as the guys started laughing once more.

"Indeed I shall," she affirmed with conviction and an insinuating wink towards the guys to even more laughter. It was awful fun being a wicked tease.

She opened her mouth to recite a most interesting Slytherin-brand spell when Ginny came up behind her and tugged on her shirt.

"Yes?" she asked, mid wand-wave. Ginny gave her a look, and she whispered aside to the younger girl. "Gin, we're a bit busy. These guys are _quidditch _players…seventh years…Lookit the muscles!"

"Fred and George play quidditch, so what?" she said, her purpose only on her mind. Her comment got Live to thinking, a pensive, faraway look on her face. Ginny rolled her eyes in impatience. "Come on, we have more important things to do," she said louder.

"What could be more important than this?" Kelena asked incredulously as she turned aside to mutter at Ginny.

Ginny motioned towards Kara who was grinning conspiratorially with the twins.

"What are they doing?" Live asked point-blank, a little dismayed at seeing the hot-boys walk away, however with most wanton looks, after looking uncomfortably at the young Ginny Weasley. There were just certain topics and invitations one didn't make when there was a young fourth-year around.

"Let's just say, we're going to need damage control in a minute or so," Ginny suggested, trying to hide a grin as her mother's eyes grazed over them suspiciously.

A group of middle-aged witches bustled by, blocking Fred, George, and Kara from view. When the witches had passed, Kara and the twins were gone.

sSs


	3. And the Chaos begins!

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 3: And the chaos begins!

sSs

"Uh-oh," Kelena muttered, searching the surrounding area for the chaos that was sure to ensue.

Everyone turned towards the end of the alley when the sounds of screams erupted from inside the Magical Menagerie. Witches and Wizards fled the shop, followed by…well, a menagerie of magical creatures. Giant toads that croaked fire hopped along, followed by a monkey-looking creature that flew around using its tail.

"Ooh, I want one of those!" Terry screeched, her eyes glazing over.

Hermione and Mrs. Weasley wore duel expressions of horror as a small, purple-ish goat flew by, cackling madly the entire time.

"Remind you of anyone?" Live asked Ginny, motioning towards Kelena.

"I do not cackle! I merely have a strong laugh!" Kelena defended.

"You cackle. Quite proficiently I might add," Live affirmed with a grin.

"You know, muggles insist on the fact that all witches cackle," Harry said, startling the girls.

"It's Kel's fault," Ginny said, entranced by a fluffy dancing cat.

Witches and wizards ran around trying to catch the various magical animals before they caused any real damage. Ginny squealed as a miniature nurse shark ran by on rubbery legs.

They watched for a while until most of the animals were put back into their cages before Ron and Harry went off into the Quality Quiddich supplies store to ogle all the different models of brooms for sale. Terry, Ginny, Hermione, Live and Kelena headed off to Madame Malkins to look at some dress robes.

Terry scoffed and acted annoyed when Live and Kelena picked out some low cut robes to try on. She wasn't much in touch with her inner Sexpert, as Live would put it.

"Well, if you don't like it, you don't have to be here, do you?" Kelena spat angrily.

"Fine then!" Terry yelled before she stomped off to find Mrs. Weasley. Hermione shrugged when Ginny looked inquiringly at her and went back to trying on shawls.

The four later ran into the twins in a potions ingredients shop as they were trying to finish up the rest of their school list. They broke out in identical grins when they saw the girls.

"Ah, ladies, enjoyed the show did you?" asked George. Or was it Fred...?

"I knew it had to be you two behind this. Only you would do something so thoughtless!" Hermione scolded, poking her finger in one of their chests.

"Actually, we can't take all the credit for this one," said George thoughtfully.

"Have you seen her--?"

"Kara, we mean," interjected one of the twins.

"We seem to have--"

"--misplaced her somewhere--"

"--during all the confusion."

"You lost my sister?!" Live shouted threateningly.

"Well, not lost, entirely--" the twins were slowly backing away now.

"--just misplaced." Their grins faded as Live's scowl deepened.

"She'll turn up sooner--"

"--or later."

Live rubbed her temples emphatically. There were two of Fred and George. Surely Mrs. Weasley wouldn't miss _one _of them...Should Kara not show up, of course…or not…

"We'd better go look for her then," Kelena said, turning from the shop. Fred and George followed dutifully behind the girls.

They searched all the shops, from Madame Malkins all the way down to the Leaky Cauldron, with no trace of her. They even asked a very bothered looking Goblin in Gringotts if he had seen her. Live was getting more and more worried, the twins more and more anxious, and Kelena more and more exasperated by the enduring search. Where could a hyper-blonde who should be in a sugar-induced coma be? The one place they didn't check was the Magical Menagerie.

"It's either there, or down Knockturn Alley, and I don't think Kara would go down there by herself," said Ginny, casting a wary eye down the darkened alley.

"Yes, but would she return to the scene of the crime?" asked George skeptically.

"It's worth a shot," said Hermione, starting off towards the pet shop.

The inside of the Magical Menagerie was once again calm, or at least as calm as the store got. A very frazzled looking witch who was trying to round up some skipping rats looked up from her hunt when she saw them.

"Can I help you?" she asked in a tired voice.

Hermione began to give her a detailed description of Kara, "..and she bounces around like she's had loads of sugar..." But something else had caught Live's attention. There was a pure white, and very irate looking wolf sitting in a cage staring dismally out at the group.

"...and she may or may not have tried to hypnotize one of the cats--"

"How much for the wolf over there?" Live asked, cutting Hermione off.

"That one?" the woman asked, ignoring Hermione and cutting to business. "Hmm, I don't think it has any extraordinary powers. I don't even remember getting it shipped in actually..." she trailed off, staring at the animal.

"Yes, but how much?" Kelena asked, getting a bit impatient.

"Uh, Live? Are you sure that you want something quite so...exotic?" Hermione asked, sounding worried.

"Of course I'm sure. How much?" Live asked with persistence, turning her attention back to the sales witch. The sales witch seemed to be thinking hard on the subject.

"Where are you going to keep it?" Ginny asked, walking up to the cage.

"Better yet, you think you could train it to do anything?" Fred asked, his interest peaked. "Maybe it could sniff out Kara."

"I doubt it. Looks kinda stupid to me," Kelena said, a small grin appearing on her face. Ginny was startled when the wolf growled and bristled unexpectedly.

"It looks dangero--"

"No, no, I'm pretty sure it's stupid," Kelena cut her off.

"Tell you what, I'll give you 15 galleons for it," Live said. The witch looked a bit reluctant, so she added, "since, you know, it doesn't have any powers or anything."

"Deal," said the sales witch. "Would you like me to muzzle it for you?"

Live and Kelena shared an evil grin. "Please do," Live answered.

The group attracted quite a few stares when they walked out of the shop with a very angry looking white wolf on a leash. Live was positively strutting with her new fashionable purchase. To the surprise of Hermione, Ginny, and the twins, she led them around the Magical Menagerie to a small alley-way between it and a high-priced quill shop, and then behind that so that they couldn't even see Diagon Alley any more.

"What are we doing back here?" Ginny asked.

"Oi, yeah, what gives? Shouldn't we look for Kara?" Fred added.

Live sighed. "Alas," she said, "now is the time that you learn of our deep dark secret." She and Kelena both sighed heavily and hung their heads. Fred and George backed away noticeably.

"I knew it, she's a Death Eater!" George exclaimed, pointing at Live.

"I told you Slytherins can't be trusted," said Fred to his twin.

"She's probably brought us back here to sick that wolf on us, make it look like an accident," George continued. Live glared at him, but he only grinned and gave her a wink.

Indeed, Live looked murderous. "I am _not _a Death Eater!" she hissed through clenched teeth. Kelena was trying to stifle laughter.

"Well, you have to admit, you do kinda--"

"Don't you start Kel! I'll tell them about that time at the river--"

"No!" Kelena looked a bit panicked. Fred and George watched with a mixture of amusement and horror. The wolf, who had previously been pacing restlessly, began to struggle and pull at it's lead. Live held tight to the little loop at the end and the wolf began to try and squeeze it's face out of the leather muzzle.

"Alright, alright," Kelena said, leaning down towards the wolf.

"Wait!" Hermione cried out, but it was too late. Kelena unbuckled the leather straps on the harness, freeing the wolf. She moved to pet the wolf, who promptly bit her. The movement was so quick that only when she cried out in pain did everyone else jump. Hermione began to say something by the way of admonishing Kelena, but before she had her mouth even halfway open, there was a pop like a bottle being opened, and Kara stood where the wolf had once been.

"What was that for?" Kelena yelled at her, clutching her bruising hand.

"Stupid wolf, my ass!" Kara shot back.

Hermione and Ginny stared, mouths agape, at Kara.

"You're...you're a--"

"Animagus?" Live prompted. Hermione nodded in shock.

"Wicked!" Fred and George said as one. Kara stood, hands on hips looking positively pleased with herself.

"That's illegal!" Hermione exclaimed. "How could you possibly-"

"You wanna keep it down?!" Live chided.

"You could get into serious trouble if someone found out!" Hermione continued in a hushed whisper.

"But no one's going to find out unless you nark on her," Kelena said taking a step forward. Hermione looked very ill at ease.

"You're not going to say anything, are you?" Kara asked pleadingly pulling a puppy dog face. _So that's where she gets it,_ thought Ginny amusedly.

"Oh…well-- oh, of course I'm not, but you should be more careful! I mean, look what happened. What if someone else had bought you? What would you have done then?" she asked, turning the conversation around.

"Then I would have bit that wizard and found a nice dark corner to change back in," Kara answered indignantly.

"How did you end up getting caged anyway?" Fred asked, completely enthused with the whole idea.

"I panicked. There was this really freaky goat thing that wouldn't leave me alone. Kept butting into me, laughing madly the entire time. Kinda reminded me of you, Kel," she said looking at Kelena. Now it was Kelena's turn to look murderous and Live's to stifle laughter. "Anyway, it was freaking me out, so I popped into wolf form to scare it away, and the store owner got the drop on me."

"You know how much fun we could have with this?!" Ginny asked in excitement. Kara was a bit surprised. She had expected one of the twins to ask that.

"Speaking of fun," said Kelena, "how did you get all of those cages open?"

"Could it be something from Weasley's Wizard Wheezes?" Live queried, looking at the twins accusingly.

"Sadly, no, it was not something of our own device," said George, rummaging through his pocket and wishing he could take the credit for such masterful madness.

"Have you ever heard of a kind of metal that will open any door?" asked Fred.

"Yes, actually," said Hermione, "Harry's got a knife made out of it. The metal is infused with a potion that does something akin to the alohamora spell. It was invented in 1853 by the--"

"You're doing it again, Hermione," Live chided. Hermione blushed.

"Found it!" said George triumphantly. He held out a small, glass ball that shimmered blue in the palm of his hand.

"We discovered it in a box of Gobstones we bought at a junk store," said Fred.

"It works like a gobstone," said Kara, "only--"

"Only, it squirts out the potion that unlocks doors in a kind of mist," finished George.

"It unlocked a trunk at the junk store," supplemented Fred.

"But it was Kara's idea to roll it into the pet store," continued George, sprouting an evil grin.

"One of my more brilliant moments," Kara beamed.

Live wrapped a proud arm about her sister. "You're coming along quite nicely," she grinned. The others looked from the smirking Slytherin to the grinning Gryffindor.

Scary. Very scary.

"But what was the point of all that?!" Hermione asked with irritation. She saw no rhyme nor reason for Kara to do such a thing. "You didn't nick anything, did you Kara?"

"No…I just, I don't know...I acted on impulse..."

"Impulse to do _what_?!" Hermione pleaded, more exasperated than ever. It was because of concern that she could have been caught that Hermione was so frazzled.

A grin spread over Kara's face. "We now know that there's nothing this little baby won't work on," she said, taking the small ball from George and tossing it in the air appreciatively.

Hermione clicked her tongue and put a hand to her temple. And to think, the new school year hadn't even started yet. "Well, come on then, I don't intend to spend the rest of the day in some creepy alley," she said before starting off in the direction of the bustling street that was Diagon Alley.

Fred and George continued after her speaking in hushed voices, followed by Kara and Ginny who had once again brought up the subject of 'the book' from Flourish and Blotts. Kelena and Live brought up the rear, making sure to keep a safe distance from Hermione while they spoke.

"Good thing we didn't tell Hermione that you could turn into a cat," Kelena whispered, sporting a devious grin.

"Or that you're a Metamorphmagus," continued Live wickedly. The two erupted in giggles and hurried forward to catch up with the others.

sSs


	4. The globby mess and Orlando ice cream

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 4: The Globby mess and Orlando ice-cream

sSs

Few things are as dangerous as a rampaging hippogriff. The calamity, the mayhem, the utter chaos and destruction alone could never be equaled by any one living thing.

But spend the night with a couple of teenage girls at a sleepover and you might beg to differ. Especially when these girls were armed with magic and they weren't afraid to use it, legal or not.

Any person who was present at these shindigs could tell witness of the utter horror of it. The bingeing, the makeovers, and especially, most especially, the vandalism fraught upon unsuspecting persons and/or animals.

Prepare yourself, for this is the story of one of those nights told in all it's horrific detail…

The girls were getting ready for their sleepover and they couldn't decide which brand of peanut butter to get. Kelena and Live argued in the aisle as Kara and Terry kept trying to sneak in pound bags of sugar. ("We can have a candy pull!" "NO CANDY PULLS!!") They had gone down to the local muggle supermarket to get 'supplies'.

At first Mrs. Weasley was hesitant about letting all the girls go, seeing as only Live, Kara, and Kelena lived among muggles and knew their way around town. Hermione opted to stay back at the Burrow with Harry and Ron. Mrs. Weasley gave in once they promised to use good common sense and avoid dark alleyways. The girls were delighted and Live and Kelena shared an evil grin. It was going all according to plan. Mrs. Weasley didn't suspect a thing, as she was somewhat distracted as her and Mr. Weasley were going out to dinner with some friends from the Ministry. She had made all of them swear, boys included, that she would have a house when she came back later that night, but she hadn't seen the fingers crossed behind four backs.

_Time to engage in a battle of the sexes, oh yeah!_ their four heads had thought in unison. But back to the supermarket…

"JIF! You gotta have JIF! What's the point in eating peanut butter if I can't have my JIF?" Kelena exclaimed, outraged. "If I don't have JIF, I'm blaspheming against my own poem!"

"Jeez you're weird," Terry commented as she was perusing dehydrated fruit.

"Speak for yourself," Kel remarked, greedily eyeing her JIF.

"Why can't you get the store brand? It's no different," Live commented, pulling some Reese's peanut butter cups off the shelf and tossing them in. "KARA TAKE THAT OUT!! No, you can't get that baby!! What are you, some kind of child stealer?! Put it back!"

"But you said no candy pulls! And I WANT it! Why can't we keep it? It's so cute and I'll play with it everyday, promise!" Kara stared dejectedly at her sister while holding the baby, hoping to wring some compassion out of her cold, cold, Slytherin heart.

"That baby already has an owner," Live stated sternly on the edge of annoyance, eyeing the object of Kara's fancy, and wondering just who in their right mind had taken their eyes off their child and let Kara get ahold of it. A little too late, though, as the mother of said child stared at Live with abject disgust to her referring to her mothering and her child as such. A baby was not an item easily added to a shopping trolley, and yet when Kara had enough sugar in her, anything seemed to go in that crazy brain of hers.

Live put a hand to her head in frustration. Whether Kara had removed the child or found it wandering of its own free will, the mother now thought that _Live_ was the crazy one here, Kara the hero for finding her lost baby. The woman had only caught _Live's_ comment, and Kara had given the child back before any criminal charges could be made. Everyone always came in at the wrong time with Live.

"But-"

"Look, the mother over there already thinks I'm a child thief, no thanks to you. _Sister_." She ground the last word hard on her teeth as Kara gave her those puppy-dog eyes with a face to match. "Go get a mouse if you must have a new plaything," she added devilishly to voice her annoyance, licking her lips. Her animagus form was, after all, a mouser.

Kara's face blanched. She didn't need any reminder of what had happened to Mr. Sparklecheese the last time she'd had that suggestion from Live.

It wasn't like Live had _meant_ to harm the mouse. And she didn't even know that the thing had been meant to be their pet that whole hour they'd had it. It wasn't exactly her fault that the country mouse had unlocked it's magically sealed cage, climbed out, survived the drop from the shelf to the floor, and had just _somehow_ found it's way into Live's room on the other side of the house, locked the door, and found itself in her dark closet where she had coincidentally been in her animagus form stalking crickets. It wasn't Live's fault that she had mistaken the mouse to be a cricket. They weren't _that_ different in size.

No, it wasn't Live's fault at all. The whole thing had been one big accident. One tasty…mistakable accident.

"Mr. Sparklecheese was my friend," Kara said dejectedly under her breath.

"Whining won't bring him back," Live said, reading a salsa label with disgusted face. The things they put into food these days.

"Not from where _you_ sent him!" Kara said spitefully.

"Anyway," began Kelena, utterly bored with the entire conversation, "I wish these markets had more to choose from." The actual town of Ottery St. Catchpole _was_ a small place compared to what the girls were used to. This wasn't even a name-brand grocery store.

"I know it's small, but it's--" Kara screwed up her eyes trying to come up with an appropriate adjective. "_Quaint_," she settled on.

"Quaint my ass," Terry said under her breath.

Kara scoffed and walked down another small isle. There was a small squeal and the sound of shattering glass.

"Oops!"

Kelena went over to investigate and see how much of their goodie money Kara was going to cost them. She found Kara and a hooded Ginny Weasley trying to hide a smashed jar of fudge topping behind a cardboard packing box.

"Ginny!" Kelena shouted, surprised at seeing the young witch in a muggle store.

"Don't worry, I'll get it," said Ginny, whipping out her wand, "_Scourgi_--!" but Kara stopped her. She grabbed Ginny's wrists while pocketing her wand, and led her away from an elderly couple surveying them with bemused looks on their faces.

"Three things, Ginny," said Kara in a low voice, admonishing the youngest Weasley in one of her rare moments of sanity. "One: entirely muggle store. _Entirely. _You use magic and you blow the whole hide-and-seek thing we magic-folk have going with the rest of the world," she said, motioning emphatically around her. "Two: school doesn't start for two more days. If you don't get kicked out for using magic before then, you will for using it in front of muggles. And three--"

"Ginny!" said Live, coming around the corner with Terry. "Your mum would have kittens if she knew you were here!"

"Point made," said Kara, looking back to Ginny. "And now Live's going to have to pay for that," she said, pointing to the jar on the ground. Ginny shrugged.

"What do you mean _I'm_ going to have to pay for it?!" Live asked at her sister's presumption. She received a toothy grin in response as Kara turned back to telling Ginny her mother would kill her.

"She'll never know. And besides, it was boring without you back home," Ginny said, pouting. "Ron, Harry and Hermione kicked me out of Ron's room, Bill went with mum and dad, and I'm not going to be one of Fred and George's experiments."

"Just be careful," said Kelena, "This isn't somewhere to let your magical hair down. It might be okay for _you_ to do magic at your house, but the rest of us are screwed if something goes down out here."

"I swear, I'll be on my best behavior," Ginny said with a conspiratory grin to Kara.

"I've known Fred and George long enough to know not to take a Weasley's word for it," Live said with an exaggerated Slytherin sneer.

"Oh don't have a go at my family because of those two. Take Charlie into consideration. Or Bill," said Ginny, craning her neck to get a good look at the treats on a shelf.

"It's Live's _consideration_ of Bill that I'd be worried about," quipped Kelena, grinning at her friend.

"Oh shut up Kel," Live hissed with indignation, cheeks pink.

"Oh I think she may have a point, actually. I've seen the looks she's been giving your brother," Kara said, as if tipping Ginny off.

"Ew," Ginny murmured.

"Shut up all of you," Live said, grabbing a thing of jiffy pop and throwing it abusively into the cart.

"But I wouldn't worry too much about it," Kel said, putting an arm around Ginny. "If you were a bit older, she'd flirt with you, too," she said with a wink.

"Blow it out your ass, Kel," Live snarked. Ginny gave Live a standoffish look.

"It's alright, really," Kel continued to tell Ginny. "If Fred and George weren't such prats, she might even have a go at them," she teased. "Not that they wouldn't like it…"

"I will kick your ass all the way to school and back, Kelena, if you say one more thing," Live threatened with malice. But the chances she'd actually have to carry out with such a plan were truly very slim. Kelena just grinned wickedly at having gotten her friend's goat.

"Sometimes I think the sorting hat made a mistake putting you into Gryffindor, Kel," said Terry darkly.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Kelena inquired, clearly insulted.

"Just that you have very Slytherin qualities sometimes," said Terry haughtily.

"And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" asked Live, taking her turn at being insulted.

"Nothing, I just meant..." Kara and Ginny took that time to wander off on their own, having had enough of the elder girls' squabbling.

"It's weird that I've never been here before. It's so close to home," said Ginny, her eyes trying to take in every detail. Kara giggled as Ginny cocked her head to look at a box of crayons. "What?" Ginny asked.

"Nothing. I guess I've never found anything particularly brilliant about a grocery store," Kara answered with a smile.

Ginny picked up another small package and began to read it. She looked baffled. "_Turkey Timer_?! Why would anyone want to know how fast a turkey goes?" she asked Kara, who coughed loudly to stifle her laughter. "Honestly, these muggles come up with the oddest things..."

A few hours later, when their arms were tired from carrying their surplus of junk food and their pockets devoid of all muggle money, they arrived back at the Burrow. Hermione rushed them at the door.

"Ginny! There you are! We were so worried. We had no idea where you had gone or when you were coming back!" Hermione rushed out in a very Mrs. Weasley-ish fashion.

"She was with us!" Terry said defensively.

"Well that's not much consolation," Hermione said offhandedly, ushering them into the house. Live giggled. She couldn't have been more right.

Ron and Harry came bounding down the stairs, Hermione's bandy-legged cat Crookshanks happily galloping behind. Ron stopped suddenly when he saw his little sister.

"Ginny!" he exclaimed. Harry, having not seen Ginny, didn't stop in time and plowed into Ron. Crookshanks scuttled to a screeching halt on his bandy legs and sat hissing fitfully with his bottlebrush tail in the air as Harry and Ron disentangled themselves.

"Smooth," Kelena said as she and the other girls stepped over them into the kitchen. They added their booty to the already large pile of wizard treats on the table. Ron and Harry came stumbling in.

"There you are!" Ron began again. "Where were you?! We looked everywhere!"

"…after you kicked me out," Ginny muttered to herself indignantly.

"She was with us," Kara told them.

"They should really get cell-phones," Live said offhandedly to Kelena.

"Or try to make electrical-magic hybrids," the Gryffindor suggested thoughtfully.

"But there's laws against experimenting with magic and muggle stuff, remember?" Live told them. "Ron's dad's car, for example."

Ron looked momentarily dumbfounded, but pounced on Ginny once more. "I thought mum said you couldn't go to the muggle store."

"She did," said Ginny idly. Ron looked like he was about to say something along the lines of berating her.

"She was alright," said Live before Ron could speak, "She got along fine with the muggles."

"Like with that tall, brown-haired boy," said Kelena, feeling quite tricky, "_very_ fine I might add," she finished with a grin. There had, of course, been no fine, tall, brown-haired boy, but Kelena had achieved her desired effect. Ron's ears were starting to match his hair.

"What _tall_, brown-haired _boy_?!" Ron asked Ginny in a rush, ready to beat someone for hitting on his little sister. Ginny caught on fast.

"Oh, no one. Said his name was Daren or something. Gave me his felly-tone number or whatever," Ginny said as Kara was furiously writing down a random number in her hand behind her back. Kara cursed slow drying ink as Ginny held out her hand to Ron, and Kara surveyed her own smudgy fingertips. "See?" said Ginny.

Ron looked at a loss for words. Terry rolled her eyes and got into the pixie sticks ("What kind of pixies, Kara?")

"Lets go sit in the family room," said Live, digging through the brown bags for her peanut butter candies.

"Oh, just take it all," said Kelena, and she and Kara began scooping all the bags, wizard and muggle, into their arms.

They found Fred and George sitting by the fire, seeing how long a chocolate frog could survive among the flames. The room already smelled like chocolate frosting.

"How morbid," said Kelena, setting her many parcels down. Live watched with rapt attention as a frog leapt from a log and melted in mid-air. She was disturbed from her silent reverie by small yummy noises coming from the couch. Kara was sitting happily with a spoon and a carton of chocolate brownie ice-cream.

"Ohhh, contraband!" said Fred at the many bursting parcels.

"…'Licorice Whips'…do they mean what I think they mean?" asked George, searching through a bag with a raised eyebrow.

"I wish," said Kara quietly in her sugar induced trance. She snapped out of it suddenly. "Oops, did I say that out loud?" she asked with a smile.

"Toss 'em here!" Live said to the Weasley who currently possessed her prized licorice. God how she loved those delicious red treats!

Fred gave George a wicked grin, nodding towards Live in acknowledgment. She _would_ be into that kind of stuff.

She waited impatiently, her attention having been drawn from the chocolate murder scene in the fireplace to the licorice in the hands of George. The two boys shared some inside joke as her impatient waiting took form in the appearance of a sneering glare, followed by a snarl in which George quickly chucked them at her. Not to her, _at _her.

"Ow! Dammit!" Live muttered her choice expletive as the red licorice whips made impact with her face, causing both boys to laugh.

It was times like these, with the intoxicating aroma of chocolate homicide in the air, that made watching Live's attempts to murder the twins most fun.

With the most venomous Slytherin glare, Live sprang at George, who was laughing too hysterically to see her coming. Fred ducked out of the way just in time as Live collided with one of the Weasley males, causing a loud shriek of surprise to ensue.

"Dammit George!" she said, sitting atop him as he held her clawing hands in place.

"I'm Fred, not George! I didn't do it! He did!" he shouted, pointing to the identical boy laughing to himself on the couch next to a most amused Kara and absent one Live.

"Hey, Ron, wasn't there a new Chudley Cannons shirt you wanted to show us?" Harry quickly asked of the youngest Weasley male before grabbing Hermione and pushing Ron up the stairs to escape the fray. Better out of the way of the storm than in it's path…

"You _die_!" Live growled, jumping off of George, er, Fred, and at the other twin resting so nonchalantly on the couch. There was an enjoyment in her eyes as she had her quarry in sight, and she would have landed perfectly on his face were it not for a loud pop and crash that ensued after.

Live had jumped over the couch, which was a rather impressive feat indeed, missing the apparated twin and her ice-cream smeared sister, and landed on a coffee table.

"GEOOORGE!!!"

Eyes wide open, Kelena dropped to the ground and rolled to avoid a furious clawing Live. Taking the younger ones out (and some of the booty) she closed the door to the kitchen and went back to her Orlando Ice cream.

The girls found refuge in the kitchen and proceeded to fantasize about Mr. Bloom as they ate their ice cream. Terry thought the time would be better spent "packing my school stuff" and decided to abstain from the rather messy, indecent bender. As they munched on the delectable, screams, pops, and the occasional glass breaking were the only sounds that punctured the air, along with their occasional moans as the fusion of mental images and the taste of ice cream overcame them.

"Wow, who would have thought that ice cream could be that good?" Ginny sighed dreamily.

Kelena and Kara, old hands at eating Orlando ice cream, stared dreamily back at her, spoons held aloft.

"Ohh _yeah_!" they said in unison, clinking their spoons in a toast. Through the wall they heard Live "Rrrrreeoow!!" and seconds later whichever unfortunate twin got attacked: "No, not there! I don't even touch myself there! _GAHHH_!!"

The girls looked at each other, Kelena with a gleam in her eye and Kara giggling into her hands. Ginny laughed openly at the thought of her two brothers taking on one Live. They all shrugged as they heard more thumps followed by some crashes, and then went back to eating their ice creams. This went on for a few moments until Kara looked pointedly at Kelena, who until then hadn't realized that the ice cream on her spoon was long gone and she was licking at nothing. She scowled at Kara.

"Shut up! It's not like I do it on purpose!! It was an accident!" Kelena folded her arms in front of her chest.

Kara scoffed. "Whatever, but if I were you, I wouldn't do that in front of any of the guys. Might give them ideas, know what I mean?" She then winked lasciviously and ducked suddenly to avoid the projectile thrown by Kelena. She turned to Ginny, holding a tray in front of her as a shield.

"Stick with us and you're bound to have a great time. Not only will we teach you the fine art of eating Orlando ice cream but we'll also let you in on the secrets of a qualified Sexpert, not to mention interesting ways to entice men," said Kara with a wry grin. She may not have one of their funny licenses, but Kelena had made her read enough of their smutty books to know more than plenty to teach Ginny.

"Highly helpful in _certain_ situations," Kelena said with a wry grin. Ginny had the audacity to feign a look of confused innocence as another resounding crash was heard from outside the kitchen door, followed by a shriek and many pops.

Kelena let out a loud, girly scream as sudden hands grasped her shoulders from behind.

"Hide me!!" urged an apparated George, a real look of panic in his eyes. Kelena smacked him off as another crash and whip-crack was heard from outside, following the apparition of the other twin Weasley.

"What does that woman run on?!" Fred gasped, out of breath from the excitement. One couldn't toy with Live for very long and…well…for lack of a better word, live. Not even apparating could stop her.

"The fires of hell themselves!!" Ginny said in a spooky tone to her befrazzled brothers who raised eyebrows at their little sister. It was awful fun when one was watching Fred and George flee as opposed to be the one doing the fleeing.

Kara laughed as she stared at the Weasley boys with interest anew. "You should never have touched her stuff," she said, shaking her head and signing a cross at the twin faces.

"I swear! We didn't think she'd get so frazzled! It was an acc- Oh!" George's eyes widened with a mischievous look as he realized that Kara was talking about food and not anything else suggestive…at the moment, anyway. "You mean her candy. Yes, we should have kept our hands off her candy."

"WHERE ARE YOU?!?!"

They all turned their heads towards the sound of Live's angry voice outside the kitchen door.

"It's been a lot of fun knowing you guys for the short time I did-"

"Make her stop!" George pleaded, grasping the loose material of Kelena's clothes as she spoke his viable epitaph.

"-and you had so much potential in life-"

"Tell her you're sorry, then," Ginny said as if it would solve everything.

"It-it won't help!!"

"She's a Slytherin!!"

"-and you've had a good run-" Kelena patted George's head good-bye.

"GAAAHH!!!" Live burst into the kitchen with an anguished cry. If not for her voice and the recognizable long hair, there was nothing left cognizant of her to be seen. She was caked in a sticky, shiny dark-looking substance, bits of wood and white feathers sticking to her at random places reminiscent of her rapid destruction of Fred's pillow and a nightstand.

She looked like she had been bathed in molasses, set out to dry, and then decided a good role in the dirt and mud would do her some good. She looked right pissed and there was literal fire in her eyes. Being an angry witch caked in Weasley's Wonder Glue had some rather terrifying consequences, and Fred and George were quickly discovering them all.

Some would say that the most frightful sights a man could encounter in his life were the horrors of war, famine, disease, and the deadly fight which ensued battling for one's life against any type of enemy, wizard or muggle. But no one ever considered that the horrors evoked from an enraged Slytherin, and not just that, but a teenage girl, could be as terrible or more life-threatening than any war ever has been or could be to one's person.

"You're dead," Kelena stated with a grin after the initial shock of the sight before them wore off.

The Weasley twins' eyes widened with certain fear as two loud whip-cracks were heard and they were gone from the kitchen. Kelena, Ginny, and Kara stared at Live, trying to stifle giggles lest she should turn her rage against them instead.

"Umm…so…Live?" Ginny questioned bravely, eyeing her with amusement and pity mixed with relief. Better Live than she.

Kara burst out laughing as she could hold it in no longer. The Slytherin stripped of her outward dignity in such a fashion was a sight to behold in itself.

"Do you know what this is…" Live asked in a cold, delicate voice contrary to her mental state-of-being. Kara grinned as she had the audacity to question the substance's heritage.

"What in the world has been going on down here?!" Hermione asked upon entering the kitchen. Her shoes made a glomping sound as she walked, a sticky mess having been trailed in from the living room.

"Mum's gonna kill me!" Ron's distressed voice came from somewhere behind Hermione before the brilliant red hair and face to match was seen.

"I'm gonna kill those brothers of yours!!" Live yelled in his direction.

"Calm down, Li-WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!" Harry's previously calming voice was now surprised and shocked, and his yelp reached Live's ears as he fully entered the kitchen with the rest of his crew. She spun to face him as he took a tentative step back. Sometimes she could be even scarier to face than the Dark Lord himself.

"Do you know how long it's going to take to get this out?!?" She pulled at a strand of her long, no-longer honey-blonde hair and a whole gooey mess came with it. "I swear I will have my vengeance!"

"Come on, Live, it's not that bad," Ginny tried. She would miss her brothers, really…

"Yeah. You just look like that thing they dredged out of the lake last year," Kara supplied as Kelena cackled at the hilarity.

There was a small noise made somewhere within the vicinity of the living room, and Live quickly looked out the door to catch Fred or George trying to sneak something out of a drawer in the table. He made eye-contact with Live and was gone with a pop before she could make a move to launch another attack.

"Oh, come off it already…Have a treat!" Kara offered a licorice whip to Live, who screeched at the thing in frustration, eliciting the exact effect Kara had hoped for.

"I don't care-" Live started as she searched her body for something, "-about laws…or decrees…ministry officials…" She fished a long, goo-covered stick out from a pocket and held it as strands of the stuff glopped onto the floor. "…or even the Dark Lord himself! I'm going to hex those morons into oblivion!!"

Live marched out of the room, avoided by Ron, Hermione, and Harry, as Ginny called to her, most alarmed. "LIVE! You shouldn't use magic outside school! Mum and dad aren't home!"

"IT'LL BE WORTH IT!!" she hollered back as the swinging door of the kitchen closed, her voice laced with the promise of revenge soon forthcoming.

The room got real quiet as no one dared to say a word, but instead listened to the chilling silence following Live's departure. Worried looks were exchanged between Hermione and Ron as Kelena gave Ginny an amused thumbs up. Kara happily returned to her ice-cream, eating more silent than she ever had before as they waited in anticipation.

There was the tell-tale whip-crack of Fred and George apparating back into the living room. They let out identical bellows of surprise at seeing Live in the room, and before they could apparate again, Live was to be heard screeching, "FURNUNCULUS!" There was a one second pause that seemed like an eternity, before which Live let loose a blood curdling bellow of pure rage. There was the whip-crack noise and Live came seething into the kitchen.

"A chicken," Live hissed in barely audible tones. "My wand turned into a rubber chicken." Her eyes glinted murder.

"It's not really your wand then," Ginny spoke up, taking a tentative step forward. "It's one of the fake ones Fred and George make."

"WHERE'S MY WAND!?!" Live raged. You didn't take something like that from Live. It would be like taking a mama cat's kitten, and it was something you didn't want to do. The others (Kara excluded) cowered back a little. There was a lot of slime on Live's face, but through the slime they could see her face turning a shade of deep purple. Kara, fully content with her ice-cream, idly poked at the chicken hanging limply at Live's side. Upon closer inspecting, she found that Live was no longer holding the chicken, so much as it was sticking to her arm.

"Cool," she said absently, prodding the chicken once more.

"Cool? COOL?! My wand is gone, I'm covered in what I can only hope is glue, and I still haven't had my REVENGE!!" Her temper flared and rose like a brightly colored balloon caught in an updraft on a lovely summer day.

"Well, there are only so many places it can be," Hermione said thoughtfully. "We'll all help you look for it." There was an odd sort of wheezing coming from the floor behind the counter, and all present leaned over to find that Kelena had collapsed in a fit of laughter and was presently trying to breath properly. She got in a good, normal sized breath and her cackling laughter rang through the house.

Ginny immediately ran off to "look for your wand!" before Live could unleash her wrath. 'Uncle Vernon would be proud of a look like that,' Harry mused to himself. Ron just backed out the kitchen door. Fully out of it, Kara nonchalantly peeled the chicken from Live's arm. Live's screams of pain and agitation supreme rang through the house.

sSs


	5. Kitty nimbles

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 5: Kitty-Nimbles

sSs

Many baths, and some arm-bandaging later, the group (minus Fred and George) was now settled in the once again clean family room. Live sat brooding in an armchair by the fireplace, her eyes reflecting the flames, most likely contemplating some form of revenge. Kara, having finished her half-gallon of ice-cream, was digging into a bag of assorted wizard candies and staring amusedly at Ron who seemed to be having trouble with some orange taffy.

Kelena was busy salting an apple ("It's good. Really! Oh, don't make that face at me!"), and Harry was prodding the chocolate mess in the fire with a cookie. There was a loud thump over head.

"That'll be Fred and George," said Ginny over a licorice whip she was chewing. Live didn't even flinch. In fact, Ron fancied he saw a smile on her face. Hermione closed her book with a snap.

"Perhaps we should all get to bed," she said, looking around. "It is getting rather late."

"But where are mum and dad?" Ginny asked.

"I don't know. I suppose they got held up, or your dad got called into work or something," Kelena said, throwing her apple core into the fire.

"Hey, it's not a trash bin!" Ron said, looking indignant.

"Oh, as if it didn't need to be cleaned already," she replied, getting up. "Plus, now the room will have a pleasant apple aroma. Come on, off to bed."

Fred and George listened intently from their doorway as, one by one, their siblings and friends headed off to bed. Harry and Ron came up shortly after.

"So, is she still sore at us?" Fred asked Ron while George locked the door behind them.

"Who, Live?" Ron asked sarcastically, pulling his sweater off.

"No, the Tooth Fairy…Of _course _Live!" George said plopping himself down on one of the beds.

"Live still seemed sore at you, but I reckon the Tooth Fairy has forgiven you by now," Ron said with all seriousness.

Harry looked more than a little perturbed. "I'd watch my back, either way," he said, pulling his pajamas on. He climbed into one of the four tiny beds squashed into the room. Ron sat down on the bed next to it and began buttoning his pajama top. Fred and George, already in their pajama bottoms, began to get into bed. When they were halfway there, they heard scratching at the door. Everyone froze.

"What's that?" Fred asked in a worried voice.

"Why don't you open the door and find out?" Harry teased.

Fred and George exchanged worried glances. "Uh-uh," they said in unison, shaking their heads.

"What if it's the cat?" Ron asked, not daring to get up from the bed.

"What if it's not?" George said, an edge of panic in his voice.

"Oh, I'll get it," Harry said, getting out of bed.

"No don't!" the twins yelled in unison, but it was too late. Harry pulled open the door and a large tabby cat came nancing in.

"See? It's just the cat," Harry said, sitting back down on the bed as the cat jumped up to greet him. Fred and George didn't move. The cat began to purr as he stroked it's head, and Ron moved to join in.

"Well, it's _a_ cat," the freckly boy said as he pet the animal.

"What do you mean _'a_' cat, Ron?" Harry asked, looking up.

"It's not ours," Ron replied.

Fred and George began to scoot backward in the cramped room. The cat turned to face the twins, and in the split second of time it took before the cat pounced, George could have sworn he saw it smile.

Both he and Fred ducked, covering their heads with their arms as they cried out in fright. After a moment in which the cat did not rip them apart, and both Ron and Harry had broken out in laughter, the twins peeked their fiery heads out from beneath their arms. The cat was sitting on Fred's bed purring, it's tail flicking back and forth as it watched them, rubbing it's face against the blankets in pleasure.

"Honestly, you two, it's just a cat!" Harry said, picking the tabby up in his arms. Fred and George, still eyeing the cat distrustfully, sat down on one of the beds.

"How'd it get here?" George asked, taking a test poke at the cat. The cat, if at all possible, sent a steely glare in his direction. He quickly withdrew his hand.

"Probably belongs to one of the girls," Ron said, getting into bed. Harry set the cat on the end of his bed and lay down.

"You're not letting it sleep in here?!" Fred asked incredulously.

"Why not?" Ron asked, "Pig and Hedwig are out tonight, and if I've learned anything at Hogwarts, it's that a cat is a good thing to have around."

"Fine then," George said, pulling the covers high up on his chest. Fred put out the lamps, and the four of them fell asleep, the cat's purring filling their ears.

sSs

"She's not back yet," Kara said worriedly. "You don't suppose they tossed her out a window or something?"

"I doubt it," Kelena answered, taking another drink of her butterbeer. Terry had been moved down to Ginny's room with Hermione to make room for Kelena. Besides, she needed to make better friends with the brainy Gryffindor. It was all good when it came to Hermione.

"Maybe I should go look for her," Kara remarked, getting up from the bed.

"Suit yourself," Kelena said, stretching out, "but remember, we've got plans tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know," Kara answered off-handedly as she shut the door. She crept down the stairs as quietly as she could. When she got to Fred and George's door, she could only hear snoring coming from inside. 'At least they're still alive,' she mused to herself. She continued on down the stairs calling out "_Live!_" as loudly as she dare whisper.

She came to the top landing right outside Ginny's room and was just about to call her sister's name once more, when she saw a light go on downstairs. She crouched down and flattened herself against the wall, listening intently for further signs of the intruders.

She eased up a bit when she heard Mrs. Weasley's voice downstairs. "Put the kettle on, won't you, Bill?" she said in a tired voice.

"Yes, mum."

Feeling a bit guilty for eavesdropping, Kara leaned in a bit closer to hear better.

"Won't you have a bit of tea, Kingsley?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"_Kingsley_?" Kara whispered to herself.

"I don't want to trouble you, Molly," answered a man with a deep voice.

"Oh, it's no trouble," answered Mrs. Weasley, and Kara heard her bustling around the kitchen.

"Thanks for watching the kids, Kingsley," said Mr. Weasley, followed by the sounds of a couple chairs scraping across the floor.

"When did they get to sleep?" asked Mrs. Weasley from across the kitchen.

"About an hour ago," came the deep-voiced reply.

"There wasn't any trouble, was there? Nothing out of the ordinary happened?" asked Mr. Weasley.

There was a pause and then the man, Kingsley, answered, "Nothing threatening. I got bit by one of your gnomes, and one of the older girls seemed to be having a row with your twins."

"You must have misheard dad, Kingsley," came Bill's voice. "He asked if anything _out _of the ordinary happened," which was followed by chuckles all around.

Kara smiled, despite her puzzlement. There had been no baby-sitter present in the house…

Then the laughter died down. "Seriously though," said the man Kara now knew to be called Kingsley Shacklebolt, "Dumbledore's owl sounded urgent. Was it serious?"

_Dumbledore? I thought they were just going out to dinner. What's Dumbledore got to do with it?_

"It was about the children getting back to school," said Mrs. Weasley over the sound of tea being poured.

"With everything that's been happening, he thinks that there should be some sort of protection on the way there," said Bill.

That was one thing Kara did understand. She knew all about what had happened with Harry during the Tri Wizard tournament, and the return of You-Know-Who.

"What's going to happen?"

"Some of the Order members are going to escort us down to the train station," answered Mr. Weasley dryly.

_Order? What Order?_

"With all the kids you have here now? You do realize you currently have ten under your roof?" said Shacklebolt cheerily.

Mr. Weasley chuckled a bit. "It's only three more than we had at one time."

"Not to mention mum's having loads of fun with more girls in the house for a change," said Bill happily.

Kara could almost hear the blush in Mrs. Weasley's voice. "Oh, well, they are such lovely girls. And besides, they had no other way to get down to the station, what with their parents' cruise getting delayed and all. It's been a real pleasure having them."

Kara felt a wave of guilt wash over her. That was how they had gotten to stay at the Weasley residence. They had informed Mrs. Weasley that their parents were on holiday and couldn't take them to the platform themselves, but Mrs. Weasley, being the kind woman she was and more than good friends with their mothers, gladly took on the responsibility. That the children had made a little holiday out of it was just a benefit of the deal.

"If we had known we'd be needing an escort, we would have arranged for them to be taken down separately," said Mr. Weasley.

"What do you mean?" asked Shacklebolt.

"Dumbledore wanted us to bring Harry by floo to headquarters first, and go to the platform from there," said Bill, "only I don't think he counted on all the extra kids either."

Kara resented Bill a little for calling her a kid, but leaned ever closer to listen better.

"What does he want you to do about all of them?" Shacklebolt asked.

"Bring them all," said Mrs. Weasley, a tinge of irritation in her voice, "And Fred and George don't even know about it yet. They're all too young if you ask me."

"Dumbledore reckons all the girls are in the loop about Black anyway. Gossip and all. Says that they're close enough to the situation to need protection," said Bill. "They know too much." Which was true. At the beginning of Kara's fourth year, Live had happened to be in the Gryffindor common room in cat form when Harry had received a letter from Sirius Black. She of course told Kara and Kelena immediately, who all in turn confronted Harry about it. In turn of events, they all found out about Black's true innocence.

"It doesn't mean that they need to be involved!" said Mrs. Weasley in a huff.

"If they're close enough to Harry that they'll be in the line of fire, they do," said Bill in reply. "It's for their own protection."

"Speaking of which, I should probably go and check on them," said Mrs. Weasley, her chair scraping across the floor.

"Tomorrow we'll have to…" But Kara didn't hear what Mr. Weasley was going to have to do tomorrow. She turned tail and ran all the way to the top of the stairs on her toes. Out of breath, and panicky that she would be caught, she stuffed a couple pillows under Live's blankets to make it look like she was in the room, and flung herself onto her own bed. Not long after, Mrs. Weasley cracked open the door to peak in, and shut it softly once she was satisfied that the girls were asleep.

Mind boggled with the events of the night, and suddenly tired from her escape on the stairs, she fell into a troubled sleep.

The next morning was a bit distressing. Kara didn't get a chance to talk to Kelena about what she had heard because she had overslept. She came trooping down the stairs still in her pajamas and sat groggily between Terry and Ginny at the table.

"Good morning dear," said Mrs. Weasley, setting a plate of bacon and eggs down in front of her. Some toast found it's way to her from across the table, and she looked up to see Kelena grinning at her with an orange wedge in her mouth. Kara and Ginny giggled into their eggs, and Terry rolled her eyes at the morning antics.

When Kara was on her way to a second helping of eggs, Ron and Harry came down to breakfast and began shoveling eggs into their mouth. Kelena stopped her own shoveling to glance in their direction.

"Sleep well?" she asked them. She sure knew how to fake being nonchalant.

"Fine," replied Harry. "Except…" he began, but stopped to look at Ron.

Ron looked from his food to Harry to the girls at the end of the table. "Did any of you bring a cat with you?"

Kara and Kelena shared a worried glance before Kelena replied. "Ooooh yeah…a tabby? She's mine."

"Oh, good," said Harry.

"Why?" Kelena and Kara asked together.

"She found her way into our room last night," Harry said, going back to his eggs.

"Yeah, she does that," Kelena said a bit too quickly. "She's very curious."

A muffled bellow of anger was to be heard coming through the ceiling.

"And moody," she added when the shock of the yell had died away. "She can get _very _moody," she said, immersing herself in her breakfast once more.

At that moment, the tabby cat came strolling down the stairs, looking very proud of itself, even for a cat. It made its way happily over to the very end of the table where Bill Weasley sat reading the morning paper, and leapt up into his lap. Bill jumped a little, then began to stroke the cat as he read his paper. There was safety gaining the affection of a possible kitty-protector…after what s_he'd_ done, she'd need it.

Harry and Ron were a bit surprised to see Kara and Kelena break into simultaneous coughs as they buried their faces in their hands. Ginny however, close enough to the girls to see their smiles, was wondering what the heck was so funny.

Shortly after, Fred came stomping down the stairs with George trooping after. They stopped just short of sitting next to Bill when they saw the cat in his lap purring like there's no tomorrow. Bill looked up from his paper at them.

"Alright you two?" he asked.

Fred pointed a finger at the cat in his lap. "That thing is pure evil," he said.

"What, the cat? She's sweet," said Bill, scratching under the tabby's chin as loud, pleased purrs were heard. "Does she have a name?'

"Evil," said George as he and Fred sat as far away from evil-cat as possible. Kara giggled at the irony.

"Er…" Kelena thought quickly, perturbed by the possible discovery. "Kitty-Nimbles," she said, an evil grin on her face.

"Maybe she can have a play-date with Crookshanks," offered Hermione cheerily, although Crookshanks kept shooting nasty glares at the cat.

"What happened?" asked Ginny.

"Nothing," Fred replied firmly, eyes downcast.

George, however, leaned over to the girls and whispered, "Remember that old teddy bear Fred slept with when he was little?" Ginny nodded, but Kara and Kelena grinned. "Well, demon cat slept in our room last night. When Fred went to get his shoes out from under the bed this morning, he found his teddy's remains. The biggest piece left of Mr. Snuggles was the button eye."

Ginny's mouth was open so wide, Kara was sure it would hit the floor any moment.

"He can just put it back together with magic, can't he?" Ginny asked with subdued tones, watching Fred somberly scoop eggs to his plate.

"Yeah, but it's more or less the shock and principle of the thing," he said confidently to his sister.

Kelena turned to look at Fred who was staring gloomily at his eggs, and then to the cat, who was arching it's back to be pet more. She mewed loudly to get his attention, but got Kelena's instead.

"Be careful, Bill," she called out, a wicked grin on her face, "she's not house trained yet."

"Oh," Bill said, and he promptly scooped the cat off his lap.

The cat stared intently at Kelena before darting under the table. Fred and George immediately lifted their feet from the floor, but Kelena was not so swift. She cried out in pain and brought her shin up to the table, now sporting three red welts.

The cat then proceeded to run up the stairs and out of sight.

"Evil-cat," Fred mumbled under his breath.

"Speaking of evil creatures," George spoke up with a grin, "Where's Live?"

"She was still sleeping when we got up," said Kara with a smirk, and Kelena nodded in agreement.

"You seemed keen on waking her up yesterday," said Ron, swallowing a bit of toast, "Why don't you take another whack at it today?" He and Harry both grinned.

"I like my eyes as they are, thank you," replied George. "You know," he waved his hands in the air with a flourish, "sight and all..."

"I heard that!" yelled Live down the stairs.

"There's Mary-Sunshine herself!" said Fred, his mood brightening at the prospect of a new day of…fun.

Live came down the stairs and seated herself next to Kelena, helping herself to some toast and jam.

"You look a bit tired," Fred said knowingly to Live, remembering the glue escapades of the night before. "Did you sleep well?"

"Did _you_?" she shot back at him with raised eyebrow. He quieted down.

"Well, I've got to be going," said Bill, getting up from the table.

"So soon, dear?" said Mrs. Weasley.

"I told dad I would come in and give him a hand today," he replied, placing a kiss on his mother's forehead. He started heading for the door.

"Wouldn't you like me to give your hair a trim first?" Mrs. Weasley asked in a last vain attempt.

"Goodbye mum. I'll see you tonight," was his reply.

At the mention of Mr. Weasley, Kara suddenly remembered that she had something to tell the others. She leaned across the table to talk to Live and Kelena, but it was that moment that Mrs. Weasley chose to sit down at the table. A bit irritated, Kara leaned back into her seat.

"Well," said Mrs. Weasley, wringing a napkin in her lap, "now that I have all of you children in one place, there's something I need to talk to you about," she said, casting a meaningful glance at Harry.

"What is it, mum?" asked Ron, pushing his plate away.

Mrs. Weasley bit her lip, seemingly having trouble finding words. "Well…you all know about…well about what happened last year." Harry seemed to be concentrating on his hands.

"About You-Know-Who returning?" asked Hermione, and Mrs. Weasley nodded.

"You know that it makes things more complicated," she continued. Ron looked at Harry, then cast a meaningful glance at Hermione. "Now, what I'm about to tell you, you cannot discuss with anyone outside of this group of people and you may not talk about it openly." Everyone stared at her with rapt attention. "There is a group of people who came together to fight You-Know-Who the last time he was in power. Now that he has come back, Dumbledore has called them together again. This group of people is called the Order of the Phoenix."

Everyone stole glances around the table, anxious to hear more. Kara stared at Mrs. Weasley, waiting for answers to all the broken information she had received the night before.

"With all the recent events of the summer, Dumbledore believes that it's necessary for you children to have protection on your way back to Hogwarts, and I wholeheartedly agree with him. What he requests we do, though," she continued, a frown on her face, "is bring all of you to the headquarters of the Order, and send you off to Hogwarts with a guard from there."

"Where is it?" asked Ginny excitedly.

"You'll find out when you need to," Mrs. Weasley said quickly, "and this is nothing for you to get excited over. If it were up to me, none of you children would be involved. Especially you four," she said, motioning towards Terry, Kara, Live and Kelena. True, they had only become rather good friends with Harry during third year, so they weren't as deep into it the others. Mrs. Weasley continued. "You are all too young for this, but Dumbledore seems to think that since you are such good friends with this lot," she motioned towards Harry, Hermione, and her children, "that you would be in danger as well."

"So when are we going to this clubhouse?" asked Terry.

"It's not a clubhouse, it's Order headquarters!" said Kelena, already enthused about joining.

"Tonight," said Mrs. Weasley, looking worried. "Late."

"Right," said Fred and George, and with a pop, they apparated up to their room, supposedly to pack.

The people left at the table stared upstairs, silently mulling over the information just given to them. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were each in their own world, worried about what would happen later on that night. Kelena was thinking about the potential wizards in the Order, ("They have to have some hot guys in it! I mean, they fight against evil! They're like superheroes but not!") while Live was silently mouthing more hexes to put on Fred and George, having not really heard what Mrs. Weasley was saying.

Out of the blue, a high piercing scream tore through the house. Kelena, startled out of her reverie, fell off her chair while Live immediately exclaimed "I didn't do it!" Everyone else sat dumb with shock.

"Whhyyy-iiieeehh!!!" George screamed as he tore down the stairs, followed closely by Fred. "Who did this?! Who would do such a sick twisted thing?!" he said holding up a very tattered almost unrecognizable terry-cloth bunny head. He had veritable fire in his eyes and anime anger wind as he grasped the tattered toy in one fist held up high. Live had the presence of mind to not make eye contact but it was poor unfortunate Kelena that George latched onto.

"YOU!" Finger pointed, he stalked towards her, his bulky 6'1" frame towering over her measly 5'3" frame. "You set your evil cat on--" he started, teeth clenched, but before he could say another word, she was gone. Taking a running jump, she sailed over the formerly occupied chairs and past a slightly startled Terry and Ginny.

"Run, Kelena, RUN!" Kara yelled, as Kelena swept past her and out the room.

All of the kitchen heard her running up the stairs and two respective pops from the room signaled Fred and George's departure…"I'M SORRREEEE!!!!" Kelena wailed as she ran to the safety of the girls room, only to be caught by two strong male arms just as she almost reached the doorway. Hands clasped her mouth shut and she was forced into the twins room.

sSs


	6. Compromising Positions

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 6: Compromising Positions

sSs

"I'd better go see about that," Mrs. Weasley said, moving to get up from the table.

"On no, Mrs. Weasley, let me," Live volunteered, feeling a little guilty. Kelena shouldn't die on her account, or at least have to suffer through whatever Fred and George had planned due to her most recent stuffed-animal murder…

"I'll go with you," Terry volunteered.

"No, no. It's alright," Live declined, getting up from the table and ascending the stairs to meet the face of doom (the collective name for Fred and George Weasley). She went up two steps at a time, getting a little eager as she could hear no noise of any inherent struggle taking place; never a good sign.

Stepping quietly, she slowly approached her door of choice, opened a crack but nothing but darkness to be seen from within.

"Kelena?" Live called softly, brandishing her wand and using it to open the door a bit more. She may not be able to legally curse or hex Fred or George should the need arise, but a pointy stick in the hands of a teenage Slytherin girl coming to the defense of her friend was a force to be reckoned with all the same. Better yet, a pointy stick in the hands of any teenage girl was something to fear. All the more, _anything_ in the hands of Live Hunter, Slytherin Snake Queen Supreme, was something bound to be reckoned with.

"Live? Need a little help?" a voice sounding like Kara's hindered by a mouthful of food called from below.

"No, I'm good," she called back, and looked back towards the darkened room. She fully opened the door, light spilling in to the pitch-dark chamber to reveal a chair containing a fully bound and spellotaped Kelena. She looked frantic and irate, and was trying to motion to Live, but when one is as bound and gagged in spellotape as Kelena was, it was rather hard to understand what she wanted…except maybe her freedom.

Live looked her friend in the eye and took a tentative step into the room, testing the waters and trying to make out if Fred or George was anywhere in the immediate vicinity. It was taking a moment for her eyes to adjust, but by the incessant way Kelena's chair was tap-tap-tapping against the hardwood floor, Live decided to throw caution and eye-dilation to the wind and come to the rescue of her friend.

She looked warily around her, making sure she was as alone as she seemed, and approached Kelena who was making noises sounding suspiciously similar to "breathe" and "I need to".

"Damn Kelena, what'd they do to you?" Her amused voice was greeted with angry noises of reprobation. "Sorry. I guess I owe you one." She motioned to try to undo Kelena but paused in thought. "Really though, 'Kitty-Nimbles'?"

Kelena started moving even more violently as Live laughed lightly and picked at a piece of tape. The door to the room quickly closed, enshrouding them in darkness as Live's whole body went alert. She uttered a choice curse word and tried to focus in the darkness. She could easily flee out the door, but she wouldn't leave Kel to the mercy of the twins and their recently _improved_ attitudes towards Kelena. After all, it was _she _and not Kel who…had a sort of 'run in' with their childhood toys…Nothing a quick spell couldn't fix, but principles were principles…

"Fred! George! Open that door back up right now!" Live demanded, keeping herself situated between the door and Kelena. She felt a creepy tap on her shoulder followed by that certain scary whooshing noise overused in every horror movie ever made. Damn them, they were good. "Touch me again and you'll pull back a nub, and I'm _very_ creative about appendage choiceage," she threatened, aiming her wand at what she figured to be crotch-level.

She felt behind her and tried to undo more of Kelena's bounds when the silhouette of a Weasley figure made its way to her vision.

"Hello, Miss Hunter," one of the twins said creepily, flanked by his mirror image. Everything from tone of voice to the suit and sunglasses they wore fit the perfect image of Mr. Smith from _The Matrix_. When the hell did they get the chance to see _that_?!

"Where did you get those suits?" she asked, feeling behind her to try to subtly free one of Kelena's arms. No sooner than that fool-hardy attempt was she tackled by one of the twins (read: agents of doom) and landed with a thump to the floor.

She fought claws and teeth with the twin trapping her to be free. Oh, she'd teach him not to tackle Live Hunter…or at least do some damage trying. Stupid boys.

Amused chuckling was coming from the other twin as his brother successfully trapped Live's hands in his and sat atop her in triumph, effectively pinning her to the floor. Kelena's enraged muffles of noise could be heard from Live's new altitude as the Gryffindor's chair had subsequently been knocked to the floor in the power for control.

"Fred I swear to god if you don't get off me right now--"

"I'm George," her grinning captor said smugly as she struggled, trying to claw at him. Her animagus wasn't a cat for nothing…

"Get. Off. Of. Me. Now. _Fred_," she said to aggravate him, putting on a tremendous show of strength as she tried to inflict bodily harm to one of the twin Weasley males.

"_I_ haven't done anything to you," the twin known to be Fred stated innocently, stopping the angry tap-tap-tapping of Kelena's chair by stepping on one of the legs. He chuckled as her murmurs of outrage greeted his interference as she glared daggers at him. He grinned with the upper-hand.

"George! Fred! Gah whoever you are! When I'm done with you there won't be anything left to be recognized!" she yowled angrily, still trying to scratch at him.

"I'm _George_ and I'll be your masochist for the morning," he said quite chipperly, undaunted by her threats. Live, rather affrighted by his cheery attitude, and taking into consideration what had been the cause and what were currently the stakes of this little game, tried to throw him off her, but it was quite impossible. Live wasn't weak by any standard and she wasn't what one would call small either, but George's superior weight, strength, and height far exceeded those of her own. Not only that, but biologically, being a guy made him stronger, and it made her mad that she couldn't beat him.

"Dammit George! Let me up or I'm going to tell your mum!" Live said with every ounce of Slytherin resentment she could muster. Granted, her tone coupled with her choice of threat didn't make for the most terrifying of consequences to consider, so she was hardly taken seriously.

"Oho, cheap shot, George m'lad," Fred said with a light laugh. "Quickly now! Turn her loose so she can tell mum!" he added with sarcastic enthusiasm. Kelena, for all her suffering sideways and spellotaped to a chair, blood-rushing to her face from the unusual position, brought the leg of aforementioned item down on Fred's foot as he shrieked and leapt onto the bed next to Kel's fallen chair, grasping his foot in pain. Who would've thought exacting a little revenge on the evil cat owner could be so painful?

"Ha!" Live spouted triumphantly, promising to get Kel a present for her efforts. She turned her attentions back to George and demanded to be let go.

"Why would I do that?"

"Do it or-" Live tried a surprise attack to inflict some sort of harm. She did indeed catch him off guard, but her efforts were in vain and he restrained her ever further without difficulty.

"Show 'er what we do to those in league with the evil cat owner!" Fred prompted from his perch on the bed, glaring down at said cat owner strapped to the chair while he still held his throbbing foot. Kelena fought her bindings and forever cursed the wizard who invented spellotape. They'd be receiving an angry letter from her, have no doubt about that.

"You know, I think I just might…" George said thoughtfully to his twin. Live was sure he would've touched his chin in thought if he had free hands. Damn haughty Gryffindor.

He turned back to look evilly at Live, and she was positive at that moment that the boy had been sorted wrong as no one but a pure Slytherin could manage such a look of malevolent intent. For the love of all that is good and pure, it was only a stuffed animal! Hardly meriting such revenge! Easily repaired with a simple spell, for Godric's sake!

George grinned at Live as she opened her mouth to make demands and threats anew, but was interrupted as the door to the room suddenly opened, light filling the area and blinding the four occupants.

The youngest female Weasley poked her head in and made a move to speak, but in seeing the scene before her, she closed the door and left quietly with a resounding 'click'.

Fred looked to George and he to his twin as they shrugged and took up right where they left off. The revenge exacted for their beloved childhood toys would be oh-so-sweet and rewarding, and as Gryffindors together, they'd make these two pay! _Granted_, Kelena _was _in Gryffindor too, but they discounted that fact since she was friends with the Slytherin snake queen as well as owner of the demon cat called Kitty-Nimbles; one of whom they'd rather refer to as 'evil demon cat', but that was just terminology choices.

"George Weasley I swear I'll make you pay!!" Live snarled with a tone that would make her Head of House proud. She didn't like being restrained any more than she did bossed around. "Let me up right now!" Her demands were joined by the sound of Kel's incessant tap-tap-tapping and murmurs sounding suspiciously like that of creative profanities.

"Sorry but my funds are a bit low this month. I'm afraid you'll have to bill me," George responded with a cheeky grin.

Live was none-too-delighted by his 'witty' comment and supply thereof, and tried once more to launch an assault on him. She'd almost freed herself and thrown him off when he used his full weight against her, pinning her hard to the floor. She was surprised he had been holding back. And now she was even more pissed off.

"Fred, what were we going to do to them exactly? I'm not sure if I remember correctly," George asked with curiosity that almost seemed genuine but for the knowing smirk on his face. It was the same smirk Live had seen when they'd poured that syrupy Weasley glue on her the night before. It wasn't a look she'd come to be fond of.

Fred looked down intently on Kelena from his perch above her and grinned wickedly. "Well, I was thinking along the lines of--"

The doorknob to their room turned with a click and a fiery-red head swung the door open.

"Fred, Ginny said you wanted--WHAT ARE YOU _DOING_?!?" Ron squawked at the scene before him. On the floor was Live beneath George, being pinned wholly by his body and looking for all her efforts harassed and disheveled, and lying next to her a spellotape-bound and gagged Kelena who looked terribly flushed, and Fred perched over the irate Gryffindor as if he was going to pounce at any moment, both twins in matching suit and sunglasses. All four's eyes were squinted in the light, holding witness to the fact that they had been in the privacy of darkness. Ron didn't know what to make of the scene but to gawk and stare and be quite horrified by the conclusions his mind was making.

George quickly sprang off Live and Fred jumped off the bed.

"Come on, Ron! It's not what you think!" Fred spat quickly.

"I mean, come on! She's in Slytherin!!" George added as the aforementioned woman picked herself and Kelena up off the floor looking rather harassed and more disheveled than she would've preferred in such an event.

"Hey!" she shouted, accidentally dropping Kelena's chair back to the floor. She landed with an irate 'thump' as Live glared daggers at George. She straightened her clothing and shook her hair with an embarrassed and affronted frown, never mind that Kelena was still bound up like some BDSM reject.

"Where did you get those suits? And those sunglasses? In the dark?" Hermione's voice asked with accusation. Turns out she wasn't the only curious one in the hallway at that moment, her inquisitive face joined by Harry's wide eyes and Kara's muffled shouts of "let me see!"

"Oh, it doesn't matter anymore!" Fred said dramatically, waving away their getups and pulling the blinds back to let light in to consume the darkness.

"Ron's gone and ruined it anyway," George said with disappointment, keeping his distance from the Slytherin glaring daggers at him.

"I didn't ruin anything!!" Ron cried out, throwing his arms in the air as Hermione made her way into the room flanked by Ginny. The young red head moved to help Live free Kelena. Ron thought for a moment, and looked from his two brothers to the two sixth year girls. "And maybe what you were doing _needed_ ruining!!"

Live shot George a glare promising revenge most creative and severe as she freed Kelena's mouth of the spellotape. This proved to be a fatal mistake.

"I swear I'm going to kill you--" shouted from the mouth of the disheveled Gryffindor were the only words understandable as she launched into a strain of profanities that even Live couldn't comprehend.

Live looked wide-eyed as Kel looked hawkishly from Fred to George to her, her gaze settling on the Slytherin who so tactfully left the tape on her mouth for last. "What did _I _do?!" Live asked innocently.

"You--" she quickly caught herself and added "-er cat…That damn Kitty-Nimbles! I swear I'm going to get her fixed!" Live's eyes went wide taking heart to the threat and directed blame.

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" Live exclaimed adamantly, plopping down on the bed next to Hermione and glaring malevolently at the twins.

"Excellent. Have the enemy fighting amongst themselves and move in for the easy victory!" Fred said none-too-quietly to his twin. George grinned and winked at them.

"And both of _you_!" Kelena exclaimed, trying to come up with similar terror-tactics to use against them in the present-future. She had a promising, accusing finger pointed at them. "Don't even think I'm through with you!"

Ron let out an exasperated gasp as the two sides of the room glared at one another: boys vs. girls. Man against woman. Or at least, Kelena and Live vs. Fred and George. Harry sat next to the twins, and Ginny and Hermione next to Live and Kel. Terry lingered in the doorframe where Ron was and Kara plopped down next to her sister as if everything was as right as rain.

It was Hermione who broke the silence. "Honestly, you're all behaving like children!" Her statement was greeted by four frowns as she gestured erratically with her arms. "I mean, there's more important things than your squabbling." Live raised a speculative eyebrow, daring her to come up with something more important. Right now nothing seemed as important as getting back at the George for violating her in ways she didn't want to think about. And how degrading that everyone had had to see… "I mean it! What about You-Know-Who? And going you-know-where late tonight? You should be preoccupied with that, at least."

Subconsciously, all eyes fell to Harry, who merely shrugged and wrapped his arms about his knees. "All these precautions and this whole business with Voldemort worries me." Everyone but Live visibly shivered at the mention of the name, with the exception of Ron who let out a vexed little noise. He hated it when Harry said that name. "I don't like you guys getting involved. I just wish this wasn't all necessary…"

"That reminds me," Kara spoke up, remembering the late-night conversation she really shouldn't have overheard. "Last night when your parents got home I heard them talking in the kitchen. I was pretty sure it was just them and Bill, but then there was also someone they called Kingsley Shacklebolt."

"_Kingsley Shacklebolt?_ He was here?!" Harry asked incredulously.

"Yes."

"But what for? Mum and dad just went out to dinner," Ron said.

"Honestly, Ron, sometimes you're so thick," George said ruffling his hair.

"They didn't go out to eat. It was an Order meeting, I think. Otherwise, would they have really left us all home-alone?" Ron gave her a blank look. "Ron, your mum and dad had him watch us last night somehow…Although I certainly don't remember seeing anyone…" Kara mused absentmindedly. Sometimes all that sugar got to her brain.

"Wait a minute, we were being _watched_?" Live spoke up, more than disturbed, her full attention to the discussion at hand. She didn't like the idea that she was being spied on, and Slytherin or not, it was in her nature to like her privacy kept and know what was around her. It made her feel a bit more than paranoid to know she was being watched and yet not know it.

"Yeah. He like baby-sat us or something like that."

"Are you sure this is the same Kingsley Shacklebolt?" Ron asked more than miffed. "He's not into baby-sitting as far as I know."

Kara stood, hands on hips. "Just how many Kingsley Shacklebolts do you think there are in the world, Ron?" she asked rhetorically.

"Wait, just who is this guy, anyway?" Live asked skeptically. "How well do you know him?"

"Oh, he works for the Order. He's the one who's been making up all those stories about Sirius Black all summer," Fred supplied cheerily with a smile. Live grimaced at him.

"And just how do you know that?!" Hermione asked with exasperation.

"Extendible Ears," George said, displaying a rather neat Weasley Wizard Wheezes product in his hand.

"You spied on them?! Eavesdropped?!" Hermione inquired, eyes wide. Her expression clearly showed her disapproval, 'illegal' written all over her face.

"Wait, you tell me you've known about this all along?!" Harry asked with unhidden anxiety and thirst for knowledge.

"Sure," Fred replied. "You know the headlines: 'Sirius Black spotted in Paris!'"

"Black spotted in London!" George supplied.

"Egypt!"

"Italy!"

"Lebanon!"

"Lebanon?"

"Well, I'm sure it will end up in the papers sometime…" Fred said with a lopsided grin. "He's been making up stuff to keep them off your godfather's trail."

"You've known about this all summer and didn't tell me?!" Harry tried not to yell, but he was a little more than angry at this withholding of information.

"Well, we couldn't owl you, mate. It might've gotten intercepted..." Fred told him. It was the truth, but even to him it sounded a lame excuse.

"And using the felly-tone wasn't a good idea, either…" George said, looking at his youngest brother in reminder of Ron's somewhat interesting phone etiquette.

"I didn't realize…I wish I'd known…It's just all so complicated…" Harry said dismally, frustrated with everything to no end.

"Sorry, mate."

sSs

The afternoon was spent swimming in the pond that had played party to more than one of Fred and George's crazy experiments and wars against their siblings. There was something of a truce for the afternoon (or at least what could be defined as such) and everyone took a little time out to frolic in the water.

Kara and Kelena had plunged right in, dragging Ginny in with them since she wouldn't go of her own accord. Terry joined Hermione, the two brought together under brunette-power, and had chosen to spread out a blanket by the lake's edge where they could keep their canned drinks cool in the water and dip their feet in.

It would take more than a little coaxing to make Live plunge into the cold water. For one thing, the water was murky, and she was scared of touching any seaweed because of reason number one: "ick!" and reason number two: the fish. It was something the twins amazingly didn't taunt her about. No, instead they told her she should be more worried about the few grindylows that called the pond home and which might choose to wrap their spindly-fingers about her ankles when she waded in. Nothing to worry about, of course, as they assured her there were only about five in the entirety of the large pond ("That you _know _of!" Live scoffed) and that the size of the pond only left about one to drag her in. Other than that, fishing was good and there was nothing she should be worried about.

A few well-decided curse words later she was sitting on the bank under a tree glaring at the pond, her fear battling with the desire to get into the cool water. She loved the water more than anything, but it was scary enough worrying about your 'friends' grabbing you under by the ankles, let alone a magical, scary little creature. The little things resembled teddy-bear sized sea-monkeys on average, and while funny to see in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class, they were Live's worst nightmare in the water. Whatever happened to just worrying about fish? Or hell, Jaws for that matter.

"Come on, Live! The water's fine!" Kara shouted moments before she was pulled under, replaced by the grinning face of Fred Weasley, who was thusly pulled under himself and replaced with his twin. Not much of a difference to the picture, but there it was.

Live stuck out her tongue and watched as Ginny scrambled onto a big rock sticking out of the water as Kelena came shooting out of after her, causing her to shriek and laugh.

"Looks like there's sea-monsters in your pond!" Live called to Ron as he stood by the edge, preparing to jump in.

"What?" he asked cocking his head to one side. Little did he know that Harry was sneaking up on him, and moments later the boy made a loud crashing splash into the water. Hermione and Terry shrieked as the cold liquid splashed their sun-heated faces. Live laughed as Ron came up sputtering and Harry raised his hands and looked around as if trying to find the culprit.

"Double back-flip," Live shouted to Harry. "Let's see some moves."

"Only a double?" Harry asked as if insulted, climbing up into the tree Live sat beneath. She chuckled as he made his way onto a sturdy-looking leafy tree-branch that was obviously used as a diving board. He made a great show of stretching and preparing himself as the others below in the pond watched and waited and threw jibes and cheers his way. Little known to Harry, George wasn't part of the crowd eagerly awaiting his grand entrance, and before Live could warn him, Harry was quickly dethroned of his branch, but still managed a half-decent somersault into the water.

"Five-point-two!" Live called his score between laughs as Harry feigned anger and brandished a fist at the grinning twin lounging on the branch.

"Assassins!" Harry shrieked dramatically, pointing at George before Ron dunked him.

"Watch out, Harry. Weasleys stick together, ya' know," Ron laughed before Harry dunked him back and swam to the rock Ginny sat on for safety. As he scrambled up it, he was once again dethroned and replaced by Ron, who pulled his legs up so Harry couldn't pull him off.

"I'm not playing lifeguard if you manage to drown each other," Live called with a smirk to the wrestling boys who did nothing more than succeed in pushing Ginny off the rock. But that was okay, as she found a new perch in Kara by the advice of a plotting Kelena.

"What exactly are your qualifications?"

Live looked for the disembodied voice above her. "What?"

"You think you make such a great lifeguard…" George said openly, purposely trying to razz her with an impish grin. Well, the truce could only last for so long anyway…

She watched as Kelena swam waves over Fred to get away from Kara and Ginny, and she grinned in thought, wishing it were George instead of his twin. "I have more qualifications than you could hope for, George Weasley," she said haughtily with her face turned upwards in a purposely snobbish manner.

"I don't think so-- Go Fred! GO!" he shouted to his twin who was succeeding in a most impressive coup d'état for control over the swimming rock. He turned his attention back to Live. He cocked his head with a grin. "Snakes can't swim, can they?"

"What about you? I thought little kitty-cats hated water?" she said sweetly sarcastic of his House mascot.

"Better than snakes," he alleged with a challenging grin, followed by a bitter murmur of "...kitty-cats...", no doubt re-living the Kitty-Nimbles incident from the morning.

"I doubt it." She looked to see that Kel, Kara, and Ginny now had ownership of the rock, Kelena standing proudly as Ron and Harry were trying to dunk one another. "Shouldn't that be _you _out there?" she asked assumingly as George surveyed his youngest brother getting dunked by The Boy who Lived.

"Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"I'll have my revenge on you, one way or another…"

He made a tsk-ing noise. "Shame, shame."

"And it's strangely coincidental that my life-guarding will take a break once _you _get in…" she added with an amazed tone. She watched as her sister dove under, and looked to see Ginny watching the blonde's underwater progress toward Fred. After a minute when neither Kara popped up nor Fred disappeared beneath, Live stood up in alarm, damning the possibility that a grindylow had her sister.

But seconds later, Fred disappeared below with a shriek and Kara was suddenly standing a little too high out of the water, obviously perched on Fred's shoulders. Honestly, the girl had some Slytherin cunning in her yet.

Live let out the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding and leaned against the tree. She recalled the few times she had gone under in the waves at the beach, sure that she would die, only to be tumbled to the surface. The lake was much more placid than that, but still it unnerved her to no end. And even more reason to stay alert _out_ of the water, Ginny wasn't an expert swimmer, so Live kept an eye on her at the suggestion of Mrs. Weasley.

"Some lifeguard," George commented light-heartedly at the notice of Live's alarm, earning a most condemning look to his grinning, teasing smirk.

"Kara and I have been swimming all our lives, she recently longer than I, and she's pulled stuff like that before. Fully capable of long times underwater. And should the worst happen, I happen to know some CPR, which is more than I can say for _you_, Fred no.2," she spouted, more than fed up with his pestering, and opened a drink she brought with her.

"Excuse me?!"

"Yes, I think that's fitting. Fred no.2...You're like the diet-coke of you two," she said, looking at her can. "Fred's the original, and you're the diet version," she added most resolutely, proud of her cleverness.

"But _I'm _the older one! That would make _me _the original, and _him _the diet-version! Not make me 'Fred no.2'!" he reasoned quickly, trying to prove her wrong.

"Sorry, but I think that hardly matters. You're _obviously _the diet-version. There's not much else different between you two but it's obvious you're the shoddier version," she said dismissively as Ron dove right onto Harry off the rock. Live shied her face away from the sight but still heard the resounding impact and the laughs that followed therewith.

"There are many differences betwixt me and mine reflection," George assured with utter determination.

"No, I don't think so," she disagreed, draining her drink and sitting back beneath the tree. Hell, if she could divide Fred and George's forces as they had suggested she and Kel were doing earlier, then it could work to her advantage and therefore an easy kill. She was considering jumping into the water herself to stop his pestering. Or maybe sneak up and push him in and off the branch the way he had done to Harry. Now only to coordinate something with Kelena and have them both effectively dunked…

"Sure there are. Like you, we have different birthmarks and such." He grinned as she visibly reddened and turned away. "None quite so interesting of location, but they're at least visible in public."

"George I'll kick your ass-"

"And then Fred's just a little shorter than I. Not much, but he is, I swear. And then there's the fact that I'm the more talented diver-"

"I hardly think that's-"

"And then of course, I'm smarter, braver, stronger, cleverer-"

Live ignored him as he ticked off his superior qualities, and she jumped into the tree ready to by-step him, or push him in, watching as Fred held Kelena close and tight against his chest and Ginny tickled her. Live came right up next to George as she attempted to step past him, but he didn't even notice as he still ticked things off on his fingers.

"-better at charms, more alert in the face of- What are you doing?" he asked, having obviously missed the second she'd jumped into the tree. He stood up from his seat, making her glare up at him.

"You forgot haughtier," she pointed out as she tried to pass him on the branch.

He raised a brow at her. "Excuse me?"

"You're excused, now let me pass," she commanded. The heat was getting to her, just as much as his inane chatting, and she felt her skin could use a well-deserved tan, the pallor of it increasing in notability when she stood next to her tanned sister. She'd like to drop the title of Vampire Princess this year at school. It was getting old.

George stood still at his perch and balanced on the branch out-looking the pond, grinning slightly.

"George. Move."

"It's back to _George_, now?" He watched as her eyes, hovering between blue and green, grew intense with ire. He never noticed how deep the color was before, and he rather liked it. Apparently it got deeper when she was agitated. He would have to agitate her more often.

"It'll be diet-Fred the II if you don't move!"

"Ask 'please' and I'll be glad to let you by," he compromised with an impish grin, somehow enjoying this little exchange even though he knew he shouldn't be.

By both her pride as a woman and as a Slytherin, as well as the morning battle, she wasn't going to bend to his demands whether it be the polite thing to do or not. She still owed him revenge for this morning's violations, and it would be taking a step backwards to do what he said.

"George-"

"Please," he added as cheers of "jump! jump!" made its way to his ears followed by jumping-style suggestions. There was a loud splash as Kelena pulled Fred into the water off the rock, stealing his seat until he grappled her for right of possession.

"Okay, you may go, now let me by," Live said regally, looking down into the water to inspect its depth, which seemed deep enough for a pond and reasonable enough for a proper dive. Cool.

George laughed but didn't move, and she put her hands on hips looking most aggravated and expectant, his eyes following their placement. His own rapt attention to her hands' progress confused him slightly. What was he thinking like this for?

"Am I going to have to knock you in to get by?" she asked with exasperation. It was meant as a warning, not a threat, but George just grinned lopsidedly anyway, making her unsure of how he took it or if he even heard her.

"You couldn't knock me off if you tried."

"Is that a challenge?"

He ignored that comment. "I'm like a tree branch itself. Sturdy and strong!" He gave his taut stomach a good pounding that reminded Live of Tarzan, sans big muscles, but with the alluring promise of such developments. Man did those swim-trunks show an awful lot of skin…

She shook her head, not allowing such traitorous, tantalizing thoughts to float about in her mind.

"Okay, Mr. Treebranch, if you fall in, don't blame me," she said, coming towards him warily in case he tried to push her in on impulse. He just grinned with an oh-so-confident look as she made her way towards him. Everyone below had gathered the way off to what was currently known as King Ron's Rock (management subject to change) for a good seat of what was proving to be a wonderfully entertaining spectacle. Even though they were a bit away, Live could hear that Kara was taking bets on who would fall in first, and scolded Kelena for betting against Live as Hermione's titters of disapproval could be heard in the background.

Regardless of his assurance that she couldn't knock him in, Live still tried to avoid touching George while crossing over, which was rather impossible, and he seemed to be enjoying every ounce of what was supposed to be uncomfortable contact. What neither of them could have foreseen, however, was that the old tree branch, while sturdy enough for _one_ of them to easily dive off into the water below, was not strong enough to support them both. A terrible creaking sounded moments before they started to slide down the falling branch, loud cracking and splintering as Live and George tried to keep one another from falling and get away before it was too late.

The branch broke loud and hard before anyone could react, and George made a quick grab for Live, but missed, as he apparated away to the bank.

There were screams and shouts of concern and fright above as waves, huge in size from the large tree branch, splashed everyone off Ron's rock as well as dragging Terry and Hermione into the water amid their frightened friends.

Heads popped up one after another from beneath the water as they sputtered and looked around with wide eyes, fright heavy in the air as the tree branch bobbed in the water.

"George?" Fred called, looking for his twin.

"Here," he said, motioning to Fred who looked both relieved and upset. Everyone was turned upside down from this and shaking from it, fighting the still-coming waves and attempting to swim back towards the rock or shore for leverage. And now their diving branch was gone. Bollocks.

"Everyone okay?" Kelena asked, reaching said perch as Fred helped her up, pulling Ginny onto the rock after her as she coughed up water.

"No. Where's Live?" Kara asked, looking around frantically. She knew her sister was a good swimmer, so where the hell was she?! She swam towards the tree branch that was still rolling in the water from impact. Could she have been knocked unconscious by the tree? Was she okay? Why hadn't she surfaced?!

Kara was thinking the worst as she fought the waves to get towards the tree. George saw her and knew what she was thinking, and apparated himself back onto the now-floating tree branch, trying to balance as he searched the leaf-clouded, murky water and subsequently dove in, looking around. Live was nowhere to be seen, and regardless of the rivalry between them, that wasn't good.

sSs


	7. A Double Case of The Vapors

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 7: A Double Case of 'The Vapors'

sSs

Live hit the pond hard with a quick intake of breath from both the temperature of the cold water and the leafy sprigs of the large branch itself smacking against her, stinging her body. If she were weaker, it would have hurt more, but she had a high tolerance for pain, so it was bearable as she was one minute in the air, another deep beneath the surface nearly touching bottom.

She opened her eyes in the water, seeing the lightness of the surface and the resounding waves of the tree above her. Oh George would pay for this, that much she was sure. So much for a delicious afternoon spent in the comfort of cooling waters. Oh no, she got to be beaten with tree branches and a rude cold-shock to her system instead. What a lovely way to spend the last days of summer. Honestly, Snape gave more civil treatment than this.

Oh George would pay, and pay he would dearly.

She swam down instead of up, knowing that she could get more momentum if she pushed off from something solid than swimming up on her own. It would take a little more air, but she'd get to the top quicker, and since she wasn't even adequately warmed up, getting to the surface fast was a good idea. Swimming as long as she had had taught her that much, at least.

She felt soft earth beneath her feet as she pushed off and sprang towards the top and those damn leafy branches as something wrapped around her ankle, keeping her still. She slightly panicked and grabbed at her ankle to feel a spindly little hand, and trying her best to control her fear that a grindylow had her, she tried to remember the way they were taught to free themselves if caught by the underwater demons. It was easy enough, she _knew_ that. She just had to try to control her panic and release it's grip. Of course, it _would_ be her ironic luck that the _one_ grindylow Fred and George had teased her about would actually get her. Bollocks. She took a hold of its hand in attempted freedom, only to be grabbed by another.

Now in Defense Against the Dark Arts class, students are taught how to free themselves in knee-to-waist deep water from _one _grindylow. The little creatures have got strong grips not easily escaped from if you didn't know what you were dealing with, but easy to escape from if you know the way. But that's with only _one_ grindylow. Not _two_. And not when they've got you _under_ the water.

This one had her around the right wrist, and she couldn't free herself properly using her left hand, so she fought the little creature, her air just about gone and desperation seeping into her erratic actions. Visions of a near-drowning at the beach when death seemed so near floated through her mind, and she grew angry and determined that if the ocean didn't get her then, then this pond wasn't going to get her now.

She tried to utter spells, be damned if she got a ticket for it, but the words couldn't be formed underwater, and she didn't have her wand. Moreover, her wordless magic wasn't quite at its strongest, so that didn't help either. She tugged on the little aquatic creature holding fast to weeds as she tried first to free her foot, deciding to take the damn little thing with her to the surface if it wouldn't let her go. Freeing her foot, she quickly wrenched her hand into the weeds and grabbed the slimy thing about it's little body, pulling it free as yet another grabbed her free wrist in retaliation. There were now three grindylows holding on to her, and she was panicking.

Lungs burning for air and vision starting to blacken, she kicked at them, only to feel two more grasp her about the legs. There was a veritable nest of grindylows down here, another two to latch on for every one she pulled off her, and they held on and restrained her as she fought with the last of her conscious will, trying desperately not to give up, but the pain in her lungs and grips on her body were too much for anyone to handle. Her body started to spasm underwater as her lungs burned and hungered for oxygen. She knew she was losing the fight.

It was her last thought that the water had finally won, her fears finally won, as her vision of the surface dimmed in the dirty water, black and red obscuring and burning as she knew she was drowning.

George pulsed through the water, trying to see anything that had a human silhouette. If she was playing some game, he'd kill her himself, but if not…She'd already been under too long, and he swam deep and hard, resurfacing once to take another breath as he dove directly beneath the tree branch, twice mistaking Kara's searching form for Live. There were shouts and worried screams above water as all searched hard. More than a few minutes had already passed, and Live couldn't hold her breath for _that _long.

He popped here and there, apparating being much quicker to cover more ground, as he found a murky little spot where dirt had been kicked up. He swam hard and reached out, his hands coming in contact with soft chill flesh that didn't react in response.

He panicked and grabbed her, using his energy to apparate faster than he'd ever done before, and soon they were both on the bank beneath the tree, eight little grindylows confusedly around them that quickly released and jumped off Live to dive back to their home in the murky depth.

"George thank goodness!" Hermione screamed, the others still searching the waters, as she saw that he had Live, sans grindylows, but that something wasn't quite right.

Live didn't move. She was pale, she was blue, and she was limp. And she had angry-looking scratches and marks where the grindylows had gripped her without relent. Hermione rushed him, taking Live's cold, limp wrist in her hand as she speechlessly looked at George, her keen mind for once at a loss of what to do. He put his ear to her chest and mouth, to find neither pulse nor breath.

He did the only thing he could think of and tilted her head back, opened her mouth, plugged her nose, and sealed his mouth over hers, breathing for her. He listened again and found the base of her breastbone, pumping several times as he breathed for her again, performing CPR. He waited and listened as screams and shouts came from the water, much splashing, Fred suddenly by his side with frightened worry in his eyes. This was serious. He should get someone. What should they do?

George breathed for her again as she sputtered up water and lay coughing for a moment, eyes still closed and very shallow, barely discernible breaths coming. George watched her a moment before checking her wrist. He felt a faint pulse, but couldn't visibly register the rise and fall of her chest. He put his ear close to her mouth to listen for breath, to feel the breeze of it on his face, but he felt nor heard none, concluding that she had stopped what little breathing she had begun.

He lowered his mouth to hers again and sealed it as he breathed for her again. He was a little more than surprised as she weakly wrapped her arms lightly around him, changing this life-saving technique into a kiss for Godric-only-knows why and what reason was going through her head, but it was a kiss alright, and hell be damned if George's fright suddenly turned into pleasant surprise. He found a sudden perk to this life-saving business.

It was like some dream. First she was drowning, seeing pictures of her life flow by, reliving things she hadn't thought about in years, and even though she didn't ever remember kissing George Weasley, she was hardly one to deny herself the unspoken pleasure of her last dying memories.

She fully opened her eyes, not sure what to expect, but seeing George very real and very much alive above her for the second time that day fully confused her. Was she dead? Was she alive? Had she put her arms around him? She must be alive, 'cause that damn smug grin on his face looking down at her wouldn't be allowed in _her_ personal heaven.

"Not a good life-saver, I believe you called me?" he stated, rather cockily pleased, obviously enjoying the rewarding experience of saving a life. Maybe he should become a professional lifeguard?

Under its own volition, without her blessing nor permission or cognizant thought, Live's hand flew to George's cheek and she smacked him for such daring.

There were murmured male laughs about her as well as released sighs of relief as George got up and away from her as she sat up as confused as he.

He sat next to her in the grassy mud of the bank, a wry look on his face as his cheek continued to sting. _She_ kissed _him_, not the other way around. What was _he _getting smacked for?!

Live looked around her to see worry and concern in the faces of her friends, and an amused look on the face of Fred. She looked to Kelena for some sort of clarification, but the stress-filled woman only gave her a tension-filled look. Kara handed Live a blanket and hugged her tight, wrapping it about her trembling and oh-so-cold form as George gave her this exasperated look of confusion and even ire.

"Is that any way to treat the man who saved your life?" he pointed out with indignant reproach. She blinked, confused and hurting all over, the need to cough prevalent. Her chest hurt. She had a splitting headache and was sore everywhere, thoughts of grindylows coming to mind as she tried to make sense of what had happened.

"What in the hell is going on?" she asked, looking from face to face to see relief and amusement. Unbidden tears were coming to her eyes, warm on her cold skin as a panic attack triggered by claustrophobia took hold of her. She breathed heavily for a few moments, causing her lungs to hurt even more, and seconds later she fainted.

sSs

"Is Live going to be okay?" Ginny asked as her mother put things back into her potions cupboard.

"Live is just fine. She'll be back to normal by tonight. You'll see," she said with a smile.

"And Kelena?"

"Go and check on Kelena for me, will you? She should be waking any time now." Leaving her youngest to seek out Kelena, who had just had too much once back at the house and fainted dead away, she popped back upstairs where Live was currently being taken care of by George.

sSs

"Here sweetheart, mum says drink this," George told her with an amused grin.

"George…I'll kill you."

"But my love! I thought we were getting along so well? Don't tell me you regret our relationship?"

She shot him a warning look. She didn't feel physically-well enough to play verbal games with him. "We don't have a relationship, and I swear I'll kill you if you call me that one more time."

"Is that how you repay your rescuer?" he said with a look of put-out disbelief, though he was grinning impishly. She took the drink from him begrudgingly, keeping silent. As much as she'd like to harm him, she did owe him her gratitude for pulling her out of the water. She couldn't deny him that. She was certain she'd blacked out for a few moments, and she might have drowned if he hadn't been there. So she _did_ owe him. But why the hell Mrs. Weasley had thought to only let George and George himself be present in her room and allow no one else to 'visit' made her head spin. She'd rather be alone than have his taunting company, but Mrs. Weasley didn't _want _her to be left alone, so this is how it had to be.

Dammit.

"I mean it, though. Say it again and you're dead."

George grinned. Since the incident earlier at the pond, he felt so inclined as to call her things like 'sweetheart', 'darling', 'beloved', and any other manner of endearments to tease her and make her uncomfortable, given free license to do so from his twin. Not that it meant anything, but now he had endless fodder to work with. It was all he could do after that little display of affection (what he was now referring to everyone, with a grin, as: "Live taking advantage of me") and he and his twin had decided to use _that_ little incident to _their_ advantage.

Hermione was sickened by the fact that after what had just happened they could already be planning their revenge against Live and Kelena anew, as if what happened wasn't enough already. After getting Live inside and comfortable and explaining what had happened to their parents, George had gotten more than a few laughs and jibes from their friends. There was lighthearted joking now that everything was okay and things set right, but poor Kelena, who'd had more than she could handle of 'excitement' for the day, flat out fainted in the Weasley's living room amidst the crowd. She, like her friend, had been put to bed until it was alright for her to be up once again. It was then that the plan for endearments had been born, and once Kel was up, she would get her share just as much.

"Say what, my darling?"

"You mother-"

"Ah, Live honey, how are you feeling?" Mrs. Weasley asked upon apparating into the room. She busied herself in a closet for a moment while speaking. "Did you drink that potion down? I know it tastes awful, dear, but it should make you feel good as new and ready to travel by tonight," she said sincerely from the closet.

George took the opportunity to answer in Live's silence. "Well actually mum, Live isn't very willing, are you sweetie?"

"I was just getting to it, _dear_," she ground out the last word, giving George a look that promised she'd emasculate him the first chance she got. She drank the potion down and tried not to gag as George stifled a laugh. She mouthed 'I'm going to kill you' as she set the glass aside and glared at him, wishing him gone.

"It'll make you a tad bit sleepy, among other things, so try to stay in bed for a while more until later tonight. You'll feel revitalized and refreshed in no time," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile, laying another quilt over Live's reclining form.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Live told her gratefully as the older woman left the room with a prideful look in her son's direction. It was obvious that she was proud of George's actions this afternoon and how doting he was being to his friend, and while the proud mother had good reason, Live wished the look would've gone wasted on George.

Sadly, it didn't.

"Well, honey, I think I'll just keep you company till you fall asleep then, shall I? Precious?" he proposed with a great prideful beaming grin.

She blinked once to focus her vision. The potion was already working, and she didn't want George to be around when and if she fell asleep. Having someone watch you sleep was just damn creepy. Especially when it was someone who still had revenge on the mind and you were defenseless against their plans.

"I don't need _your_ company, George Weasley," she spat, feeling the potion make her limbs go heavy and her head feel light, as if it were not subject to the laws of gravity. "Go away or something…"

"Beloved! An arrow through my heart!" he exclaimed dramatically, putting his hands over his heart protectively. He watched as she glared determinedly at him, but noticed that her head was slightly inclined and her eyes a little glazed over, adding to the generally 'beaten' look about her. She was pale, or at least more than usual, and her eyes had too-dark bags under them. She looked like hell. "How do you feel?"

"Not like you'd care, but I feel like a helium balloon…" she said lightly, her voice less harsh and eyelids half-drooped.

"That's alright, my love, it's normal," he said with a grin. She didn't react to his teasing pet-names, and his grin grew. Either she wasn't bothered by the endearments, or the potion was in about full effect. Now the fun would begin.

"You know what?" she asked suddenly, looking him in the eyes with her own potion-dilated aquamarines. "You're a nice, nice boy, George Weasley," she said with big movements. His eyes widened in surprise as a grin broke his face. Oh this was too rich!

"I'm gonna tell everyone how nicety-nice you are. And you're _so _good! Just so, _so _good!" she continued with unsteady motions.

"Live…" he chastised with amusement, deciding he should settle her down and let her get to sleep lest mum punish him for upsetting and/or exciting her. She already seemed enthused about telling everyone how 'nicety' she thought he was, and it wasn't smart to let her get excited about anything in her state. The potion was working, making her behave rather silly, but it was far too funny for him to really do anything about it. It was one thing to taunt her when she was awake and fully-conscious, but another while she seemed slightly out-of-sorts. And _quite_ another when she was fully asleep. It was just morally wrong to do anything to her in such a defenseless position (not to mention illegal).

"And you've got such a pretty voice. Sing me a song, George…sing me a song…!"

Live was heavily suffering the after-effects of the Benebri potion which Mrs. Weasley had made. The purpose of the potion was to loosen up and relax her enough to sleep, whereas she'd wake up fully revitalized and refreshed. But the potion contained after-effects similar to being drunk, sometimes even used by wizards as an alcoholic substitute if they didn't want a hangover the next morning, and Live was behaving just as such. It amused George to no end. At least she wouldn't be operating her wand or a broom in such a state, as the potion bottle advised against doing.

"But really," Live mused in her altered state, "you're not the diet…die-et…di--et Fred." She squinted at him. "_You're_ original Fred! That's why you're so very, very nice nice guy! And you're so good! I'm gonna tell everyone at school you're sooo good!" she gestured grandly and nearly fell off the bed, except he caught her and she gave him a big, unexpected hug. He started snickering at her ridiculousness as he caught her. Apparently she was one happy drunk. "You're so so nice! Nice nice frrrrffforge…George…George-forge…George," she decided, looking confident in her choice of his name. "…thank you for being so so nice!" She let out a pleased laugh and pet the side of his face repeating 'nice' as he tried to control his laughter and set her back into the pillows.

She may be under the effects of the Benebri potion, but unlike the shared effects of alcohol, Live would remember _all_ of this as clear as day. And if he could un-attach her from his waist, he might be able to calm her down enough to sneak off to his cohorts. He couldn't wait to share this new information with Fred.

sSs

"Kelena?" the youngest Weasley asked as she stuck her head into the room. She heard murmuring and stepped quietly inside the dim room, only to be grabbed and a hand clasped over her mouth.

"Shh…" Kara said, pointing to Kelena. "She's talking in her sleep. It's funny!" The bubble-head sugar pistol dragged Ginny close to the bed where, indeed, Kelena was speaking in her sleep.

Kara tried to stifle giggles as Ginny listened intently, both silent for upwards of five minutes. From the sleep-induced murmurs, Ginny could make out something having to do with harming Kitty-Nimbles and outrage over a price for new bunnies. Kara had the biggest smirk on her face as Ginny silently exited the room, deciding that Kara had things under a semblance of control and that she should go and help her mother.

sSs

Live woke later in the evening in time for dinner. She felt a little nauseous, attributed to the fact that she hadn't eaten in awhile and _had_ been through quite an experience, but otherwise felt very refreshed and wholeheartedly healthy.

And then the thoughts of the potion that made her that way flew through her mind, and she nearly smacked herself. Oh how she had behaved around George! The things she'd said! Damn, she remembered it all! She'd hugged him! Had she actually petted his face?! Oh god she'd petted his face!

She could have died right then and there just to spite George through all his lifesaving efforts, but instead she made her way reluctantly to dinner, hoping for the best.

sSs


	8. Prognosis: Sexlexia

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 8: Prognosis: Sexlexia

sSs

Dinner was set to be outside this evening. It was so lovely, Mrs. Weasley said, that they'd better take advantage of it as their last night there before school. Live had absolutely no problem with this as it made her feel a little less claustrophobic as far as crowding went, and it was cooler outside as well.

She took a seat next to Kelena at the dinner table as the rest of the children sat about the yard busy with chatting about this and that. Dinner wasn't quite served, so to occupy themselves, Harry and Ron were dueling as Kara cheered and challenged Terry, who scoffed and went to sit with Ginny on a stump.

Kelena informed Live that Mr. Weasley had called upon a sort of wizard equivalent to an exterminator to take care of the population of grindylows that had their nest at the bottom of the pond. So many grindylows in one place was dangerous, and Live was indeed proclaimed lucky that George had found her in time. Mr. Weasley was rather upset that so many had managed to overrun the pond. Had it been Ginny they'd gotten…

Everything was still rather upsetting, and while no one talked about the afternoon to her, Live knew that there had been much talk over the pond and that old tree and much else.

"I've had my fill of enough excitement to last the rest of the year," Kelena proclaimed to Live, eyeing Fred and George who sat conspiratorially alone at the edge of the yard.

"You're preachin' to the choir," Live agreed, narrowing her eyes as she caught the twins glancing at them. "What are they doing?"

"I honestly don't want to know," Kel said resolutely. "They've been calling me things like 'darling' and 'babe'. I don't know whether it was meant as a compliment or if I was called a pig, but I don't like it."

"Oh, don't look now…" Live groaned as the twinkle twins made their way over to the table, sitting across from Kel and Live.

"Ladies," Fred greeted with a smug grin, settling in comfortably.

Live sent a simpering look their way and tried to ignore them.

"What kind of treatment is this, my sweet?" George asked sounding highly affronted.

Kelena raised an eyebrow their way.

"And how are you this evening, my lovely?" Fred asked Kel who looked at him as if he were crazy.

"George I gave you fair warning…" Live started, looking him in the face.

"But my dearest, how could you mean what you say? I thought you thought I was 'so nice!' in your own words." He grinned as she flushed and quickly looked away.

"…the hell?" Kel stated, obviously lost to what in the world was going on. How long had she been out today, anyway?

"Oh heart of mine, I'm sorry, you seem to be confused?" Fred deduced with a grin that shouldn't have made Kelena want to melt, but did. What was with these new tactics?! Biological warfare? Or could it be chemical?

George grinned in a similar manner to Live, who wasn't sure if she wanted to strangle him, or… "George Weasley, you may personally sod off."

"But I thought we had something special! Why are you so cross, beloved?"

Live looked momentarily affronted by the audacity of his question. "One, I'm not your beloved, and two, you've violated me in ways which I don't even want to think of."

Now it was George's turn to look affronted with disbelief. "Excuse me, but I think it's _I _who's going to need some serious therapy."

"No, no. Those suits you two had and your little tie-up game are going to cost me at least a fortune in shrinks," Live exclaimed adamantly. While _she_ was talking about the _morning_'s harassment, (trying to avoid mention of 'the kiss' or what she was referring to as: "George's violation of my sanctity"), _George_ was talking about the _afternoon_'s accosting.

Kelena visibly shivered in thought of how she had been captured and spellotaped to that chair. A few more minutes left alone and there was no telling what they would've done…Of course, she could've revealed that she was a Metamorphmagus and taught them a thing or two, but that information in their hands wasn't a good idea. Don't hand the enemy weapons, after all...

"You know you liked it. No one could fake _that_," George said with a wink as Fred blew a kiss Kelena's way. Could Mrs. Weasley be anymore not present to stop this?!

"Hardly so, I'm rather traumatized," Live affirmed with a feigned shaky-tone.

"Well why oh why," he inquired with a smooth tone, "would you fake a drowning just to kiss me, then?" he inquired confidently, a grin that could melt steel occupying his face.

Live felt her cheeks turning red with embarrassment, and had she not left her wand upstairs, Mrs. Weasley would be in possession of one eunuch son. "I didn't fake it!"

George's eyebrows raised to his hair with a grin. "So you did like it, eh?" he stated, a superior grin on his smug face as Live became quite flush and looked down. She didn't trust herself to say another word lest he twist it around.

"Stop it! Stop it! I can't stand this sexual tension anymore!! GAAAHH!!" Kelena shrieked, jumping up from the table and running into the house, all eyes following her departure.

"What was _that_ all about?!" Hermione asked as she took the now-vacated seat next to a flushed-face Live. The rest of them gathered around the table, wondering just what in the world had caused the outburst.

"She's just got a more extreme case of Sexlexia," Ginny stated nonchalantly while taking her seat at the table.

"Ginny!" Live exclaimed with surprise and surveillance, looking over her shoulder to make sure no adults were around.

"Nothing a make-out session won't cure. I say about an hour, two tops," the fourth-year went on with a studious look at Live. The Slytherin gave her a gaping expression. "You have a more mild case, I would think…"

"WHAT?!" Ron demanded as he stared at his sister. "Ginny! You shouldn't know that!"

"Where did you hear _that_?!" Fred equally wanted to know. What the hell was Sexlexia?

"You've been hanging out with Live and Kelena far too long," George concluded suspiciously, shooting Live first an admonishing glare and then blowing her a kiss.

"I will kill you in your sleep," she retaliated to the evil twin, enunciating each word perfectly.

"My lady, you wound me," he said dramatically, his twin resting a hand sympathetically on his shoulder. Live wasn't too pleased about this new teamwork.

"I wish," she muttered dolefully.

"But about this illness my sister speaks of," George went on, shooting Ginny a reproving glance before turning back to Live with a wicked smirk, "the one you've currently got a mild case of…What exactly _is_ Sexlexia? And leave out no detail no matter how minute. We're most interested." His twin folded his hands beneath his chin and waited for story-time to commence.

Live felt her face flush quite horridly as she quickly got up from the table to leave them to their ponderings, and went to seek out Kelena, looking through all her power for something to distract her mind. The way George kept smiling at her was eating away at her resolve, and she wasn't sure if she _should_ go and fake a drowning or kill him. After all, Mrs. Weasley _did_ have two of them…

_Be strong, _she thought. _It's a whole new game they're playing…Don't give in and lord don't think about _that

Live trudged through the house in search of her friend, looking for a viable distraction as well as to enlighten herself upon Kelena's outburst. That, and it gave her an excuse to escape from the gratifying company of Tweedle-dumb and Tweedle-dumber.

"Kel?" Live knocked at a door in search. "Ke-ellll…." There was muffled noises coming from inside in response, and she entered to find Kel sitting on her bed doing what would appear to the untrained eye as 'reading'. But Live knew better, especially by the low amount of eye-movement in her friend's face. The type of literature Kel had in her lap was what one could easily refer to as 'Kelena's book of naughty-fun pleasures'. It was a book only in name. The pages themselves had cut-out pictures of more dishy manflesh than one knew what to do with, and it was a wonderful pastime for the girls to have 'reading sessions'.

"Kel?" She got no reply. "Fireman number six?" There was a deft nod in response as she grinned and got a closer look. "Mmm…He can save me any day! Yum-yum give me some!"

"Exactly!" Kelena exclaimed, eyes glazed. She attempted to turn the page, not without difficulty. "Live, I think Ginny and Kara have been going through my 'books' again."

"How so?"

"Fireman number six is kinda sticky-"

"Ewww…"

"-and I thought the worst, but it's all sticky like sugary fingers have been pawing him-"

"That practically screams Kara-"

"-and then there's the drool marks."

Live looked over the page nonchalantly. "Ginny says you've got Sexlexia."

"How would she know that?!"

"She's my prodigy, of course. That, and she really wants to join the Sexpert Guild…Though I think she kind of broke our rule of secrecy about Sexlexia…" Live grinned, and then let it fade. "We have to come up with a way to get back at the twinkle twins…"

"Like what?!"

"Is everything okay?" Hermione inquired as she entered the room.

"Fine fine. Just trying to come up with ways to get back at the demon-duo," Live informed her as she came and sat next to them.

"What are you reading, Kel?"

"Nothing!" she quickly said, closing the book and laying it down.

"Not reading so much as-"

"Shut up Live! I'll tell her about Johnny!"

Live pouted and changed the subject. "It seems damn hopeless, doesn't it?"

"What?" Hermione asked, a bit confused.

"Exacting revenge. Oh what I'd do…"

"What _would _you do? They're biologically stronger and bigger than us 'cause they're guys (_'and muscular Weasleys,'_ she thought), so any physical beatings are out of the question, Live," Kelena stated.

"But we're smarter! And women! That should like, give us at least twice the advantage. Women are genetically smarter than men…At least, that's _my_ findings…"

"Okay, we're the smarter and fairer sex…now what can we do to them? What do they love?"

Hermione looked worried by this talk, and Live piped up. "We won't be hurting anyone, 'Mione. And besides, I've already taken care of _that_ little aspect of adoration…" Live said with a cattish grin.

"Yeah, I _know_," Kel said bitterly. "But really, did you have to kill their stuffed childhood toys? Ah, who cares…But what do they _care_ about? What can we use against them?"

"I know this spell that-"

"We're not trying to kill them, Live."

"Hey! Just 'cause I'm in Slytherin does not mean I'd kill them!"

"Blah-blah-blah yeah, I know. Maybe we could use their own inventions against them?"

"Even they're afraid to use some of their stuff…I don't like those odds…"

"How about we use the same stupid pet-name thing they're doing?" They thought through a moment of contemplation, Hermione's voice breaking the pensive silence.

"Or use your god-given talents."

Both Live and Kelena stopped and looked blankly at Hermione, at a total loss for words.

"What? Don't think I haven't seen those books you 'read'," she used air quotes, "Kelena." Live grinned at that. "When you're 'reading'," she utilized the air quotes once more, "your eyes don't even move…side-to-side. It's not hard for one to figure out when seeing the way you guys study that stuff. I mean, look at you! You've got Sexpert licenses for Godric's sake!"

"How do you know about _that_?" Live asked, taken quite aback. She couldn't recall ever telling Hermione about those. Ginny and Kara, however, were another story…

"Ginny, of course."

Kelena frowned. "Blast!"

"I even have a Guild membership card she gave me. To recruit me-"

"Oh really? You're part of the Guild now, are you?" Live accused.

"Well, she is around Ginny a lot-" Kel started as she was quickly shushed.

"Yes, strangely enough," Hermione admitted. "I didn't even think such a thing existed, until Ginny got to me."

"Really now?" Live said with disbelief. She knew Hermione liked to be an expert in things, but a sex-pert?! She didn't foresee that in her academic resume. "Okay then, let's prove it. What's the secret handshake?"

Hermione grimaced a moment as Live knew she had successfully caught her in a lie. The handshake was the best kept secret the so-called Guild had, next to the worst kept being that of Orlando ice-cream. She was most mistaken, however, as Hermione suddenly flashed them.

Both Live and Kelena stood silent for a moment, unbelieving that Hermione had both flashed them and knew the secret 'handshake'.

"Wow," Kel spoke up, "You really _are _part of the guild. We oughta get you a license!"

"Surprisingly enough," she stated, suddenly interested in smoothing out the wrinkles in her shirt. "And, hell, against my better judgment, you know what the Guild would have to say on the matter."

"Damn, she's like our encyclopedia Encarta," Live whispered to Kel, who smirked in thought.

"There's no other ways to fight boys, but," Hermione looked about her, lowering her voice a few octaves, "seduce 'em a bit. Wouldn't hurt…"

"Hermione, I must admit I'm both shock and appalled! And most surprised and intrigued…" Kel said proudly. Yes, Hermione _did_ just need a little push in the right direction. God bless the Ginnys of the world!

"She does have a point…" Live said after a moment's thought. "I'm rather knowledgeable in such areas, and we shouldn't let our licenses gather dust, as you've said…But it will be tricky as hell…They like it, those pervs…"

Kelena jumped up in triumph and hugged Hermione. "Hermione! You're a genius!" She then rushed out of the room as Live and Hermione watched with perplexment.

Live turned to the remaining Gryffindor, perplexment on her face. "So, what are we doing exactly?"

sSs

Live went back downstairs after a bit of searching for the errant Kelena, but couldn't find her friend anywhere. Reluctantly, she went back outside to dinner. Scents of delicious food masterpieces came wafting in through the doors and she was all but drooling from the alluring smells.

But sitting and eating came with a price, for since Kelena was nowhere to be seen, Fred and George had their full attention on her, and she couldn't fully retaliate with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley right there at the table, and she was in no way courageous enough or ready to implement 'revenge seduction'. Worst of all, their sweet terms and polite speech were anything but annoying to their still-prideful mother, so it had a snowball's chance in hell of being stopped.

"Could you pass the biscuits, honey-dear?" George asked lightly as soon as she had begun to eat.

She glared at him as she passed them his way. "Would you like any poison with that, _darling_?"

"No thank you, my sweetness, but I _will _have some jam."

If she didn't have a some-what stern grasp on her will and magic, George would be singing alto right about now…

"Where is Kelena?" Mrs. Weasley inquired while Live suddenly looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"I wonder that as well," Fred remarked innocently as Live glared at him. _Yes, where is that Gryffin-traitor? _Fred thought as he awaited her response.

She looked Mrs. Weasley dead in the face. "Um, she's resting upstairs, lying down. I don't think she was feeling well-enough to come down…" Live could lie like a rug. She didn't know where Kelena was at the moment, having been run out on previously, but she supposed the Gryffindor would be at least _somewhere_ within the house or its immediate vicinity.

"Oh, I should bring her up something then," Mrs. Weasley responded kindly, fixing a plate before Live could think of something to halt her actions.

"Oh, mum, we'll do it!" Fred volunteered cheerily, causing a shiver to go down Live's back. "Right, George?"

"Bu'hi ha' fin'in 'e'-een," came the incomprehensible reply. He felt a kick to the shin as he quickly swallowed and caught on. "Oh, yes, mum, we'll do it!"

Mrs. Weasley shrugged, but gave them the plate as Live sat there fretting. Where oh where was Kelena and what was she in for?

sSs


	9. Unfair Odds

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 9: Unfair Odds

sSs

Fred gave Live a wicked grin before he and his twin quickly disappeared inside the house. She took a perfunctory bite of her chicken as her mind whirled. Considering Kelena wasn't really in her room, the Gryffindor would be safe as far as the twinkle-twins were concerned. But if she was…

Live thought hard of some excuse or reason to go and search out Kel, and apparently, it showed on her face.

"Are you okay, Live?"

"Hn?!" came the quick reply.

Ginny slightly furrowed her brow. "You look like you're in pain or something. Are you alright from this afternoon?"

Live relaxed her face and tried for a smile. "Just thinking," she said, trying to alleviate the younger girl's worry.

"Don't worry, Gin, she usually looks that way when she's thinking," Kara said chipperly through a mouthful of food.

Live glared at her, but it went wasted on her sugar-pistol sister, so she continued with her dinner and tried to think up a plan.

sSs

"Knock-knock."

"Diii-ner!" a cheerful voice sang through the door of the room Kelena was designated to. The twins looked from one to the other with impish smirks. You didn't have to be mind-reading twins to know that this was time for revenge for the terry-cloth lives of Mr. Snuggles and Mr. Bunnykins.

"Kelena! Din-din!" Fred sang mockingly as his twin suppressed snickers.

"Come in," they heard through the door, only to see Kelena-- was _that_ Kelena?-- sitting on the edge of the bed watching them intently.

Both twins openly gaped. What was she wearing?! Did that even qualify as clothing?! How was that able to stay on her body?! And since when did her breasts suddenly jump out at you and demand your attention?! Like I-MAX?!

Kel grinned to herself as she easily read the expressions on the twin's faces. Oh, they'd taken notice of her little 'changes', as it were. Ha! Men! They were all the same. Hermione was right. And now she had them right where she wanted them. By Godric, being a Metamorphmagus rocked!

"Did you want something?" Kelena asked innocently as the twins still gaped at her.

George quickly snapped out of it. "Dinner," he more than mumbled as he encouraged his twin to give her her sustenance with a swift shove. They were obviously out of their element, and the tables had suddenly turned.

Fred's gawking was more than what one would define as lacking shame, and he quickly brought the plate to a side-table and set it down, trying to figure out just what the hell was going on. Kelena looked- and he had to admit it- far more tantalizing than he could possibly hope to ignore. What was she playing at? Then again, it wasn't like she had _known_ they were coming up. Did their plan of teasing the girls with pet-names go too far, and now this was the result? Did they think they liked them now? Seemed more like a reward than punishment, and yet he had to remind himself that she was the enemy, the demon-cat owner, and that currently, they had to get revenge out of the way.

George wasn't quite sure what was going on, but the way his twin seemed distracted- or entranced- plus the fact that Kelena herself wasn't exactly an eyesore, worried him more than ever. She _looked_ well enough (translation: exciting and thoroughly delectable) to be out and about and he knew at that moment he'd be no help to his twin in exacting this revenge. _His_ expertise was annoying the Slytherin Snake Queen herself, and making her taste sweet revenge for being in league with the evil cat owner, not trying to formulate plans of attack on a scantily-clad woman and fellow Gryffindor. This was twelve kinds of wrong.

It definitely complicated things a bit, but he had no doubt his twin could effectively handle any and all set-backs. He started to slowly back out of the room, and subsequently caught Kelena's eye in the process.

She slowly smiled and took pride in the fact that she already had one twin retreating from battle. "Oh, wait, I just want to thank you for bringing up dinner," she said as she walked towards him, hips seeming to sway even more than usual with the support of sinfully clingy clothing.

She got very close as Fred just watched from the back-angle, rather enjoying the view and staying stock-still, hypnotized by the sight before him and unable to think of anything coherent, like coming to the aid of his twin. George, however, panicked and backed up.

"That's okay…Um-I--enjoy dinner!" he said quickly and shot out of the room, the door coming almost to a full close with the quickness of his retreat.

Kel grinned to herself. _One down, one to go_. If she could only keep them guessing and afraid of the power of her "womanly appeals", then she and Live might just get the upper hand yet.

"Fred, I'd like to thank you, too. It's so nice of you to bring me dinner, and I wasn't feeling at all well-enough to come down. It's the nicest thing you've done since I've been here." She almost laughed at how cheesy that sounded, like a bad porno, and she smiled a million-dollar smile and came to stand right before him, taking notice of the way his eyes followed the movements of her body. Oh, he'd be putty in her hands and revenge would be exacted before they left for Grimmauld Place.

sSs

"And then she got up and stood on the mirrored-table to get away. It was funny 'cause neither of us realized it at the time, but once she realized the table reflected her-- _all _of her, mind you-- she flipped out and shrieked 'Oh no! You can see!'"

Ginny laughed at Kara's re-telling of one of Live's more embarrassing moments at home involving escape from the vacuum cleaner ("But why does it suck, Kara?") and a coffee table whose surface was a mirror. Little to say, Live didn't wear nightshirts without underwear anymore.

At least when standing on tables…

"But the funny thing was that it happened again not a month later, didn't it, Live?" Kara asked with sugared-enthusiasm. She grinned largely at her sister, and realized she hadn't been silenced from the telling for three reasons: one, Ginny was Live's prodigy, and needed to know everything and anything that can go wrong even if you _are_ an Official Sexpert; two, She had kept her voice low enough so that the incident was heard only by Ginny; and three, Live wasn't really paying attention anyway.

"Live?" Kara poked her with her fork.

"What?!" Live spat, more startled for being raised from her musings than for being forked.

Kara grinned, and momentarily ignored the irritated Slytherin as George made his way back outside and to the table, looking a bit addled and absent his twin. Kara turned back to Live before George had caught Live's eye and attention, and informed her with a lofty voice, "I just told Ginny about 'you can see!'"

Live frowned slightly, but didn't actually care about it until George brought her attention to him.

"You can see what?" he asked, a little more than intrigued. "Are we talking about your birthmark?"

"I swear I'll kill you slowly and painfully…" she drifted off, trying to figure out which twin this was and what type of threat to make. Granted, they'd known the twins for a few years, but those two always managed to keep her guessing. She hoped Kelena wasn't stuck with the evil twin, one-on-one. He was too much for _her_ to handle, let alone the 'evil cat owner'. Which one was she glaring at?

And the worst of it: beneath her study of him, George knew she was trying to figure out which he was. _Eeeexcellent_!

"George, dear, where's your brother?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she scooped more broccoli onto Ron's plate. He made a disgusted face and whispered to Harry about magicking them away.

"He thought he shouldn't let Kelena dine alone," he told her, wishing she hadn't given up the game so easily to Live. "You know, rather un-gentlemanly and all, mum. Can't be rude to our guests."

Suspicion briefly clouded Mrs. Weasley's eyes, but was quickly wiped away by a visibly beaming pride. She didn't know what got into her boys lately, but they were acting so much more grown up that she wouldn't question such a mother's gift. Must be the influence of all the girls to impress in the house…

Live, however, wasn't fooled so easily, and grew nervous beneath his knowing grin. So they'd found Kelena! And now she was left to the mercy of Fred! Not that she couldn't handle herself, but either one of those twins were large enough and strong enough (not to mention wickedly mischievous enough) to take on any two guys, so even though the odds were one-to-one, Kel was outnumbered.

She drummed her fingers on the table in apprehension as she forced herself to take another two bites of her meal, and quickly grabbed an empty glass, filling it with juice and standing up, excusing herself.

"Kel doesn't have anything to drink, so I'll bring her up something while I go pack," Live announced to Mrs. Weasley. "Dinner was lovely, by the way."

She smiled. "Thank you dear. Remember, we don't leave until late, so no hurry," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile as Live quickly got up and dashed inside. The look on George's face had been priceless as she left, and it hurried her all the more.

_Now the odds will be more fair…_she thought as she climbed the stairs, draining most of the juice so she could move faster.

It was a good thing too. There were quick footfalls behind her, and it all but made her abandon the juice and speed up the stairs as fast as she could, not having to guess who her pursuer was.

But of course, he had longer legs, was faster, stronger, and heavier than she, and grappling her from behind, they both fell with a 'THUD' to the upstairs hall floor. And for the second time that day, Live was pinned beneath George Weasley.

sSs

Kelena sat down at the table set with her dinner as she eyed Fred with curiosity. Oh this was too much! The look on his face made her beam with womanly pride and evil pleasure. She was doing a service to woman-kind, _for _woman-kind, and she'd teach Fred a lesson alright.

She delicately took the soups she had on her plate and set one in front of her, the other in front of Fred. "You know, it's rude to eat alone," she explained beguilingly, offering him the second bowl of hot soup. She didn't care if it was less her dinner. This was revenge! And besides, she had the yummier soup in her opinion, so it didn't matter.

She smiled sweetly and picked up her spoon, nonchalantly eating as Fred just gaped at her, watching her in wonder. He tried to make his hand work and grasp his own spoon while watching her eat her own soup with relish. The way she ate that soup and used that spoon should be illegal! Her lips appreciatively caressing the spoon, her obvious delight in the tastiness of the food, the yummy noises she made…

Kel inwardly grinned. She was well aware of the effect she was having on Fred, and it made her utmostly proud. Just look at the trouble he was having working his spoon! A simple spoon! This was going to be brilliant.

She smirked and took another spoonful of soup, relishing it with delight. Fred was obviously suffering because of her antics. If he wasn't careful with that spoon, he'd spill the whole-

"OW! HOT!!" Fred shouted as he spilt the remnants of his soup all over his shirt. He jumped up and tried holding the shirt away from him as the soup cooled from burning to just wet and soppy. Kelena grinned at his self-inflicted punishment. Oh yes, things were going well.

"Oh, look at you! We'd better take care of that," she said with well-feigned concern, getting up from her seat and saucily coming to stand before him. By the look on his face, his wet shirt was the last thing he was concerned about at the moment.

_Get a grip on yourself!_ he thought as his eyes became glued to her hips._ Remember what you're here for!! Destroy the enemy! The succulent, gloriously under-clad enemy…_

He nodded as Kelena came to stand in front of him, a seductive smirk on her face. Saying a silent prayer of gratitude to Hermione for such wicked ideas, she enacted the plan for Fred's embarrassment. "We can't let you stay in that soup-sodden shirt!" She freely played with his collar and allowed her fingers to drift to his buttons. He was too shell-shocked to do anything but- hell, let her do what she wished. "This has to come off."

"Uh-huh," he agreed with bewilderment as she pushed him back into his chair. She grinned. Excellent. As soon as she had his shirt off (or at least fully unbuttoned) she was going to throw him out of the room, reeking of cold minestrone and bereft of his dignity, exposing him to the questions and suspicions of everyone else downstairs. It didn't sound like that great of a plan, but what could he do in retaliation? And what would he dare tell his twin? 'Hey Fred! What happened to you?!' 'Well geez, George, Kelena (as defenseless as she was) sort of seduced me and I spilt scalding soup all over myself and basically made an arse of myself. How are you doing?'

He wouldn't dare bother to get any payback after this. Who would admit they botched a revenge-plan and made a fool of themselves in the process? Certainly not the famed pranksters they thought themselves to be. And with the prospect that this little incident could be thrown back in their faces, Kelena was unquestionably certain that this would be the end of their little war.

Tragically, she hadn't factored in the problem of a well-defined Quidditch-toned Fred Weasley chest at her fingertips.

Unbuttoning his soiled shirt wasn't the least of her problems. Once she got the damp thing free from his skin, she was instantly mesmerized by the large expanse of heavenly man-chest. She subconsciously allowed her fingers to make first contact, and although she was herself having trouble keeping with her plan, she didn't fail to take notice that Fred was squirming in his seat, gripping the chair to keep his control and hands off her while she pretended to deal with his sopping shirt. He was gripping it so hard that his knuckles were turning white.

She removed her fingers reluctantly ('_please, just one more feel!_') from his chest to enact the second part of the plan, which was breaking his self-control. Her pleased intake of breath as she viewed him sitting there, bare-chested and quite a sight, didn't go unnoticed by Fred, who was subsequently released from her spell by her appreciation.

His eyes momentarily strayed from her chest- where they'd decided it was the most delightful vacation spot- and he caught the expression in her own eyes; the same one which had been in his this whole time.

Oh! Right! He was supposed to be enacting revenge! Not allowing his eyes a visual feast. Kelena quickly smiled at him before she removed herself from his immediate proximity, messing with things in a dresser as her watched her from behind, bending and busying herself with this and that.

Oh, this was pure torture! She was scantily clad _and_ bending to give him quite a wonderful view. He needed to accomplish some form of revenge and get out of here lest he lose all his control and do something he couldn't take back!

And yet, as he tried to formulate something in his mind, he could keep himself restrained to the chair no more, and approached her bending form from behind, his resolve all but diminished and his hands itching to touch her.

sSs


	10. Tricks of the Trade

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 10: Tricks of the Trade

sSs

Live was well-aquatinted with the floor from the day's bloody lovely activities, and while she and the floor were great pals, she was rather pissed at a one George Weasley at the moment.

"George, get off me!" she demanded. She tried to elbow him, hearing an 'oof!' of resentment, and rolled from her belly to her back to try to get away. The only thing that this accomplished, however, was that now she was rather closely face-to-face with him, entangled with him on the hall floor, and he didn't look too happy about the elbowing. Her face reddened from the close proximity.

"Oi, woman! Stop moving around so much!" he commanded abruptly as she squirmed for freedom. He straddled her as she fought with cat-like clawing, attempting to free herself (and scratch out George's eyes) and save Kelena from whatever horrors she was experiencing at Fred's hands.

George grabbed her hands and pinned her to the floor as she fought in vain. He was stronger, heavier, and apparently determined that she not get to Kelena.

"George. Off. Me. NOW," she ground out with pink cheeks as she tried to throw him off her.

"Ur- Don't do that!" he spouted, sitting more heavily upon her. She glared at him and he glared right back.

"George, I swear-"

His angry glare changed to an amused smile as she was visibly shocked. His mood-swings were even more violent than hers. "Yes, you do, quite a lot, I'd wager. Creatively, too, I might add, _beloved_."

She frowned and tried to grab at him again to no avail. "You let me up right now or I'll-"

"You'll _what_?!" he asked exasperatedly, looking at her with bewilderment. She was in no position to be making demands. "It seems like I have the advantage here, if you haven't noticed. You're not going anywhere anytime soon." He grinned wickedly. "My love."

"You're pure evil," she said irately, lowering her voice.

"Evil?! _Moi_? But you said I was nicety-nice! 'Sooo good', in your own words, if you don't recall," he reminded with a smug grin. He watched her frown deepen as a red blush stole to her cheeks. "Ah, my love, I know you don't mean what you say!" he declared to rile her.

It did, and she threw herself violently against him in an escape attempt. Unsurprisingly, it didn't work. But the pleasurable look that occupied his face a full moment got her complete attention, shock, and surprise, bringing Hermione's words suddenly floating through her head:

"_Seduce 'em a bit._"

A wry grin passed her face quickly as a light went on in her brain. She had what one could easily refer to as 'enviable female amenities', her breasts being anything but modest in size and her wicked scheming-mind equal to her chest's vastness. George was a guy, and like all guys, they all had certain weaknesses. And she knew something else, too:

George liked it when she squirmed that way.

Well, maybe he _personally_ didn't like it, having revenge of equal value in mind, but his hormones certainly did and his body was none to complain about the close contact.

She struggled to get free once more as he tightened his knees about her thighs to stop her from moving. She could hardly be forced to comply.

"George," she said lightly as he raised an eyebrow, looking down at her trying to figure out what to do to her next. He couldn't let her go, and it was time to exact some revenge against her for her association with the evil cat owner, and for the fact that she was just Live and could use a little Gryffindor punishment. And if it happened to be fun in the making, then, well, he supposed that as something he would have to live with.

"I-just…-ugh-- Don't do that!" he got out as she squirmed beneath him. He glanced down at her with a flustered look, knowing he shouldn't be so enthralled with her squirming form beneath him looking more than disheveled, long, honey-blonde hair splayed beneath her and that bloody revealing shirt showing what should be an illegal amount of tantalizing skin.

"George…" Live said airily, summoning every ounce of all that was seductive and feminine, the purest form of female sensuality possessing her voice. It got his full attention immediately, gazing at her seemingly lusty-looking face and nearly being drawn in by those lovely green eyes…

_Green! Green! Green equals Slytherin! Slytherin equals evil! Bad! Oh I almost- Oh geez, Fred'll kill me_, George thought as he looked down at her.

"Yes, sweetness?" he asked with triumph from being drawn back from the very edge, almost having let her free. Live didn't like the look in his eyes. Time to get this plan back into motion and the ball back in her court.

"I-" she said breathily, that one word encompassing what should be considered an evil form of pure female allure. She allowed her eyelids to droop even more, carefully monitoring his reactions to her. So far, everything was working according to her little plan.

"Yes, dearest?" he asked most amused, a little confused, and a bit intrigued. What was she up to?

"I feel faint…" she breathed airily, putting shame to everything called seductive. She almost laughed. She'd never fainted in her entire life! Except for that time she hit her elbow and passed out, or her time out of the pond, but that didn't count…she'd _passed out_, not fainted. No, it was _passed out_ in her book.

Eyes fluttering, having long ago stopped her erratic movements against George and having slowed her breathing, she drooped her eyelids to make the act seem genuine.

"Oh right," he said unbelievingly, tightening his grip on her wrists with his hands and her thighs with his knees just in case she tried anything.

"George…?" she whispered pleadingly one last time, allowing her fluttering eyelids to close on his distrustful face. If it wouldn't have given her away, she would have grinned at her cleverness.

"Ha-ha, my sweet, but you're not going to trick me that easily," he said superiorly, sitting most contrite atop her.

Live concentrated on calming thoughts and meditative relaxation techniques to keep her breathing shallow and her heart-rate down (even though it was doing flip-flops right about now). She was anxious as she felt George shift above her, but knew that unless he was completely off her, she'd have no chance at true freedom and rescuing Kelena.

"My dearest Live, I'm not stupid and I'm hardly going to fall for your tricks, so you can quit the act right now," he told her not without a note of doubt in his voice.

Good.

He momentarily loosened his grip on her wrists, testing the waters for any tricks she might have, but she didn't react to the possibility of freedom he was baiting her with, and that fact nagged at him.

He released her wrists completely and sat more heavily upon her so that she could tell he was crossing his arms. He waited for her to attack him again, but nothing happened. He decided to take it up a notch.

"Now what to do with you, my beloved…" he mused aloud. "So very defenseless and unconscious, as you are…" The tone of his voice got her full attention immediately, causing her control to become strained. She prayed she could hold up this ruse.

He leaned down close to her, and it got her heart racing at a terrible beat with apprehension. What was he going to do? Even worse, what was she _hoping_ he would do?

"O-kay…" he said deeply, quietly, his warm breath on her ear making a suppressed shiver of terrible excitement run down her back. "I just guess I'm going to have my dirty way with you then, right here in this hall…"

Her eyes nearly popped open at such a statement, and she nearly bust out laughing at his idiotic phrasing, but she fought the instinctive reaction to try and flee, keeping still and having more and more trouble keeping her breathing shallow (and not panting like she desperately wanted to). She only hoped to all powers watching over her that her cheeks weren't red.

"I sure hope no one happens upon us…It would be most embarrassing, I'm sure," he taunted, leaning back over her, allowing his fingers to caress her wrists, his face dangerously close to his, his fingers slowly climbing up her neck in caress. "But worth it, oh yes, _very_ worth it."

She had to bite her tongue not to react to that, but she kept very still, thinking of calming visions and things to slow her heart-rate. Fat chance with him so deliciously atop her and promising such dangerously exciting things. Since when had the tables turned? It was supposed to be _her_ seducing _him_, but he was doing a damn good job of it right now. Oh god…Did she want him to quit it or see how far he'd take this test?

"Live? Sweetheart? _Beloved?_" Nothing.

Now George was flat-out confounded. If she was playing, he was sure she would have reacted to his words. And if not that, at least the way he'd touched her. Quite certain. It worried him greatly. What if she wasn't playing with him, and she'd really fainted? Then he felt like scum, still sitting atop her as if she wasn't playing, and taking liberties, however minor, from this unconscious blonde. But if she _was_ playing games, oh she'd pay dearly…

He sighed with puzzlement. "Okay, Live, seriously now, stop playing," he told her genuinely, the concern obvious in his voice. It made her feel guilty as hell, and she considered fessing up right then and there, maybe playing it off as if she had fainted, but of course if she did, there was no saying what he'd do, and she'd still be trapped.

Better to wait him out and hope for the best.

He furrowed his brow in true worry now, getting off her and sitting down next to her. Great! Just great! What was he to do now? He could just imagine trying to explain this to his mum. 'George! What happened to Live?' 'Well, mum, I was chasing after her to stop her from saving Kelena from Fred (we have a vendetta against them, you know). So I pinned her to the floor and sat atop her until she passed out. I threatened her a few times with accosting but she was unconscious so that doesn't matter. Really, it's not as bad as it sounds.'

He groaned and put his ear to her mouth to check her breathing, and then against the skin of her chest for her heart beat. Had he known that she _was_ playing, he would have taken much more pleasure in getting so close. But no. Her heart rate was a little fast, but what did he know about faint-victims?

Dammit! He should've known better! Especially after what had happened today at the lake! He felt like scum of the worst kind. Here he was sitting atop a defenseless woman- unconscious for a good ten minutes- toying with her coma-like form and playing games with her, and she had warned him that she felt faint!

What a jerk he was! She had really fainted! She was unconscious! She had been telling the truth! She-

-opened her eyes and sprang like a gazelle down the hall.

It was two seconds before he was after her, adrenaline and anger welling up in him as she nearly reached the door to help Kelena. He collided with her and brought them both down hard to the floor. And for the third time that day, Live was pinned beneath George Weasley.

sSs

Kelena dazedly busied herself in her garments, deciding that she needed to cover Fred up and cover him now lest she lose her control and all plans and maul him right here and now. She dug through T-shirts and whatnot before deciding upon a rather plan-appropriate garment and stood up, turning around to be face-to-face with a most strung-out Weasley.

She quickly managed a smile as her eyes begged to remain trained on his chest. "Hi Fred," she said in a seductive voice to put Marilyn Monroe to shame.

He grinned, noticing her avid interest in his naked chest. Not that it had to do anything with the fact that she was about eye-level with the deliciously Quidditch-toned Weasley chest, but he practically made her mouth water just looking at him. Blast! She had to turn things around.

"Hmm…you're still soupy…" she said thoughtfully, taking the dry part of Fred's soup-stained shirt and dabbing at his chest, allowing her fingers some feel-up time. The look on his face indicated his obvious pleasure at this contact, and he grabbed her around the waist unexpectedly, making her gasp with surprise, his hands possessed of their own designs. She almost smirked at the effect she was having on him- except that he was having an equal effect on her, and things seemed to be falling quickly out of plan.

"I like your shirt," he mumbled as she caught him staring at (or down at, from his vantage point) her breasts. She grinned. Could you even call her upper wear a shirt? She'd have to consult the Guild on that one.

She looked down- way down- as he watched her with curious interest. "I like your pants."

"Me too," he said deeply, making shivers go up her arm as she suddenly wanted those pants…just not _on_ him. She wondered if she could get away with saying there was soup on them, too.

"It's good you like your pants," she said with a smirk. Obviously, his brain wasn't functioning at normal speed needed for coherent speech. God bless the female species!

"I-I mean I like _your _pants," he said quickly, wondering what in the hell was getting into him. She was bewitching him and he knew it, yet he was powerless to stop it. Was this what was so tragically known as Sexlexia? He'd have to consult Ginny later.

"Oh, these old things?" Kel asked with feigned innocence. _Pants my ass!_ She turned around in them, still in his arms, and did a few sassy poses that she knew would bring a tremendous advantage in breaking his resolve.

"Kelena…"

"Hm?" she asked sweetly. "Oh," she said suddenly, bringing the T-shirt in her hand up as if she'd just had an epiphany. He was dying and she knew it as she acted as if she wasn't aware of what he was thinking. The problem was, the same wicked thoughts were in her mind as well. "This should fit you…"

"Huh?"

"Um…this is the only extra shirt I have for you," she said with a deceptively sweet smile. She held the shirt up as if to prove her point, and then proceeded to stretch it across his chest with the feigned intention of measuring him, suddenly a little afraid that the thing was too small. "It should fit, but you're so big," she said with studious finality.

"Mm-hm," he agreed wholeheartedly, pulling her against him as she immediately got to wondering about just where else he was…gifted. "You should see the rest of me," he said without thinking, and suddenly realized his words. Damn, why was she so distracting?!

"Is that an invitation?" she purred, rubbing against him and putting his restraints and controls, and- hell, morals- to the test.

He grinned in response and, as much as she didn't want him to, nor _he_ want to, he took his hands off her and accepted the plain shirt from her grasp.

She could have leapt for joy at the fact that she got her pre-occupied mind (and rightly so) back on track to the plan (although she was ready to drop it in an instance if this kept up), and that he took the shirt without suspicion.

She grinned. It was an ordinary shirt by no means.

Live, Kara and Kelena- through all their creative inventiveness and experiments with magic (plus the fact that they'd inhaled so very many potions fumes that late October night) had perfected a rather unique collaboration of spells, enchantments, and potions into what was seemingly simple household clothing. The clothing- depending on what you transfigured- could be shirts, PJs, pants- you name it. It seemed ordinary enough to anyone looking at it- even those wearing it- but after a certain amount of time following the wearing of the clothing, it would change appearance and that of it's 'clothing' nature completely.

The plain white T-shirt which Fred currently held in his hand (he was far too enamored with Kelena's proximity and clingy non-clothing to put it on) was not a white T-shirt at all. Activated by body-heat, it would revert to it's normal state within minutes or hours. It was a secret invention that they'd already used numerous times at nightclubs or dances where there were dress codes. You looked fine going in, looked deadly sexy going out.

But the heat factor made it time-dependent. It made it more controllable for jokes if you could raise the thermostat or cast a heating charm, putting _you_ in the driver's seat of prankdom and unleashing its fury at the perfect moment.

And Kelena was sure any second she would crash with Fred's lean torso casting its spell upon her eyes.

"Let me help you," she offered, taking the shirt back from him as he lifted his hands above his head. She could hardly reach such a height, and so climbed onto the bed and stood over him, pulling the shirt down as slowly and seductively as possible. Once over his head, he pulled it down (covering that which was Kelena's undoing) and stood admiring the new view- her breasts at delightful eye-level.

"Much better," he said, wrapping arms around her again as she nearly sighed with contentment yet anxiety. Oh what to do?! She had to get rid of him quickly, else his- and her- rising body heat transfigure the shirt too soon and his embarrassment not be seen by the public eye. But she wasn't sure if she _wanted_ to get rid of him. This whole revenge idea was getting way too out of hand, and she was sure that any moment revenge wouldn't be a factor in the kind of actions she'd be taking against (read: doing to) Fred.

Fred, on the other hand, basically decided to hell with revenge- he could take it out on her another time. A scantily-clad woman willingly in his arms was something he was not likely to ignore. Regardless if she was the evil cat owner, a Gryffin-traitor, and friends with Live, evil-embodied, he couldn't care less. Screw it all, he'd just tell George that he was unable to exact revenge at this moment in time.

She happily encouraged his arms around her, pulling him close as she kept telling herself that it was all part of the plan. He pulled her close as she grinned with bedevilment. She shimmied slightly, making her breasts a little larger (and blessing her Metamorphmagus heritage), deciding to have a little more fun. Fred took instant notice- of both the shimmying and the sudden breast-enlargement- blinking once to make sure he wasn't imagining things. He murmured something Kel knew to be of contentment as she threaded fingers through his soft hair.

Grabbing her tightly, he lifted her off the bed and slid her down the length of his body to the floor, both of them frightfully aware of the other with obvious delight. He removed one hand from her waist to the back of her neck, fingers brushing her soft dark hair as she felt a blush growing on her cheeks. Kelena grabbed his face and brought it down very close to hers, their lips within inches of one another as he searched her dark eyes.

_Screw it_, she thought. _To hell with revenge. It can wait a little longer._

With that thought, she slowly closed the distance between them, deciding that this little 'plan' had definite perks she would soon be enjoying.

sSs

_Note: Much of the beginning chapters were a collaboration of four girls with crazed minds. It began as a "Round Robin" or RR fic in which several authors take turns writing it as per chapter, paragraph, wherever the thought may take them. As the chapters progressed, they dwindled to just one writer, me, and I've kept the fire burning ever since. Just a little note for future reference. Thank you._

_-FireV._


	11. Snake Charmer, Lion Tamer

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 11: Snake Charmer, Lion Tamer

sSs

"Ow George!"

"Dammit _Live_!"

She twisted beneath him, more entangled than ever and sure there would be bruising tomorrow. Did he have to tackle her to the floor so hard? And so many times in one day? And here she had almost made it- on the very threshold of the door that Kel was being mercilessly tortured behind.

George quickly had her back on her back in the previous position, wrestling her and sitting atop her angrily, pinning her wrists none-too-gently to the floor. Both were panting terribly with the adrenaline of the chase rushing through them, chests heaving and both surprised at the other.

Live, looking at the expression on George's face, felt a brief tremor of fear pass through her, and threw herself against him with all her might to flee, which was hardly enough force on her part for escape.

"George, let me up," she said sternly with an edge of panic, trying to be calm and get enough air into her lungs at the same time while dealing with this new fear. He looked incredibly pissed off, and moreover, she'd basically made a fool of him. Now she had reason to fear.

"No," he told her harshly with a frown, pressing himself hard against her to discourage any more ideas that ended with freedom. The sudden sensation that went through her at his pressure confused her greatly, but she pushed it aside, deciding to deal with it later.

"Let me up," she repeated, trying to mask her fear and thinking of some way to get out of this.

"No, Live," he repeated sternly. "Who the hell do you think you are, pulling something like that?!" he demanded. It was obvious that he was trying to keep his anger in check, restraining the impulses to throttle her and throttle her good.

And the tone of his voice relayed as much to her. "George, please," she tried begging, knowing that she was in deep and that she now desperately wanted her freedom. But he shouldn't be so angry about it, should he?

"It's 'please' now, is it?! Dammit! Just who do you think you are, Live?! I thought you'd really fainted! You don't play like that!" He was almost shouting, and while it both worried and frightened her, it made her almost smile as well: he had been concerned.

"George…" she tried again, mildly touched that the evil twin had some caring in him, and that it had been for her. Though she still feared his tone and look. She wanted up.

"No, you don't do that! After today and at the pond and stuff, you just don't do that, Live!" She wanted her arms free to- of all things- hug him and tell him she was fine and she was actually really sorry and that, yes, it was indeed a shitty stunt for her to pull. But there was no chance at getting her arms- or any other part of her- free. He was on her hard and unrelenting and he wasn't about to let her up.

"George, I didn't mean it," she promised softly, sincerely, her eyes straying away from his own anger-clouded ones with guilt. She knew when she was wrong, and it wasn't below her to apologize as such. Whether he was trying to or not, he was laying on a heavy guilt trip and Live had a one-way ticket to shame-town.

"It doesn't matter if you meant it or not! You don't do that!" he repeated again, her words doing almost nothing to placate him. He'd really been concerned, actually concerned for the Slytherin witch, and she'd played him like a fool.

"Well if you hadn't pinned me I wouldn't have had to do it!" she replied a bit angry herself in afterthought. He caused this, didn't he? She didn't _ask_ to be pinned by him. He chased her up here! What was she supposed to do?

"If you didn't fight me, I wouldn't have had to pin you!" he responded in kind. She 'hmph!-ed' at his statement as he watched her, his ire growing. "Live, you _died _today. And I brought you back, and after that you don't play in that same way!" he shouted suddenly with incredible seriousness, releasing the stress of the day that had apparently been pent up inside. His outburst about the lake surprised him as much as it did her, and he guessed he wasn't as untouched by the whole event as he originally thought he'd been. He was just in need of a little catharsis.

Her eyes were wide and body still as she digested the information with shock. So she hadn't simply blacked out. "Nobody told me that…"

"Well…Now you know! And don't ever play like that again, Live! I mean it!"

She could barely comprehend the situation as she looked him in the eyes. His frustration and concern mirrored her own feelings, and she now especially felt like a real jerk. "I'm sorry, George. Okay? I'm really sorry," she apologized, meaning every word as she read the anger and worry and concern on his face. Had she known the exact details of what went down this afternoon, she wouldn't have pulled the fainting bit. No wonder he was so angry with her. She'd obviously freaked him out bad once today, and apparently once was enough. Evidently, he wasn't as devil-may-care as she had taken him for.

He frowned at her, tightened his grip on her wrists, and clamped his knees tighter around her thighs. "You will be," he said in a deep voice which resonated in a vengeful, promising way that Live had only heard other Slytherins use when they meant business. Her eyes widened as he sat straight above her, no longer leaning over her menacingly, and actually had a smile on his face.

_Oh shit, I've summoned his Slytherin side._

"George," she said in a cautious, warning tone as his smile increased, pleased with the change in her voice and facial expressions. It was obvious to him that she was scared, oh yes, and he knew it was high time she got a little payback for all her Slytherin wickedness. Of course, he had to ignore the fact that she looked deliciously bedraggled beneath him, her shirt down even lower in a way that he was positive could get ticketed for on public streets, showing him amounts of skin that he no longer had to use his imagination to see. Her honeyed hair was splayed about her head like a mock-halo- soft to the touch, he was sure- and her affrighted green eyes were vibrant with color.

Yes, if he could ignore all that, he could begin her punishment for duping him in such a way and start getting the revenge which he'd originally set out for, regardless if she was sorry or not.

"Oh my dearest, I'm afraid you're going to get some serious payback for your trickery," he said with a smile and in such a different tone of voice that Live immediately started wriggling beneath him out of fear. He closed his eyes involuntarily at the pleasurable sensations it incurred as he forced her still with his own body, settling hard upon her as she gasped with the sudden pleasure his closeness brought. What in the hell was wrong with her?

"George…Let me up. Right now." Her voice lacked the conviction and demand she usually employed, partially because she was scared…partially because she realized how bad it would look if someone were to come upon them in this manner. She looked into his eyes, mustering what she thought was an intimidating glare, and slowly moved against him in persuasion and distraction.

"I-mmm…No, stop that. You're in no condition to be making demands, my love. And I think you're going to rather enjoy my revenge. Shall I tell you about it?" She glared at him in response. He cheerily took that for a yes. "Have you ever been tar-and-feathered?"

Her eyes widened. It would figure it would take _her_ to wake up the dormant Slytherin side of George Weasley. She decided the first chance she got she was going to stick it to that smart-aleck sorting hat. It didn't know what its business was. George had obviously been sorted wrong. "George, if you don't let me up right now I'll-"

"You'll what?" he challenged, watching her with more relish than he should. He mentally chastised himself for such traitorous thoughts, even if it did all seem so utterly horribly right.

"I'll scream bloody-murder." He raised an eyebrow at her as she looked at him intently, trying to gauge his reaction.

"You wouldn't."

"_I would_."

"You don't have the gall to do it," he decreed. "You'd look stupid if you did."

"You'll look stupid if I do! I'm going to scream my head off by the count of three if you don't get off me. And don't think for a second a scream like mine can be ignored. Everyone'll be up here in two-shakes of a lamb's tail and then you'll get it," she threatened weakly. She failed to mention that if she did scream and everyone came to her aid, she too would be found in this compromising position. But it was the only threat she had, and use it she would.

"You won't do it," George stated assuredly, keeping her tightly pinned.

"One…"

He watched with almost bored amusement.

"Two…"

He settled on her hard, which happened to be a mistake, the both of them suffering the after-shocks of such sudden sensual contact that she shuddered.

"Three…" she gasped. He still didn't move off her and looked too smug for his own good. "Are you going to get off me then?"

"Not a chance," he responded. She looked quite resolute, and he was about to ask her if she was ready to admit she wouldn't scream when she opened her mouth and took a big breath.

George panicked, knowing she was about to scream and not knowing what course of action to take. He couldn't rightly release a wrist to cover her mouth else he suffer bodily harm, but if he didn't, she'd bring everyone running. So he did the one thing that his body and hormones had been demanding of him the whole time:

He kissed her.

Live was beyond shocked and wide-eyed with disbelief. George was kissing her. Just right out of the blue, and the worst part about it wasn't that she could do nothing, nor that he had her trapped. It was that it wasn't at all unpleasant, and apparently George was quite good at it, too. She was lip-locked with him and while she should be angry that he was clearly taking advantage of her, she couldn't care less. She moved beneath him, wanting her hands to be free from their idle inactivity and urge him for more, but couldn't.

George, on the other hand, couldn't believe himself. What had gotten into him? Was this what happened when you had Sexlexia? Were they curing it now? What he was doing was wrong on so many levels and in so many countries it wasn't even funny. He had Live pinned; was, this time, clearly taking advantage of her; it was the Slytherin Snake Queen he had his mouth sealed on; she was Live Hunter, contrary epitome to everything he stood for; and the worst of all: glory above he was enjoying it.

But he knew he had to stop, had to let her go, and had to put an end to this. Even if he enjoyed the way she tasted, that sweet female scent, and the way he liked her body beneath his, feeling her feminine attributes against his chest. He could feel her trying to get her wrists free while she seemingly struggled, and he knew that whatever bodily harm she would now do to him, he deserved it, and it had been worth it.

He let her wrists go and broke the kiss, still sitting atop her and looking as surprised as she did, if not a bit sheepish. She looked at him and he looked at her, and of its own volition, her hand smacked him on the side of the face. He put his hand to his lightly-stinging cheek as they just stared right back at one another with curious, surprised, panting expressions in silence. Then she did something he wouldn't have seen coming in a million years:

She grabbed him, put her arms around his neck, and began kissing him anew.

He grinned, not daring to question this and only too happy to oblige as they tangled hands in each other's hair and pawed one another mercilessly, grinning as legs went flailing all over the place, the occasional giggle as one of them kicked the wall.

sSs

"Kelena-" Fred was surprised. Did his voice just crack? Oh for the love of Godric his voice just cracked!

"Fred, you…" Words died on Kelena's lips as Fred looked at her so intently and so calculatingly that she wasn't sure if she was capable of sounds equivalent to any human language. Any second she knew she was going to faint, from his touch or lack thereof. Damn, Sexlexia was dangerous! She'd have to bring this up at the next Guild meeting. They needed to form a support group.

Fred, on the other hand, looked like he was at the end of his rope and was going to either burst or pass out from all this tension. A fine sheen of sweat was gathering on his brow from all the mental (and physical) restraint he'd been using, but with her so close and so willing and so sensual and so very very very scantily-clad, it was all he could do not to throw her on the bed and shag her senseless.

He knew that, by all the powers that be, he shouldn't be considering let alone _thinking_ such a thing, as per the reasons he had even come up here, and what he owed her (revenge) and owed to his twin (vengeance), but damn it all, if he was capable of controlling himself right now, he'd eat Buckbeak.

He grabbed her gently about the hips as she splayed her fingers on his still T-shirt covered chest, exploring the contours and muscles and the promises of a six-pack which wasn't yet developed. She wanted to etch this into her subconscious and be able to mentally retreat to it any time she wanted after this was over. She knew that soon, she'd have to send him away, and deciding that sending him away _before_ a make-out session was just as good as sending him away _after_ a make-out session, she explored his chest and musculature shamelessly, making the tension rise high and her body beg for him.

Poor Fred was entranced by her bosom, feeling like he was its defenseless captive, helpless to its charms, and changing from her breasts to her face helped him escape no greater. Looking at her lips almost made him moan at the sight, and looking into her eyes were no better. He saw the same restraint, same control, and same point of breaking that he knew were reflected in his own. He looked into their depths to see passion and promise and desire and- was it _eagerness_?

He tried to control his hands' exploration of her body, keeping her close yet wanting to look at her everywhere, and if he tried to stop himself it was not betrayed by his face or his busy hands. He didn't know what he was going to do or say if George asked him how it went, and he didn't know if he wanted revenge anymore. All he knew right now was that he wanted her and wanted her bad.

He grabbed her tightly as a moan was heard. Was it hers? Was it _his_? His heart was thumping as madly in his chest as hers, so loud he thought it echoed in the room as he moved down close to her, feeling her breath on his lips and filling his nostrils with her musky feminine scent. He heard the thump again, and apparently she did too, but didn't care as she pulled his lips to hers, millimeters apart as the door was suddenly kicked open with a loud 'THUMP'.

If all the sexual tension and frustration didn't give Kelena early heart-failure, then this sight would surely be the cause.

Fred and Kel gaped as there on the floor before the threshold, Live and George were making-out without a scrap of propriety or restraint as they pawed one another shamelessly. Hands were on Live where Fred was positive he'd touched Kelena twice over (and was currently holding her now), and Live was no more decency-ridden as she pawed George everywhere and anywhere her hands could reach (like Kelena's current choice of hand-real estate on Fred). Shirts were pushed up, hands reached down, and lips devoured one-another mercilessly.

Suffice it to say, both parties were shocked.

"LIVE!!"

"WHA-?! KELENA?!"

"GAH! GEORGE!!"

"FRED?!"

"What are you doing?!"

"What are _you_ doing?!"

"That's the evil cat-owner!!" the Gryffindor atop the Slytherin accused.

"She's in _Slytherin_!!" the twin holding the bare-naked lady shouted.

"What are you DOING?!!" the scantily-clad Gryffindor accused the disheveled floor-dweller.

"What are you WEARING?!" the floor-dwelling Slytherin questioned the half-naked woman.

"What are _you_ wearing?!" one twin asked the now scantily-clad other.

Kelena shrieked as she jumped out of Fred's arms, full realization of her evening wear coming to her mind as Fred took notice of his own. He was no longer in a plain old T-shirt, but was currently wearing a sparkly, neon-pink tube-top around his chest and looked as dumbfounded, surprised, and freaked out as ever.

Poor Kelena, having taken notice that she was currently the attraction of the evening, immediately started shimmying to change her clothing (and bra size) back to normal. She soon realized, however, that one of the set-backs of being a Metamorphmagus and having developed her skills as such, was that she had to fully concentrate to accomplish such a feat, and therefore she couldn't change anything back to the way it was.

Poor Fred, watching with ecstasy as she shimmied mercilessly, was growing terribly distressed. Here she'd been touching and, hell, seducing him all evening and now she was shimmying madly like CHARO: The next generation.

Live squeaked at the display and grabbed George's bicep in appeal to get out of there. He quickly apparated them away, but it did nothing to stop Fred's enrapturement. He quickly grabbed Kelena close against him, her panicked movements sending him into a frenzy as they both toppled over onto the bed. She'd succeeded in getting nothing back to its original size, and she promptly fainted right atop him.

Fred, in all of these happenings, with Kelena rubbing up against him and her breasts right in his face, was already so close to right out death at the hands of sexual tension that he, too, swiftly passed out, hot-pink tube-top and all.

Live and George were far more lucky. Having attempted to cure their Sexlexia, they weren't half as high-strung as Kel and Fred had been. However, both were quite perturbed by what they'd seen, even if they were both indecently-close to a state of wicked undress.

George had apparated them to some place safe within the house, and both looked at each other in the dim light of the room, surprised and bewildered.

"Where are we?" Live asked the boy above her.

"Laundry room," George told her quickly.

"Did you see-?

"Yes."

"And were they-?"

"Uh-huh."

"What were they wearing?!" Live spat exasperatedly, fully ready for an in-depth conversation about the ridiculous sight even though George had a hand dedicated to cupping her breast.

"I dunno, but what would it take to get you into an outfit like Kelena's? Is that possible?" he asked with a grin.

She glared but it went wasted on him. "Only if you're willing to wear Fred's," she replied with a playful smirk. He grinned and put his other hand under her head with a tender smile as she looked at him in the dim light. "I think they've got Sexlexia real bad."

"I'm not sure if we've cured yours, yet. Better safe than sorry," George assured, causing her to giggle as he buried his lips in her neck and started kissing her once more.

sSs

It was an hour later when Mrs. Weasley decided that she hadn't seen her sons in quite some time (or what she thought of as enough time for her sons to cause sufficient property damage). A search party was set up (at least that's what Ginny was referring to herself as) to find everyone for dessert.

She had Kara's eager help with her, and had tried to enlist Ron, but he couldn't be budged from a game of wizard chess with Harry after reflecting on the previous way he'd found Fred, George, Kelena, and Live this afternoon. He was none-too-ready to have a repeat of that, nor did he want to know what his destructive brothers might be up to.

"Fred and George can play Lion-tamer and Snake-Charmer all they want, but I'll have no bloody part in it. Not after this afternoon."

With that, Ginny and Kara set out to find their friends, as well as pack for the night's events. They were going to Grimmauld Place in a few hours, and they didn't want to be unprepared.

sSs


	12. Where's the Army when you need it?

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 12: Where's the Army when you need it?

sSs

After much searching deliberation, and far after dessert had already been eaten and gone, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley left Kara and Ginny to find the twins and Live and Kel, leaving the house to do a bit of shopping for the next morning's last family breakfast at Grimmauld Place. Mrs. Weasley had requested that all the children stay together, inside, and preferably in one place while they were gone, warning them once again that she'd better still have a house when they finally got back. So while everyone else was gathered in the living room, Kara and Ginny went on a hunting party for their friends and sisters.

After splitting up, they finally found Kelena and Live, strangely enough in opposite ends of the house, and seemingly absent any twin-vengeance. Both were uncannily quiet, not speaking more than three words to themselves or the younger girls as they were ushered into the Weasley living room to sit by the fire and hang out until time to leave. Terry and Hermione were sent on patrol for Fred and George. Ron would have no part in it, and Harry decided that the poor traumatized guy deserved a bit of comforting after what he'd discovered that afternoon. After all, seeing one brother on top of a girl friend and the other perched wickedly over another was not something easily destroyed from memory. Ron threatened to obliviate himself, but Harry convinced him it wasn't worth it.

The Fred and George front was uncharacteristically quiet. Their absence from the group for so long (plus the fact that Live and Kelena didn't show any signs of battle-scars) made Terry and Hermione cling to one another in the fear that they'd spring some trick the twins had planned. They searched the house, twice passing over the boys' own room due to all the silence therein. With no explosions to be heard, the hall was uncannily quiet.

But lo and behold, Fred and George _were_ eventually discovered, and in their room of all places. Fred, er, George, was holding a pillow over his face in silence, laying half-dead on his bed on his back, feet hanging off the side and resting on the floor. Fred was sitting against the wall, arms around his knees and staring straight ahead as if viewing something only he could see. Terry and Hermione twice cleared their throats, and still didn't get the boys' attention.

"A-HEM!" Terry said loudly. The sudden reactions of the twins caused the girls to shriek, which carried downstairs into the living room to everyone else.

"I guess they've found them," Kara said chipperly, offering a spoon of ice-cream to Ginny. While she was enjoying the effects of Orlando ice-cream, she curiously pondered what was happening overhead.

Fred jumped, smacking the back of his head against the wall and crying out. George fell off the bed and to the floor, flinging the pillow in the girls' direction out of surprise. It hit Terry square in the face.

"Shit!!"

"Sorry…"

"We're all down in the living room, guys. Where've you _been_?" Hermione asked, both questioning their state of physical and mental being.

"Thinking," Fred muttered, getting to his feet and shaking his head as if to banish some unsavory thoughts.

"Well, come on," she compelled, grabbing his arm and dragging him towards the door.

"Why?" his twin asked, looking at her suspiciously.

"So we can keep tabs on you. Duh," Terry told him. He wasn't sure if she was kidding or not.

They shrugged and followed the girls down the stairs and into the living room, plopping down on the settee and couch, not making eye-contact with either Live nor Kelena.

Live sat on the fireplace hearth, concentrating on the warmth and keeping her mind blank. She still looked as disheveled as ever, but she wasn't one for appearance-decency in the company of friends anyway, so after an initial curious glance-over from the others she'd been relatively forgotten. Kelena was close by laying on her stomach, a book under her face. But she wasn't reading. She, too, was trying to keep her mind away from conscious thought. Since she'd woken to the knock on her door, feeling suffocated and finding Fred somehow passed out atop _her_, she quickly pushed him off and summoned up a baggy sweater and jeans look. Fred apparated away with more than mild confusion and embarrassment, and Terry and Hermione had found a very dazed-looking Kelena to add to their collection.

At the moment, it made for a rather unusual situation: four blank, dazed looks on the elder years' faces and no static between them. Kara and Ginny were too busy with their Orlando ice-cream to notice the absence of death glares and insults flying from the twins to the sixth years sitting by the fire. Harry and Ron, however, were a little more observant.

"So…what's up?" Harry asked nonchalantly in Fred's direction.

"What did you do?" Ron demanded accusingly, not even trying to be as stealthy as Harry in his questioning. Why bother?

Fred threw a pillow at Ron and grinned at Harry, but he said nothing, and they continued to sit that way for a bit until Kara and Ginny's yummy noises were all that filled the silence.

"Who wants to play gin?" Hermione proposed suddenly, not without glancing suspiciously at the four silent elder years.

"I'm in," Ron agreed, still sensitive to whatever situation everyone was trying to hide, but trying (desperately) to ignore it.

"Me, too," Harry said, leaning forward.

"Ppfft! Gin!" Terry spat.

"What was that?" Hermione asked at her outburst.

"_What_?" Terry equally questioned, acting as if she hadn't said anything. Hermione 'hmph'-ed and rolled her eyes as she got out a deck of cards and started dealing at the coffee table. As Kara and Ginny joined in ("Wash those sticky hands!"), they had to move to a larger table behind the couch to accommodate the space. They played for a bit with random outbursts of triumph ("Ha ha! In your face, Ron!") or the usual snide comment from Terry involving "hmph" and "bloody game". Other than that, the room was basically quiet but for the sounds of Kelena's random page turning and the crackling of the fire.

Hermione kept glancing warily at the two silent twins now both occupying the couch. They simply _had_ to be up to no good. Not that she was taking sides or anything…But they'd never been this quiet in the entire time she'd known them. And she hadn't gotten any information out of either Live nor Kelena, so she wasn't even sure if they'd reached a truce or not. But things didn't bode well.

The bushy-haired witch caught George sneaking furtive glances at Live, and Kelena was seemingly stuck in Fred's own line of vision. They must be planning something awful for the two sixth years…but then again, Live nor Kelena reacted to their laser-like stares, and they were usually so perceptive to such things…

"Have you noticed anything…_strange_ about them?" Hermione whispered in Kara's direction as Harry and Ron argued over who had the better gin and Ginny explained to Terry what gin exactly _was_.

"I don't know…they seem sorta…quiet?" She looked thoughtful.

"Too quiet," Hermione agreed, watching as Fred's eyes wandered all over Kelena and she seemed to stiffen subconsciously. "I think they're up to something." George slouched down in his seat, the sudden movement catching Live's eye as she slowly inclined her head towards him, both catching each other's eyes and turning away immediately. "They all seem sort of traumatized."

"Or weirded out," Kara added, her mind focused for once.

"Yeah, that too." Hermione studied them a few moments more until Harry and Ron's bickering cut through her thoughts. "Oh for Heaven's sake Ron! You've both got equal cards!"

There were yummy noises coming from under the table, and Kara was horrified to find Ginny and Terry at a new thing of ice-cream without her. "You skanks!!" She dove under the table to get her share as Hermione tried to help the boys 'understand their cards' (read: shut up). After all, there's only so much a girl can take.

Live got up from the fireplace, drawing George's attention as his face traveled with her movements. "I'm getting some iced tea," she murmured to Kel as she hurried out of the room through the swinging kitchen door. Kelena found that while before, when she was in her friend's presence, she didn't feel it as much, but now that Live was gone, she felt Fred's gaze even more intensely than before.

She decided to tempt Fate and sneak a glance to see, at least a warning one that would admit to him she knew he was watching her. Perhaps he'd cut it out. She glanced away from her book surreptitiously to catch his eye. Had she not been looking just intently enough, she wouldn't have noticed the slight grin of encouragement that graced his face, nor the look of knowing that she'd caught him gazing at her.

He moved forward on the couch and she glued her eyes back to her book, forcing herself to ignore him all the more. Everything was weird now, and she wished desperately that one of the other girls would save her from this little game of glancity-glance before he acted and did something horrible…like sit near her. That would be too much.

But Kara, Ginny, and Terry were in the thralls of an Orlando ice-cream overdose and Hermione was now waging an all-out gin war with Harry and Ron (to the death!).

Kelena glanced nervously from Fred to the kitchen door to Hermione in all her bushy-haired fury, but none were going to come to her aid. Fred edged slowly just a little more forward, sitting on the edge of the couch watching her intently, thinking that maybe she wouldn't notice if he got closer- to see what she was reading, of course.

He sat there on the edge, not really doing much other than watching her read (well, he _thought_ she was reading) and just letting his mind run wild with little thoughts of this and that, and making comparisons between Kelena's bulky outfit of choice as opposed to the previous scanty one. He knew one thing for sure- she could hide it all she wanted under those baggy clothes, but he knew what _really _lied beneath, and the thoughts wouldn't leave him alone. So he tried to distract himself, wondering, in the first place, what the hell the Snake Queen was currently up to in their kitchen, and what his brother was doing.

Live found some instant tea mix in the pantry from their earlier muggle grocery-store adventure and examined the flavors, picking one and shutting the door. She nearly jumped right out of her skin as she saw George was on the other side of that door.

"Scare you?" he questioned amusedly, a wry grin on his lips.

"Only your face," she murmured quickly before turning away from him with awkwardness. But he wouldn't let it be that easy. He trapped her against the pantry door, a hand on either side of her head, arms entrapping her as she raised a discomfited brow at him. "Do you mind?"

"Only a little," he said with a grin. She rolled her eyes and ducked under his arms, walking towards the cupboard for a pitcher and trying for all her might to ignore his certain gaze upon her. This time he caught her from behind as she let out an "Eep!" of surprise, his arms snug about her waist.

"_George_…"

"So testy now? Honestly, woman, what are you made of?" He spun her around so that she faced him, looking a mixture of irritation and embarrassment, her cheeks a rosy color, eyes avoiding his. Worst of all she was terribly aware of his closeness, and it made her quite anxious.

"Listen, what happened shouldn't have, we both know that, so let's just leave things at that and chalk it up to momentary insanity." She tried to get out of his arms, not wanting to discuss their little make-out session, but he wouldn't let her.

"Do I kiss that awful?" he asked reproachfully, his brow raised in honest curiosity. He watched as her own eyes searched his in incredulity.

"N-" As soon as the automatic negation left her mouth, his own claimed hers. She wanted to stop him and tell him it was all wrong and a huge mistake, one they shouldn't repeat, but she melted at his lips' gentle caress, purring as he released her lips, but still held her in his arms, wondering what potential this whole ordeal of the evening possibly had in future moments. Overall, he was pleased with the dazed look on her face as he drew her closer.

She laid her head on his shoulder as he embraced her tightly, arms snug about his waist, relishing in the way he made her feel when he kissed her, held her so perfectly and with such affection, and taking advantage of this one time of being held so firmly against his wide chest, before it all ultimately had to end. Gryffindor or not, it was nice to be held so genuinely and affectionately.

"Oi, what's the possibility of us staying on like-"

She shook her head to silence his speech. It wasn't a time for talk. _Just take advantage of this one moment and enjoy it,_ she thought.

She gasped and stiffened up suddenly in alarm.

"What?!" he asked as she tried to anxiously get away from him in panic, staring at the window as he got in front of her protectively, hand behind him linked with her own.

"I saw someone outside!" she asserted, now safely behind his back, looking around his waist at the window as she grasped his one hand and held his forearm with her other in a panic.

He looked out the window, then approached the glass closely as she kept safe behind him, freaked out beyond measure. It wasn't a normal face. "I don't see anyone."

"In the bushes, George."

He looked again but didn't see anything but the yard under nighttime sky and a few unruly gnomes sneaking back into the garden, a bandy-legged tabby cat chasing after them.

He turned back to Live, took her hand between his while looking in her eyes. There was obvious fear there. "There's nothing there, Live."

"I _saw_ him!" she affirmed, trying to appeal to his sense of safety.

"It's fine, look." He had her look out the window, but she refused to get in front of him. Her gut was telling her to flee, and she'd pay as much attention to that feeling as she could. "And if there _was _anyone there, it was probably Kingsley. Mum and Dad wouldn't let us have run of the house without _someone_ watching us," he said vindictively, but he offered her a smile as he caressed her fingers with his own. There was a slight crunching as she stepped on her pouch of tea that had long since been dropped. In the time they both took to look at the pouch and then back at the window, a clearly seen face- not human- was watching them pressed up against the glass.

Live screamed and George shrieked as they both bolted from the kitchen back to the living room.

"What's all this about, then?" Fred asked with perturbation from the couch. "Was that _you _screaming like a girl, George?"

"There's something outside!" George declared. He got out his wand and looked to his brother to do the same.

"Like, aliens?" Kara asked curiously, not appreciating the seriousness of the situation.

"Something's outside and it was watching us and its face was against the glass!" Live shouted. She looked at the younger girls giving her a glance-over. "Get over here!" she commanded angrily, shouting vehemently, wanting them close to protect them as she got her wand out, utilizing her anger for no-questions-asked-authority. She couldn't legally do magic, not where there were no parents about and not since she wasn't in her own house, but in emergency cases underage wizardry was allowed by section nine or whatever it was in the clause of the silly law. And ministry be damned if utilizing it could protect her.

Everyone did as she said, other than face her ire, gathering on the couch as they looked calculatingly around the room in curiosity. Harry most of all was worried, thinking his connection to Voldemort was possibly putting his friends' lives in danger. Would Death Eaters openly attack the Weasley house?

"Are you serious?" Kelena asked as she, too, got her wand out.

"Was it Kingsley Shacklebolt?" Kara piped up as they piled close to the older years.

"It wasn't him," George responded, more to Fred than to Kara. "And it wasn't a person." None of them actually believed that the threat that was taking them to Grimmauld tonight would actually dare _strike_ tonight. Just a precautionary measure. And now here they were, alone and unprotected but for their wands and school-training. And where the hell was Kingsley Shacklebolt anyway?!

"Can't we call the police?! Or the aurors?!" Live asked Fred as George tried to think of how to spell-proof their home base.

"No, owls take too long, we don't have a felly-tone for muggle police, and if mum and dad left Kingsley Shacklebolt to watch us and that _wasn't _him, then we don't know what happened to him, either."

There was only one word for the situation, and Live voiced it rather eloquently for them all to hear:

"Shit!"

A clap of thunder rumbled overhead as Live stiffened from the noise. Oh, she loved rain, but thunder and lightning scared the crap out of her. "Was that _thunder_?!"

"But there wasn't a cloud in the sky!" Hermione quickly denied.

"Unless someone else is doing it," Harry spoke up.

The blonde Slytherin bit her lip with worry. "What do we do?" she asked George timidly, looking for answers that he might have.

"Go up to my room."

Her eyes widened. She couldn't believe him. "George, now is neither the time nor the--"

"I didn't mean like that!" he quickly said, but gave the thought a second's entertainment and a sidelong grin to her. She looked at him as if he was crazy. "Okay, okay! Our room is by far the safest! We've got the higher ground advantage, and we've booby-trapped the hell out of it!"

"Not to mention even _we're_ sometimes afraid to go up there," Fred added, thinking somehow this statement might boost moral. "Let's block ourselves in!"

"Are you nuts?!" Kelena spat.

"They do have some pretty crazy fireworks," Kara added, thinking they had their own personal army base on command.

"Fine! Hurry up, then!" Live agreed, grabbing a hold of Ginny and Kara starting up the stairs, the younger kids following her as George brought up the rear of their group.

"Oh! What about Crookshanks!?" Hermione suddenly spurted. "And Kelena!? Kitty-Nimbles!"

"Crookshank's out chasing gnomes, and he's a smart cat, he'll be fine!" Fred assured as she was ushered up the steps by George. "And Kitty-Nimbles is a demon embodied, don't worry!" He shooed her up the steps and continued on. "I'll grab supplies!"

"Like WHAT?!" Kelena asked looking back at him, ready to run up the stairs herself regardless of his statement.

Fred tapped a drawer with his wand, withdrawing what looked like a soup can. "Experimental stuff," he supplied with a smirk, shaking it emphatically. She huffed and hurried him along up the stairs. He took her hand and started dragging her up, but a definite scratching got her attention as the thunder rolled.

"Crookshanks!" Kelena shouted, letting go of Fred's hand to fetch Hermione's bandy-legged cat.

"Kel come off it! He's _fine_," Fred said, running back down the steps after her fleeting form as she opened the swinging kitchen door to retrieve the cat. Her screams echoed through the house as the scratching she heard was not being made by anything cat-like at all. An ugly looking thing as tall as a Dementor but as brambly and rough as a tree had been scratching at the swinging door with one gnarled hand. It's beady red eyes locked with hers calculatingly as it made a terrible creak-squeaking noise from its mouth of small, triangular teeth.

Fred was standing as still as Kelena, the thing, strange even by wizarding standards, standing on the threshold of their kitchen, was moving slowly towards Kel's still form. "Kelena! _Move it_!"

She heard him, but she couldn't move. Didn't want to. The small red eyes kept her entranced, calling her to its terrifying form as she took a step willingly towards it. The hand it reached out grabbed for her, and she lifted her own arm, ready to let it grasp her.

"Kelena! NO!" Fred shouted, moving fast and grabbing her to the floor, rolling them both away from the thing as she woke from her trance.

He hopped up and grabbed her to her feet, a screeching coming from another door as he decided they weren't going to stay to find out what _that _was. He saw that the tree-like gnarly creature was moving towards them in its creepy, slide-scuttling movement, and he pulled Kelena's face to his chest as he pointed his wand at it.

"Don't look at it, Kelena!" he directed, waving his wand and shouting a spell at the thing. "_Inflamarit!_"

Immediately it caught fire, anger shining from it's beady red eyes as it tried to both grab at Fred and put out the flames on its dry skin with its gnarly hands.

"Come on!" Fred shouted as he grabbed her hand and ran up the stairs to the top, shouting another spell to block this stairwell from entry. "_Clausito!_" The entire bottom of the stairs closed so that once where there was the opening to leave, there was now solid wall.

"Are you alright?" he asked Kel, turning her face in his hands and inspecting her for damage it could have done. She was shaking terribly, and he pulled her to him as she grasped him, shaking so hard from fear.

"That thing…the things it promised me…it showed me…" She shook hard and he held her tighter. "God, the things…" He kissed her cheek and stroked her hair. "Fred don't leave me alone. Please don't leave me alone."

"I won't," he promised with concern, looking down at his wall and deciding it would hold against whatever creatures were down there. He quickly ushered her to his and George's room, tapping the door with his wand and saying their password to let himself in. As he entered, there were eight wands trained on him and Kel. "Just us," he said as they quickly closed the door and warded it.

"We heard screams," Live intoned from behind George as she was gripping his shoulder with worry. Neither were conscious of the fact, but both were pretty scared out of their wits.

"…the things…" Kelena repeated. Fred put his arm around her and sat her on his bed, keeping her close and in touch with him against the wall.

"There're these things running all over the yard…Can't tell what they are, but there're so many," George informed, motioning to the window which had its blinds drawn shut and spelled tight.

"Man, where's the army when you need it?!" Live huffed with frightened frustration. "Can you hear all that?"

"I don't know what's going on down there, man, but we've got to get someone. Even we're not prepared for this kind of thing."

"How? With those things down there?!" Hermione spoke with disbelief. "We don't even know what they _are_, let alone how to defend against them." She then gave a look in Terry and Kara's direction. Both girls looked like nervous wrecks, hugging each other as Ginny tried to be of help, acting as panic room detail.

"What then?!" Live spat, too scared to stay but too scared to flee. Her fingers were pressed into George's shoulder and she had no intention of letting go anytime soon.

"Fred, George, you can apparate…go and alert someone," Harry stated, a look towards the window as an indistinct howl was heard. What the bloody hell was out there?

Kelena gripped Fred's hand tightly, still shaking.

"I can't," Fred said, squeezing Kelena's hand back. "She's in shock or something."

"Kel?" Live asked, looking at her friend.

"Oh Live, the things it promised me…it showed me…it was…oh it was so awful," she said.

"What happened?" she asked, looking her friend over for injury. "Did it touch you?"

"Oh…it showed me…Don't go down there, Live. And don't let it see into your heart."

Live gave Fred a weird, worried look. Kelena's shaking and her non sequitur answers were not welcome at this moment in time. "I guess that means it's got to be George."

"I don't like the idea of leaving you guys with only one _experienced_ wand," George told them as a sinister scratching came from the window, followed by a flash of lightning silhouetting something that was long and plump with a forked tail. Everyone screamed as it was gone with the second flash. George said a few extra spells to better insulate their room against anything that tried to break in.

Kelena buried her head into Fred's neck as he hugged her to him protectively, her shaking more pronounced and worsening by the minute.

"Well what do we do then?!" Live said frantically. She looked at George. "You can apparate outta here and get someone, or we could try defending against whatever's down there, or make a break for it, or sit here and hope nothing gets in until your parents come back, and even then they aren't prepared for what's going on here, are they?"

Her words sank in amidst the sounds of animals (they hoped) running about outside and the crashes and noises they heard coming from downstairs. Fred prayed his wall held up against the stairs.

It was obvious that Hermione was trying to come up with a plan while Harry pondered Live's words, wondering if they _could_ get away on broom. Ginny wasn't doing too well in the panic room department, and Ron looked quite frightened by the whole bloody lot of it.

"And what about that Shackleton fellow?!" Live asked.

"Shacklebolt. Kingsley Shacklebolt," Ron corrected, the wheels a-turning in his mind. A whimper came from Kelena as Fred pet her comfortingly.

"Yeah, him. If he was watching us before when your parents went out, where is he now?"

"Maybe alerting the rest of the aurors?" Ron suggested hopefully.

"Or he's dead," Live said horrifically.

"We don't know that, Live," George contradicted. But it got him thinking. Where _was_ he?

"We don't know a lot of things. Like just what the hell is going on?! I certainly didn't see any wizards out there, did you?!" she asked, motioning towards the window. "It's like all hell's breaking loose. And any Death Eaters would've found a way in by now."

Ron gasped and Harry's eyes went wide. Kara whimpered, grabbing Terry and Ginny closely. They didn't need that little revelation right now.

"You're all thinking it, the same as me. What are we gonna do?"

Fred looked torn between staying with Kelena and rising to action. He and George both had apparating on their side, as well as magical law to use their wands. Not saying the law applied in this circumstance, but neither twin wanted to leave the younger kids to their own. With Kelena in shock and Live the only one with enough cursing power to do any real damage, chances were against them if they were attacked by more than unusual assailants.

"I don't like the idea of leaving all of you for any amount of time," Fred said after a moment.

"Me neither," George agreed. "Something nasty with claws could get in."

A certain 'something' decided to make its way across the window at that moment, tapping and then scuttling up over the roof shingles.

"Shit. We better think of something quick," Live addressed the room. "How close is the nearest owlery? Or the army, for that matter."

"Why? Planning to do a bit of lettering?" George asked with irritation.

There was a banging overhead as something broke inside the house.

"Shit!"

"What was that?!" Hermione gasped.

It came again, scuttling over the boards of the house.

"Shit! We need to get out of here," Live told George, and looked at Fred and Kelena.

"How, exactly, do we get out of here?!" Ron asked. "We only have so many brooms, and Fred and George can't apparate all of us out of here!"

"Doesn't your dad still have that flying car?" Harry asked as Ron looked at him crazily.

"The Ford Anglia? That thing's still roaming the Forbidden Forest, Harry! You know that!"

"No it's not," Fred told him with a smirk.

"WHAT?!"

"Dad had to get it out of there. Something about mucking up the ecosystem or something. But we know he just wanted it back." Fred smirked, but that quickly faded as a 'something' ran across the hall just outside their door, loud, clumsy thumping fading away. Everyone shrieked and moved away from the door, seeking refuge in the center of the room. Apparently Fred's wall had been broken through.

"How do you know about that?!" Ron accused in a timid voice, sounding miffed that he hadn't been let in on it and that they'd been keeping things from him.

"We were experimenting in the shed," George informed him as Fred chucked the can he'd taken from downstairs at him. "And found the thing under a tarp. Dad's been 'fixing' it again. Done a spanking good job of it, too."

"The shed?" Live asked, intrigued.

"Yeeaaah," George followed her, catching her drift.

"Does it run?" she asked, pocketing her wand and tightening her clothes about her.

"'Course it does," Fred told her.

"Brilliant idea!" George stated, bringing her into a hug that brought her off the floor.

"Can it hold all of us?" Hermione asked, too scared to have anything bad to say about this plan.

"As roomy as a- what are they called, Ginny? Lemon-zine?"

"Limousine, George," Ginny corrected, looking up from her entrapment in Kara's arms. The girl may not know much about 'felly-tones', but when it came to traveling in decadent luxury, Live and Kelena had been only too happy to expand her education.

"The shed?" Live asked for confirmation.

"You don't think you're going out there, do you?" Fred asked, knowing exactly what potential the things running about had. "With those things out there?!"

"Someone's gotta, and you guys have to stay. Watch out for everyone else. You've got the 'experienced' wands," she said a bit sarcastically, though she trusted their merit, tying her shirt tight and coming close to the door, listening for anything moving about.

"You're not going out there," George told her. She gave him an exasperated 'try and stop me' look. "I mean, not like this. I'll apparate us there."

"Fine," she agreed, willing to go along with this if it could get them to their destination with the least conflict.

He took her hand and looked at his twin. "Five minutes. Be ready to get out that window and pile into the car." Fred nodded as the other kids got up and ready, trying to ease their anxiety. A mean scratching noise came from above them, helping to do just the opposite. "Okay, five minutes."

George concentrated on their shed and apparated them- except it didn't work. He tried again, but nothing happened.

"I can't apparate," he said with shock.

"I'll do it," Fred said quickly, seeing the only way out was with the car. He took a hold of Live and tried, but nothing happened.

"What's wrong?" she asked with worry, hoping he wouldn't say what she thought he was going to.

"Um…apparatical dysfunction," he attempted at joking. She wasn't amused.

"Did you put an apparating block on the room, George?" Hermione inquired.

"Something ruddy like that. Just to keep anyone from apparating _in_. Not out."

"Well I'm not surprised with all the other weird shit going on." Live strode to the door and placed her ear against it, listening for creatures.

"Live, not by yourself," George commanded, coming to step behind her.

"And risk the extra noise of another person? Not a chance, George Weasley." She continued to listen, putting her hand on the door knob in wait.

"Live, if I have to sit on you to keep you in here…" he threatened.

"You can't go by yourself!" Hermione told her. She didn't want Live _or _George to go, in truth. "It's too dangerous."

"This coming from a member of the Voldie-smashing trio?" she retorted.

"Okay I know you didn't just call you-know-who 'Voldie'," Ginny said, shocked by her Slytherin disregard.

"Don't make me restrain you, Live," George warned with a determined frown. "I know our house better than you do and I'm a spanking good sneak at that, so _I'm _going."

"No you're not. I'm very feline on my feet," she said with a wink to Kara. Her sister's spirits hardly brightened at the idea of Live going up against whatever was out there, but then again, Kitty-Nimbles was terribly stealthy. "And much more quiet. I can have that car here in five minutes flat. Besides," she added with a smirk, "you don't have your license."

She put her ear to the door and positioned herself in front of it, ready to split. George grabbed her tightly from behind to restrain her, and she turned in his arms, planted a big, hot kiss on his lips that momentarily dazed him, and fled out the door before he had a chance to realize what had happened, leaving both he and the rest of the group in shocked astonishment.

"Bloody--! _Dammit_!" he cursed, and tried to open the door as he heard her locking it from the outside with a difficult curse. "_Alohomora!_"

Live heard George trying to get through the door from the other side, but as her spell held, she quickly popped into cat-form and sauntered down the hall, pricking her ears at the slightest noise. There were scorch-marks on the stairs as she came to them, sniffing about smelling the scents of charred wood and burnt spell. She darted from the stairs to beneath the couch as something scurried about on the landing.

Safely under the couch, she watched with her piercing cat eyes as something looking like a mean iguana with horns about its whole body slithered down the stairs. It had short front legs and long back ones with the knees facing the wrong direction. She'd never seen a more awkward looking creature. If cats could giggle from mild hysteria, she was doing it now.

The thing stuck its forked tongue into the air, lifting its head in inspection towards her hiding place. _Crap._ She immediately thought twice about judging books by their cover as the thing spit fire in her direction. She sped like a furry orange bullet from beneath the couch as she vaulted herself at the kitchen door, her weight and speed opening it enough for her to break through and find an exit in the back door, which was hanging haphazardly off its hinges, the wood scored with deep scratch marks.

She stepped lightly away from the strange, muddy prints in the kitchen and darted out the door into Mrs. Weasley's azalea bush. Her big orange eyes watched with horror the things running about the yard. It looked like nasty trees were playing gnome-toss as critters of all sorts of shapes and sizes scurried this way and that, fighting with each other and wreaking their havoc on the house.

There were creatures like ugly fairy-tale goblins running about on all fours, their hairless green backs and large green ears glistening with rain as they spun and fought and growled. Then there were strange bat-like things with springy tales and humongous mouths consuming something dead on the ground, looking to have been a chicken.

Live was shaking with these beasties running all about, especially at the fact that there were no wizards she could see who were orchestrating this, and attack without conscious merit was even more frightening. Gathering all her kitty-resolve, she sped along the house from one bush to another until she came to the shed, and got in through a perfect cat-sized hole in the door. She popped into human form as soon as she saw the car, and opened the driver's side door to find Crookshanks hissing at her from atop an unconscious man she assumed to be the Missing In Action Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"It's fine, just me," she told the cat, moving the unconscious Mr. Shacklebolt to the back seat into a more comfortable position, the bandy-legged tabby cat giving her every amount of grief. "Please, kitty, help me out! One cat to another!" she pleaded. He wouldn't, and jumped out of the car, hiding beneath it as she tried to coax him out moments before she stood up and was rapped hard on the head by a nasty sized creature.

sSs


	13. Escaping One Fiasco, Beginning Another

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 13: Escaping One Fiasco, Beginning Another

sSs

"Well that's not going to work!" Terry affirmed as George had been trying to get through the jammed door in a rather muggle-like fashion. "You're going to break your shoulder!"

"She's been out there too long…" Kelena murmured from her trance-like state. The five-minute mark had long since passed, and there was no Live nor Ford Anglia to be seen.

George was rubbing his shoulder with a frown on his face as a scratching was heard at the window in mock of their situation.

"Curse it back open," Fred told his twin. "Go and see what's keeping her."

"Well that's what I've been _trying _to do!" George tried a few un-locking spells, but they didn't work. "She's got it locked up tight!"

Fred got up and stood next to his twin, pointing his wand at the door. "Okay now, together!" he said as they both pointed their wands at the door.

"_Alohomora Qualia!!_" they both shouted. George tried the knob, and it turned, much to his relief.

"I'm going to step out and meet her in the shed. Be ready," he told his twin who'd returned to Kelena's side.

"Be careful, mate."

George stepped outside and was able to instantly apparate a second before being burnt to a crisp by a nasty-looking lizard thing. He was in the shed a moment later standing on the passenger's side of the Ford Anglia as he heard angry growling and hissing in a corner of the shed: Crookshanks was fighting something. Then he saw Live's legs from behind the tire, quickly followed by the rest of her as she lay unconscious next to the car, eyes closed and a fine trickle of blood running down her temple.

"Live! Live! Answer me!" he burst, lifting her to his arms as angry cursing in a tongue George didn't know followed the departure of some creature from the shed. Crookshanks trotted up to George looking one proud cat, and hopped into the car's seat, waiting to go.

"Live!" He shook her and she roused suddenly, wide, dilated eyes looking at him with confusion. She quickly jumped up as if only momentarily stunned, her task still fresh in her mind, and hopped into the car. She'd worry about how she'd gotten on the floor in George's hands later.

"Get in!" she yelled, starting the car with a bit of difficulty. He got in and turned to look at their unconscious passenger with a bloody leg and a gash to the head. "Shit! George, does this thing have gas in it?!"

"Give it a tap with your wand!" She did just that as something very large with red glowing eyes appeared in the rear-view mirror. "Oh bloody hell." The thing was blocking their way out, and Live still couldn't get the car started. "Go!"

"I'm _trying_!" She tapped the wheel in urgency and a shriek as whatever was behind them started pounding on the car's trunk. Hard.

Like magic (which it was), it roared to life, and Live put it into reverse, driving over the creature with a thump and straight back out through the shed wall, wood splintering and cracking in her midst. George pushed the flying mechanism and they were suddenly rising into the air.

The subsequent roaring of the motor, as well as the fact that a large, flying car was suddenly in the air, got the attention of all the nasty little beasties in the yard.

"Hurry up!"

"Don't pressure me!" she spat, shifting gears and driving up to the window as Fred appeared, opening it and depositing his youngest sister through it. George threw open the car door as Ginny landed with a pleasant thump. "Hurry it up!" Live said with fright, seeing the creatures quickly trying to get at them from below, and those that could climbed up the side of the house. It wasn't helping her at all to keep the damn car steady.

"_Volarte erupit!_" Fred cast a spell at a particularly close creature which tried to reach for Kelena's ankles as she was next in the car. The creature exploded, leaving pieces of itself that the others quickly rushed over to eat. "Take that!"

"Hurry, dammit!" Live cursed, hoping they'd go faster other than face any wrath she might have. Ron and Hermione got into the car next, followed by Terry, then Harry. Fred pulled Kara up to the window sill, preparing to help her into Harry and Hermione's waiting arms, when she ducked out of his hands and started digging through the bed.

"Kara, come on!" Fred shouted. Kara pulled her wand out the sheets in triumph as he gaped at her in open shock. Of all things to accidentally misplace… "Got it!" Fred grabbed her by her pajama pants and physically tossed her into the car. He jumped at just the right moment, grasping the car door as the door to their room was broken through. A nasty little clawed hand was gripping at Fred's foot as he shook at it.

"_Volarte erupit!_" George spelled. The thing burst, splattering the side of the house with its remains.

"Oh this is lovely," Fred said as he closed the door splattered in creature parts, and Live immediately sped away, higher and higher, wanting to disappear into the clouds.

Everyone looked out the windows to see the things below them angrily following below, the side of the house plastered with clinging creatures and spurts of fire down in the yard glowing orange in the night. It looked like some kind of military zone.

"Mum's going to kill us," Ron muttered, seeing Mrs. Weasley's garden all but gone.

"It looks like a war. Or a load of our fireworks went off," Fred commented, getting comfortable in his seat with Kelena comfortably next to him. "I think she _will_ kill us. If we're lucky."

"She'll be glad we're okay," Hermione piped up. "Don't forget that. We are lucky."

"Can you give me something for his leg?" Kara asked as she tried to rouse Kingsley Shacklebolt. "It looks like he was bitten by something nasty." Hermione gave Kara the sweater around her waist and she transfigured it into more workable materials, wrapping up the man's leg.

Live did a mental head count for the third time to be positive they hadn't left anyone. She was right pissed that something would attack a friend's house. That was _her_ territory. If she knew what they were up against, she'd go back and give 'em what for. But for now, everyone's safety had to be considered.

"Where to, Mac? I'm on the meter," she told George with a smirk as he turned from looking at the carnage below back to her.

"Just get us high above all these clouds and rain," he said for the moment with a sort of quirky grin.

"What about Mr. Shacklebolt?" Kara asked about her current seat-mate.

"He doesn't look good," Terry commented.

"He's an auror for the Order, so we should get him somewhere that they won't ask questions."

"Is the Order Headquarters an option? Do you know the way?" Live asked.

"Not from here," George said.

"I do," Harry piped up. Until now, he'd felt terrible, the whole cause of this. But now he could be of some use. "I've only been there once before though. It'll be a long drive, I suppose, and we'll be going a wayward route to stop anyone from following us. But at least it's not a broom."

"Should I stop at a gas-station and ask for directions, then?" Live asked, turning around and grinning at Harry cockily. She seemed in awful good spirits for someone with a head injury.

"I think we're good," he said, returning the cocky smile.

sSs

There was the sound of silence and sleep in the car as they'd been driving for what seemed like hours. Live couldn't tell. She just hoped this thing ran on will and not gas, 'cause she definitely had the will to get them to their destination, but she had no cash for gas. All she knew was that she had gotten them away from immediate danger, and while her companions slept, the sight was spectacular.

Nothing but wisps of clouds to fly over, and the sky was a brilliant midnight blue, stars sparkling and moon shining. They didn't have to worry about being seen, though. George had since informed her that the invisibility booster was high-quality, something the ministry'd been working on, and they'd have no problem being stealthy. Dad had since upgraded it.

She rubbed her temple with the back of her hand, smearing blood across it from her attack from the nasties in the shed.

"You alright? Don't look too hot," George asked, reclining against the door and back of the passenger's seat. "You hit your head on something. You might have a concussion."

"I'm fine," she said flippantly. "Harry said go west after an hour, right?"

"Yeah," he replied, watching her with curiosity and surveying the others in the back. Kingsley looked okay but for the bump on his head and his leg. And everyone else looked snug and secure, comfortably sleeping. Crookshanks was curled up on Harry's lap like nobody's business, purring. "You've been driving for awhile."

"Yeah," she agreed, a dumb smile coming to her face at a random thought. "Want to play the license plate game?"

George smirked, happy to play her game. "Hope we beat all this terrible traffic."

"I don't know," she said with a pensive smile. "Looks like there's a turnout up ahead. Want to stretch our legs?" she asked cockily, looking at him with an amused grin.

"Sounds like a brilliant plan!" he played. She giggled and rubbed her eyes.

George smirked at a wicked idea. "Watch the road! You almost hit a duck!"

Live jerked her hands out of her eyes instinctively and back to the 'road', seeing no birds of any kind above the nighttime clouds. "I could kill you," she stated with a glare, though she didn't really mean it. Her yawn made the threat seem less-malevolent.

"Let me drive for awhile. Dad never let us go very far in this thing," he offered.

She snorted in affront, a taunting smirk on her face. "You don't have your driver's license, George. What if we get pulled over?"

"Then I'll just work my charms and get us out of it." She laughed at his statement, trying to keep her voice low lest she wake the others. They were all emotionally and physically exhausted. "Really though, you shouldn't be driving so long. Especially with that head-injury. Are you even alright?"

"Why George Weasley, is that concern for little ol' me?"

He merely smirked in response and tried maneuvering her out of the drivers seat, forcibly switching places with her after what should have been more-than-uncomfortable touching.

"That's a little more groping than I thought necessary," she informed. He glanced at her and saw the smug smile on her face. Well, apparently she didn't _not_ like it.

"Oh, it was necessary, believe me," he confided with a grin. He rather liked her right now. Her tongue was looser when she got bonked on the head. She stuck her tongue out at him and then yawned, checking on everyone in the back seat. "Get some sleep."

"Promise to pull over and ask for directions if you get lost," she said on a last whim, smirking at her statement.

"Sure, and then we can get drive-through."

She smiled. "You're paying."

He got a cocky look on his face. "Does that constitute a date?"

"Shove it, George."

He laughed and looked down on the city they were flying over, the clouds a little less thick showing the little blinking lights and dots of cars down below. "We're just over--" He stopped. She was well-asleep, snoozing in the warmth of the seat. He grinned to himself. All in all, the day wasn't a total loss.

sSs

It was the dead of night when they reached Grimmauld Place. George roused Live as she woke with immediate vigilance, as if in sleep she'd been waiting for the moment to act.

"We here?" she asked immediately.

He quirked an eyebrow at her. Did she ever sleep deep? "Yeah. There's 8 Grimmauld, 11 Grimmauld…that should be it." He pointed to the next lot.

"That says 13 Grimmauld, George."

"No between them. Think really hard." Not a moment later, a door materialized, followed by a house as it pushed its way between 11 and 13 Grimmauld. She rubbed her eyes and blinked, making sure of what she was seeing, and satisfied, decided that, yes, there it was.

"Hmmmm…" she yawned and stretched, George watching her movements with a little too apt attention. Her clothes were still haphazardly on her, and her stretching did little to silence his traitorous mind, as well as make him pay insufficient attention to the never-so-graceful landing of the Ford Anglia. "George! Geez! Tell the whole neighborhood we're here!"

The old car landed with a metallic thump, jarring it as well as those in the back seat.

"Are we there yet?" Ron asked with a yawn amongst his waking compatriots.

"Ugh…" Kara said, discovering that she and Terry had drooled all over themselves. "I need a bib…"

Fred inhaled deeply as he woke, blinking several times, prodding Kelena to wake her and jabbing at Harry with his foot to get him alert.

George turned off the engine and got out, opening the passenger door and helping the sleepy crowd out of the car.

"I hate road trips," Terry groaned.

Live got out and stretched even more thoroughly, momentarily distracting George from his task at hand.

"'Ey, George, admire the sights later, eh?" Fred told him, elbowing his twin to get him out of the way as he hopped out. He took Kelena and Hermione's hands, helping them out and unloading everyone else but Mr. Shacklebolt.

"Okay, Kel?" Live asked.

"Yeah…" she replied, looking a bit pale but otherwise recovered from whatever that thing had done to her earlier. "I think I cramped something female, though." She proceeded to stretch out her limbs, earning Fred's attention even under the baggy clothes.

Live grinned and poked her head inside the car as the little sleep-muddled group crowded about the street, yawning and rubbing tired eyes. She checked the injured man's leg and tried to figure out the best way to get him out of the car with minimal tousling.

"Live, maybe we should wait to move him?" Hermione suggested.

"Right," she said after a moment's deliberation. She was no healer, but it wouldn't _not_ hurt to not move him. "So this is the place? I'm sad to say I'm not impressed."

"That's 'cause it normally has a disguise," Ginny told her.

"Ooo-kay." Live watched them approach the building with trepidation, leaning against the side of the open car door.

The Order was…_surprised_, in the least, when the group showed up on their doorstep. A shriek reached all ears as Mrs. Weasley was the first to rush out of the house, grasping Fred and Ginny in a mother's distressed embrace, and proceeding to grab Ron and Harry next, saying how relieved she was they were okay. George had escaped the suffocating hug.

"We have Kingsley Shacklebolt in the back, mum," he told her as she let go of Harry and Ron and engulfed him next. "Ug-Mum!--can't--breathe!"

"Oh George dear! You're alright!" she said, hugging him as he tried to escape, flailing in a most comical way. He pleaded with his eyes for anyone to rescue him.

"We're fine," said Hermione, flanked by Terry and Kara as they went up the walk. The three girls soon found themselves trapped by her close embrace, Terry poking Hermione in revenge for invoking the impromptu smothering.

"I'm so relieved you dears are okay!"

"Mmfff-mmrrnnhhff!" Kara responded in kind from the hug.

"Good to see you kids are all alright," said Lupin, who had just come out the front door.

Live looked at her trapped friends and then to Kelena, making eye-contact that clearly spoke _Beware_. Kelena smirked and stepped back from the walk, inspecting the Headquarters where she suspected all the hot Order members to reside. Since they were all fighting for the side of light and were doers of good, they _had_ to be hot. It just followed the rules of logic.

The look on Kel's face betrayed her thoughts, and Live smirked, pondering the same thing as her peaky-looking friend. Little to say, she firmly liked to believe in Kelena's sexy logic. It was, after all, the way of Sexology, and being a Sexpert never took a vacation.

"Mr. Shacklebolt's in the backseat, Professor Lupin," Live informed as the distressed Weasley mother made her way towards her, no doubt for _her_ concerned smothering.

"Is he?" a woman with crazy pink hair asked as she showed up on the scene.

"He's unconscious," Kelena informed her, also keeping her distance from Mrs. Weasley's hearty embrace. The same Live had failed to escape from.

The pink-haired woman quirked her eyebrow at Kelena with inspection, the Gryffindor growing uneasy under her studious gaze.

"Mmmffnnhuh!" Live seemed to want her freedom from the woman's affectionate embrace, appreciating her concern but growing more claustrophobic by the second.

"Oh honey! What happened to your head?!" Mrs. Weasley asked, letting Live go and trapping her face in between her hands with inspection.

"Something got me, but I'm fine. It doesn't hurt."

"Oh dear."

"Um…Mr. Shacklebolt…?" Live reminded her as Kelena tried to sneak past Mrs. Weasley and away from the pink-haired woman's intent gaze.

Mrs. Weasley turned towards the car to try and see what she was referring to, but then she caught Kelena in her sight, and immediately let go of Live to engulf the Gryffindor in a hug.

Live smirked at her friend's flailing limbs, and turned back towards the car. "Is he alright?" she asked the pink-haired lady messing around inside the back seat.

"He seems okay. Nothin's broken," she said, smiling at Live.

"I think something tried to gnaw his leg off or something," Live said with an odd laugh, trying to make light of a bad situation. She let her joke die, feeling it was rather inappropriate. "There wasn't much we could do. I just found him like that. I mean, there was a lot of blood and stuff…"

The woman in the car gave him a swift poke in the ribs. He groaned and she smirked at him. "That leg's going to have to come off." Live's eyes widened. "Oh, I'm just kidding," she said with a chuckle in Live's direction. "I'm Tonks."

"Live."

"Hi. You want to come and put your hands under his head for me? Keep him upright if you could."

"Okay," she said, trading places with her and putting her hands under the man's head. He groaned miserably.

"Baby…" Tonks accused with an amused snort. She removed her wand from under robes and performed a spell to widen the car door so they could easily levitate him out and inside the house. Live kept him upright until Tonks spelled him and got him out of the car. She climbed out and shut the door.

"Should we keep it parked on the street?" Live asked a rumpled-looking Kelena.

"I'll take care of it. You girls get inside," Mr. Weasley said from behind them. Live shrugged and Kelena looked perturbed. "By the way, how did it go?" he asked with furtive excitement of the car.

Kelena grinned. "Smooth ride, great gas-mileage." He looked most pleased with the answer as the girls by-passed several aurors on their way up the walk. A cry of distress reached their ears as Mr. Weasley discovered the dents in the back of the car. It hurried them evermore with guilt.

Initial security measures were being taken and precautionary sweeps had been done, but everything seemed peachy with the Order's secrecy still intact. "At least we didn't crash," Kelena said in Live's direction with a smirk.

"Hey, that fence came out of nowhere!" Live rebuffed of a past driving incident. "It was a simple mistake of gas and break pedals. And that was a ground-car. The Anglia flies."

"Same difference…after _you_."

They entered the house with all sorts of ideas in their mind as to what a secret HQ should look like. But it was just an ordinary house, everyone crowded in the atrium sorting through bags and such that had been salvaged and brought from the Weasley's house. Apparently the aurors had indeed gotten involved, but what with the excited voices and such, it was clear they wouldn't get down to business anytime soon.

"Hm…Okay…I see the Headquarters, but where're all the hot Order members?" Kelena asked, looking disappointed.

"Here Live, this bag's yours," Kara said, chucking a pink and white stripped duffel _at_ her sister.

"Oh thank you," she said sarcastically.

"This is yours, Fred," Kara said, chucking yet another bag in his direction. He ducked and it hit Terry in the back of the head. Flying objects and the fifth-year Gryffindor just didn't mix.

"Fucking shit!"

"Sorry," Kara said, sorting through more bags and the lot, chucking things at people left and right.

Lupin looked warily at Terry with a surprised, yet admonishing look at her choice of words.

"Watch out for your book bag, Kel. That thing would hurt," Hermione warned, having already been knocked with her own suitcase.

Live rummaged through everything as chaos was order and Mrs. Weasley fussed over the children, several other adults in the room she didn't recognize.

"Who's that?! Me-_ow_!" Live exclaimed at the sight of a rather fetching dark-haired older man embracing Harry and then being trapped in Mrs. Weasley's hug.

"That's Sirius," Ron said as he took off his coat and dodged a flying suitcase.

"_Really_?!" Live asked, fully dumbfounded. This couldn't be Sirius Black, Harry's Godfather, the wrongly-accused, on-the-run emaciated ex-con they'd all seen in the papers. He looked healthy, happy, quite foxy, and the furthest thing from criminal that you'd think a man to look. His face was that of a roguish prankster. No, it couldn't be the same man. Impossible.

"Hey Harry, how come you never told us your Godfather was such a fox?" Kelena asked with a wink after she'd torn her eyes away from the man imprisoned by Mrs. Weasley. Fred almost got hit by one of Kara's projectiles as he heard Kel's statement. He gave her a reproving glance. _Gryffin-traitor indeed._

"Yeah, Harry. Do you have any other half-as-foxy God-relatives around?" Live inquired with a sweeping glance. George silently scoffed at this. _Women._

Harry put his hands to his ears. "I know I'm not hearing this," he asserted.

"Found it!" Kara shouted, pulling up a red-sequined knapsack containing her muggle and wizard sweets.

"That bag's disgusting," Live scoffed.

"Like a drag-queen's purse," Kelena added.

"It's in our House colors, Kelena!" Kara shouted gleefully.

Kelena rubbed her eyes tiredly. She looked at the super-fox (read: Sirius). "Ah, these kids, you know, with their crazy ideas." He quirked an eyebrow in amusement.

"Hey! I'm only a year and a half younger than you!" Kara shrieked in sugar-enthused glee. She pulled up her bag in emphasis, the force opening it and spilling all sorts of candy items onto the floor with a clicking, crinkling, and clinking. "Oops! Don't hit the pink ones! Don't hit the pink ones!"

Sadly, Ron hit one of the pink ones. He was suddenly encased in a sugary-pink floss, cotton-candy no doubt, and something the girls had been working on to buy out Fred and George. Or at least sell them the rights to the fun candy for a hefty profit.

"Not even here for five minutes, and she reverts to her old self," Live scoffed as her sister and Ginny bent to pick up the spilt sugar-delivering devices.

"I found the bondage candy!" Ginny exclaimed happily, shoving a fist containing licorice whips into the air.

Live put her hand over her red face, wondering just how many people had heard that. She answered her own question by counting the number of strange faces turned in poor Ginny's direction. "Just shoot me now," she murmured. Kelena put two fingers to Live's temple and made a popping noise. "That doesn't help."

"It's time released, dude. Just wait for it," Kelena affirmed with all seriousness.

Live made a half-disappointed, half-disgusted noise and picked up her bags, determined to clean herself up and get out of the way of Kara's sugar-induced bungling ("Ooo! I found the Razzles!!").

Kara looked mournfully from the Razzles to Ron, trying to decide which candy she wanted more. Having made her choice, she threw the Razzles in the sequined bag and took a long, leisurely lick up Ron's arm.

Ron, in a panic, tried to run away, but only ended up falling on the floor. The rest of the family avoided them while Kara tried to separate Ron from the rest of her candy ("STOP TOUCHING ME! WHO'S TOUCHING ME?!")

Live ignored the candy-fiasco she was so used to. "Mrs. Weasley, is there anywhere I can put this out of the way?" Live asked the woman still imprisoning Harry's foxy godfather in a hug. She held her bags in her hands, half-flung over her shoulder.

"Oh yes, dear," Mrs. Weasley told her, releasing Sirius for the second time who quickly escaped to have some talkies with his godson. "It's the second room on the left, upstairs. I can have one of the boys show--"

"I'm sure I'll find it okay. Thanks," she said quickly with a smile, grabbing her many bags under her arms and working through the crowd occupying the atrium to get to the stairs.

"Where're you going?" Kara asked as she shoved a pouch of gummy-worms into her bag.

"Somewhere far, far away, in a magical, distant land…" she said lightly in a teasing tone. "You know, that place in time and space that your brain is constantly vacationing to."

"Sveden?!" she replied with a fake accent and an astonished look on her face. It earned her an exasperated look and a smirk Live tried to contain.

"Just get your candy picked up. I'm not going against them if they decide to vote you out before morning," Live told her.

Kara made a carefree noise and lifted both of her hands in a shrug which indicated she wouldn't mind in the least. "I'll sleep under a warm car somewhere," she grinned.

Live rolled her eyes as she finally made it through the crowd and successfully mounted the stairs, balancing precariously when George decided it was prime-time to make inquiries.

"Where're you going?" he asked her back.

"Sveden," she informed tiredly, trudging up the steps.

There was a pop and suddenly he was in front of her with a grin. She shrieked with surprise. "Need help?"

"No," she affirmed, bypassing him and continuing on. Another pop occurred and there he was all up in her business.

"Ya sure?"

"_Yes_," she hissed, more determined than ever to leave him in her dust and just get to the room. She cursed herself for allowing herself to be so openly friendly. Now he wasn't leaving her alone. She shifted the things in her arms and passed him once more, turning to warn him not to try that again, but he wasn't there.

"I could carry this thing for you," he said from in front of her. She turned and glared as he smirked, knowing he'd riled her, and tried to maneuver a bag out of her arms to help.

"I'm _fine_, thank you. Stop it!" He was trying to get at her bags (no, that is _not_ a play on words) and she was having a difficult time of balancing with everything, fending him off, and moving in an upward position at the same time.

"George! Just--!"

"--let me--!"

"--stop already!"

"--HELP!" he bellowed as they lost their balance and fell against one-another, tumbling haphazardly down the stairs, bags flying. Sadly, it had brought everyone's attention to them and that was none the choice she would have wanted.

"GEORGE!!" she howled, laying in an interesting position among and atop her bags and his legs.

"Owie-"

"GAAHHH!!" she shrieked and jumped on him, her tolerance short-lived and frustration come full-circle once again. She wasn't in any mood for the new injuries the tumble was bound to have given her.

"Great…" Terry commented, watching the spectacle with disgust.

"Are they alright?" Hermione asked as Live tried to get at George, he using one of her bags most cleverly as a shield.

"Well, Live obviously is," Kelena told her.

"You sure about that?" a wonderfully deep, playful voice asked from behind. It belonged to Sirius, who had a hand on Harry's shoulder and was standing next to Lupin, viewing the whole scene with obvious mirth, no doubt re-living some memory from his youth.

"Well, she's not up to her usual standards," Kara commented from the floor. Sirius smiled at her quizzically. "He's still alive, you see."

"Ah," Sirius said in response. He gave a meaningful look to Lupin, who smiled back.

"Oh yeah, it's okay," Kara continued nonchalantly, still sorting her candy as if nothing interesting had happened. "She's in Slytherin, so it's normal for her."

He raised an eyebrow and grinned at Harry, who had his face in his hands, mirroring Ron. The youngest Weasley male was red in the face and was much wearied of a certain George-Live-on-top-of-each-other positional combination. Plus he was still sticky from the candy.

And Kara's affectionate licking.

"I think maybe I should help my brother before she kills him," Ron said, yet didn't seem too eager to move.

"Are you kidding? If she finishes him, then I have the key to the franchise!" George's own twin said with a grin.

"That's awful!" Hermione told him as Fred cheered Live on with shouts of "Finish him! Finish him!"

"Oh god, let _me_ do it," Kelena said with exasperation, stepping up to approach them. Nobody else had yet recovered from the shock of it all, let alone the entertainment value it possessed. Not much went on in 12 Grimmauld Place for it being a secret Headquarters.

"Live! Look! It's Orlando!!" Kelena shouted, pointing to a random spot in the room. It distracted her for a moment in which George escaped from body-touch and apparated himself away, now residing somewhere in the safety behind his mother.

Live sat there huffing, searching for George and catching Fred in her line of sight.

"Whoa! I'm Fred!" he said warningly as her eyes scanned him. "See? Brown shirt! Not blue!"

Live blinked and then gave up the search, sitting there in a disheveled, tired heap. Kara looked at her sister and pulled her up off the floor, smiling as she showed her an extended hand.

"Licorice whip?"

sSs


	14. Werewolves and Cocoa and Braids, OH MY!

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 14: Werewolves and Cocoa and Braids, OH MY!

sSs

Everyone had their luggage settled into their rooms and were sitting around downstairs quite comfortably in pajamas, in the living room talking about what had exactly went down at the Burrow, trying to get some peace of mind and calm before sleep. It only served to wind them up further.

Not that they weren't already wound up.

As of now, it wasn't even obvious that it _had_ been Death Eaters who'd done it. All Mrs. Weasley knew was that when they'd tried to apparate into their home with the groceries, they were unable to do so. And when they'd finally gotten there with backup, all they'd found was the mess the creatures had left, strange footprints everywhere, spots of blood, and no children. If she wasn't healthy, she was sure she'd have had a stroke right then and there. But then the car was gone, tire-marks in the dirt and the shed broken, and then Ron's owl Pigwidgeon and Harry's Hedwig had shown up at Grimmauld Place, so they'd assumed the children were on their way. Primary sweeps had been done to try and locate the children in the flying car, but it had turned up nothing (after all, _invisible_ car).

"And I'm so relieved you children are alright!" Mrs. Weasley said for the millionth time, grabbing her youngest onto her lap in a hug as Ginny fought her mother's coddling. Last time she chose to sit next to her.

"Is Mr. Shackleford alright?" Live asked.

"Shacklebolt," Ron corrected, looking up from his game of exploding snap with Harry. Harry's godfather nudged a card with his foot from the couch, causing it to blow up right in their faces. Harry elbowed him and he laughed deeply, ruffling his hair.

"He's dandy," Tonks said from one of the couches, a grin on her face. "He'll be skulking around again in no time." She smirked knowingly at Kelena, the Gryffindor becoming a bit uncomfortable under her scrutiny. She'd felt like she was being studied all evening, and it was bugging her. She subconsciously scooted closer to Fred on the couch, hiding her face behind her mug of cocoa.

"Were you able to identify what got 'im?" Live asked, sure that whatever had attacked her was the same thing that had gotten him. God bless Crookshanks.

"Hum, no," she replied with a smile. "Nasty teeth, though. That bite looked very painful." Live shivered and rubbed at her temple where she'd been knocked. _Healing potions do wonders_, she thought. No scar, no blood, no worries. It would be the same for Kingsley Shacklebolt, but it would take just a bit longer. Then perhaps they could get some answers.

"Live, would you get me more cocoa?" Kara prodded her sister with a finger, getting her attention. Upon eye-contact, she smiled toothily in sweet appeal, raising her mug with a beseeching look.

"You don't need anymore sugar. Not tonight, or ever, I think," she said adamantly.

"Oh puh-leeeeaase? -ehh-ehh," she made little coughing and dry-throaty noises.

"Oh you suck," Live told her, grabbing the mug from her and getting off the comfort of the couch. She hated being suckered by her sister.

"With marshmallows!" Kara called with a great grin of teeth, batting her eyes in appeal.

"I'll give you marshmallows…" Live murmured in threat, shooting a wicked look her way. Kara was sure she'd be getting poisoned cocoa, but occupied herself with other matters, like playing with Terry's hair.

"Ow! Stop tugging it!"

"Oh don't be such a baby!"

"You're getting sugar in my hair!" Terry protested.

"No I'm not," Kara denied happily, making weird braids and designs in Terry's hair.

"Yes she is," Live called with a smirk. Whether the statement was true or not, she didn't know, and didn't care. Anything to cause trouble- er, make things interesting.

"What is it with young girls and hair?" Lupin asked quizzically.

"It's fun to play with, Professor," Kara replied, twisting a few strands in her fingers.

"I'm not a professor anymore, Kara. You can just call me Remus."

"Okay…Remus," Kara said, looking all dreamy-eyed for the privilege.

Terry scoffed and got up, moving her hair out of reach of Kara's fingers. Kara huffed, and searched the room for another head of hair to play with. Her eyes settled on Harry's godfather, Sirius. His eyes met hers and she smiled hopefully. He looked puzzled for a moment before his eyes fell on Terry's oddly braided hair. He then looked back to a hopeful Kara and shook his head with an amused grin.

"Please?" Kara asked the otherwise silent room. All eyes were on her, as no one but Remus had noticed her silent question to Sirius.

"No," Sirius said with all certainty. More puzzlement, and Harry looked back and forth between the two.

"No what? What's going on?" he asked his godfather.

"Nothing," Sirius replied nonchalantly, but Remus chuckled and Kara looked mildly put out.

Live hurried her way out with a sigh, noticing the door giving a second clicking as someone else exited. She whirled around ready to jump George, but saw it was Kelena.

"Yo."

"I thought you were George…"

"_Why_?" Kel asked implicitly, mimicking someone making out with her hands.

"Oh shut up. Or I'll ask you a few things involving Fred, a barely-there outfit, and sparkly pink tube-tops." Kel looked immediately chastised. "Was that mine, by the way?" she asked as they entered the kitchen.

"Revenge…is very sweet."

"Mm-hm," she agreed for more than one reason, putting a pot on the stove and making more cocoa.

Kelena yawned. "That Tonks woman has been staring at me all evening."

"Maybe she likes you?" Live said with a saucy grin. "Wink-wink, nudge-nudge if you know what I mean."

"I'm flattered but no thanks."

"Lookit this," Live said offhandedly, showing Kel a very small manila envelope.

"Wow, I haven't seen one of those before," she said sarcastically.

"Ha-ha, very funny. Look what's in it." She opened it wide to reveal a white powder.

"Crack?" she asked jestingly.

"You wish! It's that furry-fur powder stuff. This is all I've got left."

"Gonna slip it to George and Fred?"

"Well I-- Actually, that's not a bad idea. But no, I was gonna put some in Kara's cocoa."

"What for?"

"I don' know. Seemed like a good idea?" she tried. Kel raised an eyebrow at her, unimpressed. "It'll be funny?"

"Whatever, man."

"She sprouted purple fur last time. It's kinda like a game to see what color she grows."

"I don't know you if you get in trouble, you realize. I'm going to bed."

"Leaving your new girlfriend so soon?"

"Hopefully not," she said, still unnerved as she stepped out of the kitchen and took a deep breath, seeing the victim of the evening coming her way. "Hi Kara," she said, buying Live time.

"Hi. You alright? Seem a little nervous or something? On the edge."

"No I'm not!" she said quickly, thinking that for once the sugar pistol had caught on.

"I mean all evening. You hardly talked and you just seem uneasy. You don't have to hide it. You can tell me."

"I'm fine. Just that the whole evening has worn me rather thin."

"Why? Hiiidddiiing something?" she asked with a spunky grin. "You can tell me," she offered.

"Like what? I haven't committed any crimes as of late," she joked, thinking Kara was being a little too perceptive for her sugary self. That's when she noticed something rather strange. "Wasn't your freckle on the other eye?"

"Damn. Really?" she asked. Kelena gave her a look like she was crazy. Then the freckle was suddenly on her other eyelid.

"Wha the bloody hell?!"

"Okay, I guess cat's out of the bag," she said in a voice not her own. The image of Kara shifted away to be that of none other than Tonks.

"You're a- a Metamorphmagus!" she accused, suddenly feeling a fool for being played.

"Yup," the spunky pink-haired woman said cheerily. "I believe we share that common trait."

"How d'you--?"

"_That's_ why I've been watching you. I thought you were one when I first saw you, but I wasn't quite sure. I'm rather curious. Haven't met many of our type, myself. How about you? Any more of us lurking about? Although I doubt it…" She smiled after her many questions, looking at Kelena with curious optimism.

"I-ah…" Kelena was speechless as well as perturbed. _She'd_ certainly never met another Metamorphmagus, and such a way to meet one was…well…it wasn't _not_ stressful. And no one else but close friends knew. But now her secret was out.

"Sorry I tricked you. I sort of can't help myself," she said with a wink. "It's too much fun, wouldn't you agree?"

"I…yea--" Kelena stopped. She wasn't sure if she wanted to admit to her secret, especially to a person she'd never met before. It wasn't exactly a fact she advertised. What advantages did you have, then? She wondered if she could play the woman off as crazy as to her suppositions.

"I won't tell anyone, if that's what you're worried about," she said with a smile. "It's a private matter, after all. We're so few besides."

"Are you a mind-reader too?"

She laughed. "I wish! Life would be sooo much easier, then, wouldn't it?"

"So you have the little gift too…" She looked at the pink-haired woman, pondering trying out the look later. "That's neat. I suddenly feel like I've lost the franchise," she said with a nervous laugh. "I'm Kelena. Or Kel, for short."

"Tonks," she said. "Regardless of what anyone else tells you, just call me Tonks."

"Like what?" Kel asked with quirked eyebrow, a little more than interested. Was she fondly called something dirty? Like Live's little nickname of 'wench'? Or her sweet nickname for her pet cats being 'trash-animals'?

"Nymphodora Tonks, but I tell you now, I go only by surname."

"Nympho-"

"Tonks," she said, a smirk on her face. Kel grinned. _Heh heh…Nympho…_It was neat to meet another Metamorphmagus. Apart from herself, she'd never known another. This was kinda weird. "What's the strangest thing _you've _ever turned into?"

"Strange like 'creepy-scary strange' or strange like 'I wouldn't be caught dead like this if people knew it was me' strange?"

"I was a Gringotts goblin for a week," Tonks provided cheerily. "Order business, mostly, but it was pretty weird when I turned up at home and my mum saw a long-haired green-headed goblin in her living room having tea." She laughed. "She wasn't too pleased with that."

"I've pulled stuff like that on my friends. You'd be surprised what looking like a super-model can get you." Tonks laughed and Kel smirked. "You know, Alfred Hitchcock…A knight who can say 'NI!' It's great at parties."

"Ah, muggle cinema…What don't they do for us?" Tonks smirked in thought. "Costume parties, nights out…That's always great fun, isn't it?"

"And no one is the wiser," Kel agreed with a smirk.

"Yeah, but all the people that know what I am aren't as easy to fool. They can tell it's me if I act a little too…shall we say, 'interesting'?"

"Mine aren't as apt."

"Lucky you then. You keep that secret and it'll get you out of jams." Kelena yawned and Tonks smirked. "Tired?"

"I was gonna go to bed."

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

"It's alr--"

"Nah, go on. You've gotta get up early tomorrow if I know Molly. And then you're going to Hogwarts, right?"

"Yeah."

"Might see ya there." She smiled as Kel looked at her oddly. "But a word of advice, from one Metamorphmagus to another: Be careful of who you tell your secret to. Don't know what could happen."

"Right."

"Oh yeah, and however good an idea it seems, acting a statue is _not _a good idea! G'night!" she said cheerily.

"Night," Kel responded with a quirked eyebrow at the advice as she took her leave in climbing the stairs to get some rest.

sSs

"_Heh heh heh_," Live laughed sinisterly as she mixed the cocoa in the pot and tore open the envelope, starting to pour in the furry-fur powder and readying the mug as she snickered. Her sister would be as hairy as her animagus form when she awoke the next morning.

"What are you doing, Miss Hunter?" a silky smooth voice asked from behind her. It so startled her that she dropped Kara's mug, which shattered to the floor as she jumped.

"Eep!" she shrieked at the crash of the mug as she jumped away, avoiding shards. Then there was the fact that she'd been caught, and seeing the man who was behind her and had caught her, muttering that she was a 'foolish, silly girl' startled her even more. "Professor Snape? What are you doing here?"

"I believe I asked you a question, Miss Hunter," he said smoothly, ignoring her own inquiry and looking at her clumsiness with disdainfully.

She shrugged at her Head of House sheepishly, looking at the floor and broken pieces of porcelain guiltily. "Making my sister hot cocoa." She hoped he wouldn't inquire anything else, or punish her for being caught. After all, term hadn't even started yet, and she wasn't _really_ doing anything wrong. And also, what was he doing here anyways?! She didn't even hear him come in. Damn stealthy bastard!

He quirked an eyebrow, recognizing the consistency and color of the spilled grains on the stove, knowing that it was furry-fur powder that she had in the envelope that had fallen to the floor. Old pranks died hard, apparently. Whatever. As long as it didn't involve him, or her bloody Gryffindor relations.

"Repair that mug and then go about your business," he ordered, sweeping through the kitchen and out another door to some room or another, off to annoy someone else, no doubt. She shrugged, trying to calm her beating heart from this strange little fright, and retrieved her wand from her pajama pants. She disregarded the magical usage laws and repaired the mug with a shrug, ready to cry that Snape had made her use magic if she got in trouble. Oh well, who cared? It was a secret Headquarters. No one should care.

She ladled the cocoa into the mug and retreated from the kitchen, barely able to wait to spread around the news of the unlikely house guest.

sSs

"Here, Kara," she said, handing her sister the cocoa.

"What did you do to it?" she asked accusingly, a look at her sister and then at the mug.

"Everything."

Kara shrugged, her desire for cocoa outweighing the fact that Live might've done something to it, and happily slurped at it. Live herself was about to announce to her sister that one of her worst fears resided within the house when George once again got all up in her business.

"Hey, Live, where's mine?" he asked cockily, an impish grin on his face and a sparkle in his eyes. She sneered at him momentarily, and then was almost unable to contain her smile.

"You want some?" she inquired with interest and raised brows.

"Oh yeah," he said a little too readily. She frowned but got up off the couch without another word. If he wanted cocoa with furry-fur powder in it, who was she to deprive him?

She snatched his mug from him as he looked momentarily shocked, awaiting her to launch an attack or something of the like. When she sauntered out of the door, he gave his twin a confused look for her sudden acquiescence. Fred merely shrugged, then chucked an exploding snap card at Ron. The youngest Weasley male let out a shriek at the blast and proceeded to attack his brother in retribution. Harry joined in, pummeling Fred playfully as the lot of them rolled around on the floor trying to best the other. Ginny and Terry hopped up from the floor in fright and squeezed themselves in next to Hermione, who clucked her tongue in annoyance. Kara stood poised next to the couch, trying to decide whether or not she wanted to join in. On one hand, Fred had no one to tag team with. On the other hand, was her mug of hot cocoa.

"Boys, really," Mrs. Weasley said with vexation. When Sirius attempted to separate them, but then got in on the scuffle, pinning Fred and allowing Ron to tickle him to tears, she didn't have much else to say, brushing it off and apparating away to locate her husband and get some sleep.

"Geor-or-orge!" Fred laughed, pleading for help. George got up and playfully gave Ron a swift kick in the pants and grabbed Harry in a half-nelson. Seeing Fred was free but Sirius was coming his way to free his godson, George let go and debated whether or not to apparate to the kitchen. He made up his mind when Kara made a dive for Ron's midsection and Fred pinned his legs down.

George scared the hell out of Live as he apparated into the kitchen, tapping her on the shoulder and causing her to break yet another mug which crashed down, spilling hot cocoa all over the floor.

"What _is_ it with you people and scaring the crap out of me?!" she shrieked, vexed beyond compare.

"Is my cocoa ready?" he asked nonchalantly, a look at the mess with a charming grin. He eyed her appreciatively.

She grinned right back, but for different reasons. "Oh yes," she said, graciously giving him a new cup with an alluring smile. "Drink up. It's nice and hot." She got out her wand and repaired the broken porcelain. The cocoa was still all over the floor, so she searched out a mop and started cleaning it up without another word to him, hoping her smug grin didn't betray her deed.

He watched her in silence, forgetting to inspect his cocoa before drinking, and sipped at it with a smirk as she got up with a cocoa-soaked mop, the floor still damp through all her efforts.

"Missed a spot," he said with amusement as she turned quickly, ready to give him a tongue-lashing.

"George Weasley you ca-aa-_ah_!" She slipped and lost her balance. He put down his cup in milliseconds and caught her, but it resulted in both of them falling to the floor. Little to say, she was rather tired of this routine. "Ow."

"Are you okay?"

"If I have a bruise…" she threatened as he looked at her with mirth. Her expression changed as she caught the rather promising look in his eyes. "Off, George."

"Why?"

"What do you mean 'why'? Cuz I said so, that's why!" She frowned at him but it didn't phase him one bit. Rather, it egged him on.

"Admit that you fancy me and I will." He smiled as her eyes subconsciously widened. He was pleased that she was so obviously shocked.

"_No_!" she spat.

"No don't get off you, or no you won't admit it?" he asked cheekily. She tried to smack him but he caught her hand.

"What if someone walks in!" she pleaded, panicky, more out of serious concern than trying to make him bend. "Get off now! I need to clean this up!" The chances of someone walking into the kitchen this late at night were better than not, and already she'd been snuck up on twice. She didn't want that to happen again, especially right now in such an indecent position.

He snickered and cocked his head to one side in thought. "Just say it and I swear I'll get off."

"You're dirty."

"Oh I didn't mean--! _You're_ the dirty one," he accused with mirth. She smirked, and he raised a brow at her.

"Let me up. You're hurting my back," she lied. Well, her butt hurt a little from the fall, but other than that, she was fine.

"Just say it, Live. Admit it," he cajoled, watching her with more than necessary attention. Why did she wear such cute pajamas? And look so cute in them? And why was she so warm beneath him when the house was so drafty?

Live thought for a moment, and decided to mess with him. "Fine, I admit it. I like you. Probably a little more than's proper…" She looked away from him to make it more convincing, even if it wasn't that hard to come up with script. "I can't get your body out of my head, okay? There's only one thing to do about it so we can just forget and get on with our lives…Just- just take me now, George! Right now!"

He looked shell-shocked as she tried not to laugh at his expression. She quickly flung her hands around his neck and pulled his face to hers with bold moves, deciding to have a little fun with this. If they were going to be caught in such a position by god-only-knows who, then she was going to make it something he'd never forget. Maybe then he'd stop this pinning-her nonsense. Even if there was a small satisfaction in it.

"Take me now, George Weasley!" she pleaded as she whispered in his ear, kissing his cheek as she had to bite her tongue not to laugh out loud at his bewildered expression. It was awful fun playing with him, and perhaps a little rewarding to allow herself to kiss his attractive face. "We don't have a lot of time, George. Hurry! Anyone could walk in!"

"You can't be serious!" he said, pulling away from her a ways as she tried not to laugh.

"Come on, George, hurry!" she implored with exaggerated tone, playing with his hair beseechingly as she grabbed his forearm in speechless appeal, massaging the muscles there. She hoped her brazen bluff would overwhelm him. If she freaked him out just enough, he'd willingly get off her, no questions asked, and hopefully avoid her for ever more.

At least, it was _supposed_ to work like that.

"Are you _serious_?!" he inquired with disbelief, a little more than perturbed.

Oh, she was getting him good. _And getting it good myself_, she thought as she remembered that he wasn't that bad a sight and was a Don Juan of kissers. Not that she had kissed anyone else, but he definitely had a talent she could tell. But no, she couldn't succumb to such temptation. She had one objective, and that was to get him off of her and stop this nonsense once and for all. She needed him to see how ludicrous this was.

She lifted herself off the floor enough to pursue his face, and brushed her lips over his jaw, making gooseflesh rise on his skin as she nearly forgot that she was only supposed to be playing with him. He decided to screw it. Whether she was really serious or not, he didn't care at this moment. She was too teasing, too tempting, and begging him too ardently. Okay then, whatever.

He buried his face in her neck as she let out a shriek of surprise. No, he wasn't supposed to give in, wasn't supposed to kiss her back, wasn't supposed to--

She let out a little surprised gasp that turned to a moan as his hand found her hip. She put her hand on his knee, either to cop a feel or push him away she hadn't yet decided, but she had deduced that it was a very muscular knee indeed.

"George…stop," she remarked weak of will, knowing she'd taken this little game too far. For both his and _her_ own good. It would only lead to more problems, and she didn't want to lead him on or be lead on. They were foolish to be doing something like this. A Gryffindor should _not_ be consorting with a Slytherin in such a manner. Nor in such a position.

He declined her invitation to stop. Where his brain was concerned, she was right. But his brain took a trip to Kara's happy place and his hormones were in the driver's seat.

"George, we…gotta stop…I-I was just kidding. This isn't right…" she pleaded unwillingly as his lips danced upon her neck. What she really meant was that it wasn't right _in the kitchen. _Now if they were somewhere else, perhaps…She pressed her traitorous hands against his chest, pushing half-heartedly against him to make him let up. But he was smarter than that, sensing the war in her mind between his pleasurable onslaught and what could become of this. He kissed her neck in a way that made her shiver, and she realized the danger they were flirting with. "George, don't, really. Stop before--"

"WEASLEY! What do you think you're doing?!" a chilly voice demanded from above. George jumped off Live immediately, shocked, appalled, and startled as he was face-to-face with the Bat King himself, wand out to separate the two of them, though George had done that on his own. Live got off the floor in pure shock, thinking fast as to how she could turn this around while trying to ignore the still lingering feeling of his hands and lips all over her. She had to meet her goals of making him disinterested in her and leave her alone for good, no matter how _good_ he made it all seem, it wasn't feasible. Though the queen of all blushes staining her cheeks wasn't about to aid her cause.

"…really…" Live muttered, looking quite livid to have been caught by Snape, of all people, in such a position, and with a Gryffindor at that. It made it even worse. She folded her arms, looking angry as well as guilty as she glared at George. Maybe she could turn this to her advantage and play her Head of House a bit. She needed to disinterest George in the worst way possible. And Snape just happened to be every Gryffindor's worst nightmare.

The Gryffindor himself was at a loss of words. "I--uh--we-!" He knew what this looked like. She'd been pushing against him, and telling him to stop while he thought she'd been messing with him. Godric only knew how long Snape had been standing there, and what _he_ thought was going on- or about to. And George'd been caught with a Slytherin, to top it off. No way Snape would be lenient, even if term hadn't yet started.

"Explain!" Snape said dangerously, pointing to Live.

She wrapped her arms about her as if fending off the cold of shame. As if there was anything _to_ explain. He knew what he'd seen, wasn't that obvious enough? But fine, she could play this…

She mustered a sad, guilty look as he glared at her for answers. "Well, we slipped...and I _told_ him to get off me…to stop…" she started, omitting a few parts as George shot daggers at her. Oh no, she wasn't about to take any bloody responsibility for this. Especially where her Head of House was concerned. Even though she _had _been the one to initiate all this. He was sure she fancied him at least a bit, but making him take on Snape alone? There would be hell to pay…

_Bloody Slytherin._

She gave a sad little sigh, as if there hadn't been anything she could've done to make George stop, and looked at the floor in not-altogether-feigned shame, as if unable to meet his eyes.

Beads of sweat were gathering on George's brow at the pressure, tension, anger and desire he strangely felt. He didn't quite know what to say, hadn't ever been caught in this position by the great git himself, or what explanation to give for that matter, except that he was rather livid with a one Live Hunter.

"Weasley, if I didn't know any better I'd--" Snape started dangerously.

"She started it!" he accused vehemently, unable for once to come up with a better excuse. He shot her a glare for her traitorous play-acting. She gave a little sobbing noise in response, playing the situation perfectly to her advantage.

If looks could kill and Snape were god...

"Weasley, if you were my boy--"

"I'd've been born a great ugly git!" he spat quickly. Live let out a gasp of shock at his bold rudeness as she watched the both of them, wondering just how fast George could run for the borders and how far Snape would chase him till he either killed George or gave up. They both stood stock-still for a moment, eyeing the other in that moment before action. George quickly turned on his heel and sped out of the room as fast as he could, realizing halfway gone that he could apparate, and did so to hide under his bed, planning revenge.

Live was chewing her lips nervously as Snape turned on her, and she feared the worst. She liked him enough as any teacher at Hogwarts and as her Head of House, and he may favor Slytherins above any other house, but he was still a rat bastard at heart to those who caused trouble, and this was trouble.

Which she caused.

She didn't quite know what he was going to do.

"Miss Hunter, I suggest you be more wary of the company you keep," he suggested icily, eyeing her with certain disdain. She nodded in silent agreement as her cheeks flushed, trying for an obedient smile but not managing it. "And clean yourself up. You're covered in cocoa."

"Sorry…the fall…" she apologized as a sort of excuse. He gave her a wry look. That was as close to a heart-to-heart at the current situation as he was going to get.

"Live! Live!" a voice carried into the kitchen. The high-tone and sugar-hyperactive speech could only be one person. Kara came bounding into the room, slipped on the floor, and fell right into Snape. He caught her with an affronted tone and set her away from him quickly as if disgusted by having to touch a Gryffindor. She let out a little 'eep!' of surprise and quickly composed herself before the dour potions master. Live could've died right there of embarrassment. "Sorry…"

"Watch where you're going, you foolish girl! Get that mess cleaned and get to your beds!" he spat, looking at Live first and glaring at her tragically-sorted Gryffindor sister. Without the family resemblance it was impossible to think that the two were related, let alone sisters. And she had so much potential to bring Slytherin some real glory. Oh well. "And as difficult as it may be, try to maintain some dignity of your house," he added with cold retort, a last look towards Live's hyperactive sister fidgeting under his gaze.

"Yes, sir," Live said obediently as he swept out of the kitchen through the door Kara had entered in. She had no doubt he was going to look for George, if not mention the whole ordeal to his mother. She hoped it was embarrassing enough for all of them that Snape wouldn't say a thing…well, at least not to Mrs. Weasley. She wondered if George would get to King's Cross in one piece…"Give me those paper-towels," Live told her sister, who chucked them with a nervous, relieved laugh.

"I thought he was gonna eat me," Kara said after a moment with a nervous grin. "Man, the absolutely _worst_ person to literally run into and I did it…What's he doing here anyway?"

"I dunno…Must be Order business. He wouldn't tell _me_."

"So…he _is_ a good guy?"

"I guess, since he's here…but that doesn't stop him being a rat bastard, obviously. It's his prerogative. Help me with this." They mopped up the cocoa-y mess and Live tried to clean off her PJs as best she could. She'd have to change into something else for bed. Or go starkies. "You're lucky term hasn't started yet, Kara. Now what do you want?"

"For you to score me some points with Snape. I did horrible in potions last year!"

"I meant right now," Live replied with a sigh, worried. Kara had obviously lost her train of thought.

Kara's absently smiling face suddenly turned into a horror-filled look of anxiety as she remembered her reason for coming to her sister. "I need your assistance! There's something big and green and nasty in my room, so it's right up your alley."

"Uiiihhh, what _is_ it? Can I catch it with my hand?" Live was her sister's resident bug-catcher and killer, and this was old hat to her. She just hopped it wasn't a doxy.

"I dunno, but it goes like this." She put down her two middle fingers and thumbs and put her hands to her head, wiggling the remaining four fingers.

"Ugh, what is it? Is it a spider?"

"Do spiders go like this?" she said sarcastically, repeating the finger movements.

"I dunno, they could…Does it fly?"

"I dunno…it might…"

"Ugh…fine," Live conceded and followed her sister up to their rooms to catch whatever bug it was. The thing had moved from its spot on the wall to Kelena's sleeping form, and it took all amount of stealth to free her of it, dispose of it ("Flush it! Flush it!"), before Live climbed into bed and Kara went downstairs to get a glass of water.

It was about an hour or so before Mrs. Weasley and a few others came in to check on the girls, and Kara still wasn't back.

"She's been gone a long time, Mrs. Weasley, but she said she was just going to get something to drink," Live told the fretting mother sleepily.

"There's still a lot of nasty stuff lurking around this place, I hope she didn't get lost. Or Kreacher found her…" Sirius trailed off.

"What kind of creature?" Live asked with raised brow, worry building amid a sleep-muddled mind.

"Oh, don't bother with it. I'll look for her, you get to sleep. She could be down playing exploding snap with Ron and Harry. They never did finish that game…" And with that he turned and walked away, his black brows furrowed in thought of all the nasty surprises still lurking in the House of Black.

"I'm sure she's alright, dear, just get some rest," Mrs. Weasley cooed, tucking Live in like a child. "Just get to sleep, we've got to get up bright and early in the morning."

sSs

Sirius headed down to the kitchen first, but Kara was nowhere to be seen. He heard Kreacher mumbling obscenities from his cupboard, so that possibility was dashed. He walked ruefully past his mother's portrait, considering for the millionth time setting it ablaze, and into the drawing room where Ron and Harry were still at there game.

"Have either of you seen Kara?" he asked the two boys.

"Not since she panicked about the bug, why?" Harry asked, looking at his godfather with sleepy green eyes.

"She's gone missing," Sirius replied with a sigh.

"But it's only been, what, an hour and a half? How could she go _missing_?" Ron asked. "Honestly, that girl could get lost in her own robes."

"We'll help you look for her, Sirius," Harry stated, getting up from the floor.

The three of them methodically began to search all the rooms in the house, starting with the first floor. They checked all the cupboards, and any other place Kara could have gotten herself stuck in before they moved to the second floor. They split up to cover more ground, as Sirius was really starting to worry, and picked up helpers along the way. Bill Weasley tackled the attic with Tonks and Mr. Weasley started to question the few remaining decent paintings in the house. Snape would have nothing to do with it, muttering something about "never staying here again" and "should learn to keep track of children".

The search party regrouped in the hall, but sadly came up empty.

"She's not with Buckbeak," Sirius stated flippantly.

"She wasn't with Fred or George, but I didn't ask them if they'd seen her. George was asleep under the bed, so I decided not to bother with him. And Fred just had this glassy look in his eye," said Ron.

"The paintings were a bit shifty with their answers, but I don't think they saw her," said Mr. Weasley. "She does have a way of moving around without being seen…"

"I'd hate to wake up Mad-eye or Remus, but this is getting out of hand," stated Bill. And he thought searching through cursed tombs were trouble.

Tonks was about to knock on Mad-eye's door when a giggle was heard coming from down the hall. Sirius followed the sound to Remus' closed door, and could hardly believe his own ears. Giggles, unmistakably Kara's, could be heard from inside.

"Well I'll be damned," Bill stated blandly.

Sirius opened the door before he could hear anymore, and the group crowded around the threshold. They were shocked by what they saw.

Kara was sitting on the bed with Lupin sitting on the floor in front of her. There was a glass of water on the nightstand and both of them had tea. Remus was sporting two perfect, short little French-braids, and Kara was adding red ribbons to both. Tonks and Bill burst out laughing, and Mr. Weasley tried to stifle chuckles. Harry and Ron were in shock. They'd seen a lot in their magical years, but this topped the charts of strangeness. Sirius rubbed his eyes and sighed in mock frustration.

"I'm not angry, Remus, just disappointed," Sirius stated before he too began to laugh.

Kara looked exceedingly pleased that there were people to see her work. "I did it all without magic!" she exclaimed proudly. "Doesn't he look nice?" she asked, patting Lupin on the head.

"Oh yes, very spiffy," replied Sirius with a wry smirk. Remus had allowed them crazy things in their youth, but the braids in his hair…

Remus gave his old friend a hang-dog look and stated, "I was weak, Sirius. She got all teary-eyed…She begged--"

Sirius shook his head with laughter.

"--she gave me the puppy-dog eyes--" Remus continued.

"And you of all people can't deny that," replied Sirius.

Ron and Harry cast a furtive glance at Kara over the 'puppy-dog' statement, and she smiled grandly.

"I could do yours so good, Sirius, if you'd just let me--"

"Absolutely not," he stated matter-of-factly.

"Now, Kara, this is enough for one night," began Mr. Weasley, "you've got to get up early in the morning."

"Alright," Kara sighed, slipping onto the floor. "Goodnight Remus," she said with an appreciative smile, stifling a yawn. She took her water-glass, which was still full, and exited the room. The group bid each other farewell, and Remus said good-night, with an added "watch your back, she's sneaky" for Sirius.

Kara was cozied up and asleep not two minutes after her head hit the pillow.

sSs

"Uuuhhhnnnn," Kelena moaned in her sleep, thrashing on the bed. Her face twisted as if in pain.

Kara, having been roused from her candy land dreams, poked Kelena in the back trying to wake her from her nightmare. Her moans and movements were scaring her. Kelena continued to thrash, her moans and groans turning into sobs. Tears flowed from her closed eyes, wetting her pillow.

Kelena wasn't waking up no matter how hard she was poked, Live was out of it and hardly able to be of use, and she didn't want to get Mrs. Weasley, having given the woman enough grief for the day. Not sure what other course of action to take, Kara had snuck into the other three girls' room, rousing them to help.

"Ginny! Hermione! Something's wrong with Kelena! Come quick!" she whispered, her mind for once clear of its sugar fog.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked sleepily as she sat up in bed. She grew conscious of the fact that she was wearing a hot-pink teddy, but had gone to bed in a flannel nightshirt. This new revelation followed with the obvious answer that she was wearing one of the clothing creations of the other girls that changed under heat.

She pulled on a flannel bathrobe, not conscious enough to care at the moment. Or have motor coordination apparently, as she tripped over Terry's dirty clothes on the floor.

"Come on!" Ginny whispered, helping her get up. Furrows creased her brow as she followed Kara across the hall, making sure that they skipped over the creaky spots. They crept silently into the room and huddled by Kelena's bed, worry written on all of their faces.

Hermione tried to rouse Kelena, but only succeeded in feeding her thrashing. "Have you ever seen her like this before?" she questioned, narrowly missing a flailing limb.

It was like Kelena was possessed. Sobs tore from her throat and tears ran down her cheeks, increasingly wetting her already damp pillow.

"…no…Kelena doesn't usually cry about things. Especially in sleep," Kara said somberly, stroking Kel's head. It seemed to help but she was still sobbing. "Fred said something tried to attack her at the house. Maybe it really freaked her out or something? Did she even get it checked out?"

"I dunno," Ginny said absently as she moved onto the bed. She gently shook Kelena, not wanting to shock her out of sleep. "Kelena…Kelena…wake up!" she coaxed. She looked helplessly to Hermione, who had taken one of Kelena's hands and was holding it in her own. Hermione shrugged and bit her lip.

With a sharp gasp, Kelena sat straight up in the bed startling Kara and almost throwing Ginny off the bed. Kelena, startled that Ginny was even on her bed, and Hermione was holding her hand, and Kara apparently had been petting her, took a deep breath and screamed loudly.

Which caused Kara to scream, who scared Hermione into screaming, and Ginny, not wanting to be left out, screamed also.

Live had been drifting in a wonderful dream where she was laying on a cloud, eating Orlando ice-cream spooned into her mouth by Mr. Bloom himself. As he leaned in closer to her face ("Let me get that dollop off your lips, love…") they kissed passionately and when she opened her eyes to the luscious Mr. Bloom, he was suddenly George Weasley.

In the far recesses of her dreaming mind, she heard screaming, and wondered momentarily if it were her subconscious. Her eyes immediately popped open from sleep. Seeing as she had been dreaming about kissing George, she seized the opportunity and screamed once awake. Then realizing that the screams she'd heard were real, and in her room, Live screamed again.

Nothing proves a more effective alarm than five teenage girls screaming, and as Mr. and Mrs. Weasley apparated into the room, followed by Fred and George both alarmed and half-naked, all the girls screamed anew.

sSs

Kelena was checked out for her nightmare by Tonks and a few other females at the house, the rest of the girls sent back to bed as they were to be up in a few hours' time.

After initial physicals and talking, they'd found that her nightmares had been triggered by the creature she'd encountered earlier that night. Her description of it, what it made her feel, showed her and promised her, pointed to none other than the Tree-Obelisk. The creature entranced prey with its red eyes in a similar way that vampires entranced their victims. These creatures showed and mimicked a person's worst fears buried deep in their hearts, making it so real in their minds they were rendered helpless by the things. Then they were shown a way out, going willingly into the creatures arms where it promised them escape from such terrible visions.

And then it ate them.

Kelena was still suffering the after-effects of such a creature, her intense and seemingly unbreakable, un-wakeable nightmares a product of the shredded connection with the creature. Wizards who'd had contact with these slow-moving, nasty little beings had to be carefully separated from the mind-connection to suffer no after-effects. Kelena had been roughly severed from it when Fred had saved her from its grasp.

So now, after a few potions had been whipped up by a very irate potions master (_Holy crap! Snape's here?!?!_) Kelena was sleeping soundly. After all, a person can only stay awake for so long after having been pumped mercilessly with dreamless-sleep potions among other things. And then she'd have to take other concoctions for a few weeks until the nightmares went away. They were bound to get worse if nothing was done.

The few hours to sleep before morning went by quickly without incident. Mrs. Weasley would be up in an hour to start breakfast and get the children ready (it didn't matter that it was close to dawn and they were leaving later that morning), but until then, George was already up and planning pranks.

Wicked pranks.

Waking with more than the usual hair on his head and face, he'd had to spell off the furry-fur with angry, silent movements so as not to wake his roomies. There was no doubt as to who did it, and the thoughts of said person made him angry. Oh how she'd played him last night! And in front of Snape! That git would never let that incident die, not to mention the severe tongue-lashing he'd received from his mother when she'd been informed of her son's idea of kitchen-romping.

And then the fact that Live had tried to make him think that she had wanted him, wanted--! Ugh! Women were damn frustrating! And so she had to pay.

Grabbing a can of experimental joke-goop and quickly leaving his room, George could be seen sneaking across the hall silently before everyone awoke, the can in one hand and his wand in the other. He was going to spray Live with it, making the stuff stick impossibly to her hair for a solid week. That'd teach her to play him. Little Miss Pristine Slytherin all globbed up! Just wait until she got to Hogwarts looking like that!

"Where're you going?" a voice asked from the corridor. George froze and turned his head to see Sirius gazing at him with a smirk, a cup of steaming coffee in one hand as he leaned against the wall studying him. He let out a relieved sigh, glad it wasn't anyone of consequence.

"Live's room," George whispered, hiding the can of sticky foam from Sirius' sight.

"Ah," Sirius said, knowingly informed, giving him a wink.

"No! No! _Not like that_!" George whispered fiercely. He wasn't about to get tangled up with Live in _that_ way again.

"Whatever you say," Sirius dismissed mockingly, turning with a smirk as he ran fingers through his hair.

"No! I'm going to spray her with this!" he nearly shouted. Sirius turned and grinned, taking a sip of his coffee as George shook the currently displayed can for emphasis. Boys always did do weird things to get girls to know they liked them. Although he would have pegged the seventh year to more traditional forms of affection as opposed to mud-slinging.

"You fancy her, don't you?"

"Wha-?! _No_!" he denied heartily.

"Ah, I can't believe it. You've gotten yourself enamored with a Slytherin." He smiled a sidelong smile. "You'll make quite the pair, I'd wager," he affirmed with a cocky grin and a wink.

"No we wouldn't!" George argued.

"You think she's ugly, then?"

"Of course not!"

"Ah, so you're intimidated by her beauty."

"Would you just sod off and let me get on with my job?!" George told him with frustration, Sirius' words sinking in whether he wanted them to or not.

"Don't let me stop you, if this is the only excuse you've got to see her," he said with a smirk, turning and leaving. "I wouldn't want to interfere with your love-life!"

George was left sputtering and staring at the back of his black head, trying to find a proper enough curse-word to yell after the cocky git of a man. "Oh bollocks!"

He affirmedly decided to go through with it, Sirius be damned with his theories, and leave Live's pretty hair in a state that Bozo the Clown would heartily approve of.

He snuck in as covertly as he could, opening the door without a sound and disappearing inside. He saw something white and fluffy sleeping in a bed opposite Kelena's, and found it to be Kara, covered in white fur. So she _was_ the one that blasted stuff had been meant for. Blast it all! This was all the reason he needed.

Quietly crouched as he moved, he found Live's bed and sunk down next to it, watching her sleep pleasantly, mouth parted slightly as she lay on her side, arms over the blanket covering her pale chest. He immediately decided this whole plan was a mistake.

A BIG mistake.

First of all, she slept nude. How he'd forgotten _that_ important fact after seeing her hidden birthmark, he didn't know. Second, she looked so peaceful in sleep, a soft and alluring female snoozing so close to him with innocent trust, the hair he planned to ruin splayed out on her pillow in golden enchantment. He had to leave and get out before he was caught. It was just wrong to act now, and Sirius' words danced in his head as he damned the bloody man and his musings.

She let out a sigh as he ducked, ready to hide beneath the bed. She lightly stretched and turned, her blanket taking a dip towards an amount of skin that others would have paid handsomely to see.

He fought what was in his head and stood over her, taking his can in hand and readying himself to commit his terrible act on her hair. She startled him as she turned and he dropped the can as it rolled away to sit on a valley in her bedcovers. He had to lean over her to get it, and then she grabbed him.

He froze in terror, knowing Sirius was blasted right and that this was a very bad idea. Who was he kidding? He couldn't do this to her. He'd hate to spoil that pretty hair. And now he could say goodbye to this school term, as he was sure she'd kill him before it even started.

She inhaled deeply, eyes opening in confusion as she didn't understand what this hard pillow was doing in her arms. She made eye-contact with the pillow, which turned out to be George Weasley, as a scream rose in her throat seeing him leaning over her while she slept.

He knew she was going to scream, was probably going to kick his ass, and there was nothing he could do. He was like a deer caught in the headlights, and what a fool he was for ever entering that room as now he could do nothing but openly gape.

Live screamed, waking Kara whose scream woke Kelena, who saw the furry white yeti in the bed next to her and screamed. George tore himself from Live's grasp and apparated away while the screams continued in his midst.

Everyone in the house was subsequently up bright and early and that morning.

sSs


	15. Sleepdeprivation and How to avoid Bookta...

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 15: Sleep-deprivation and How to Survive Book-tackling

sSs

Saying that everyone was cranky that morning was a mild understatement. The people residing in the house, having gotten little to no sleep, were drudging around with less than brotherly camaraderie for their fellow house mates.

Terry was chucking random things into her bags peevishly while writing down supposed inventory notes on a piece of parchment (how else do you keep track of your personal stash when Kara's around?), while keeping an eye on the blond who'd gone through more than necessary hours spelling the furry fur off her body (and shouting obscenities at Kel when she suggested she keep a Santa beard). Kara was having quite a morning, what with the screaming wake-up alarm, her-furred body, slinking around stealthily and exacting plans…

But even with the tired animosity in the air and more than the desired amount of fur (for her animagus or otherwise) Kara had still managed to attack Sirius' hair without his noticing, making him the second victim after Remus.

"Sirius?" Ron asked wearily at the breakfast table, his dreams that night having been filled with those bloody spiders and beasties from his house.

"Yeah?" the black-haired man replied, sipping his third mug of coffee and reading The Daily Prophet's account of him being spotted somewhere in New Zealand, of all places. He grinned.

"What is that?" Ron asked.

"What's what?" Sirius crooked a brow at him.

"_That_," Ron pointed, looking at Sirius' hair with scrutiny.

"I'm not falling for that one, Ron. It's the oldest one in the book!"

"No, I'm serious! What's up with your hair?"

"What do you-- Bloody hell!" Sirius shouted as he ran fingers through his no-longer loose hair. How--? When--? He hadn't felt that happen!

Remus came walking into the kitchen as Sirius was running fingers over his hair. "She got you too, huh?"

"Who?" Ron inquired, looking from one man to the other.

Sirius was sporting lovely long braids, little flowers woven throughout them and ending in two bows as black as his name.

"How did she--?!! When I woke up these weren't here!!"

"She's sneaky. She has ways of making you comply."

"_Who _does?!" Ron asked again, almost scared by their early-morning anxiety. He had no intention of looking like that when _his_ back was turned.

"Kara," a cheery, curly-headed brunette informed as she waltzed into the kitchen. "'Ello beautiful!"

"Shut it, Tonks," Sirius said as he tried to undo the braids to no avail.

"Good morning to you, too. And she went to so much trouble to get that done. You're just going to take it out?"

"I would, but the sneaky little bugger magicked it stuck somehow…"

"But she's not allowed. She can't," Ron spoke up as he looked at Sirius' hair with a sneaking fear of his own. If Kara could get the drop on Sirius, then _he _would be child's play. Especially if she was taking a leaf out of Live's book what with the illegal and rather frivolous magic.

"_She_ can't," Tonks said with a grin, admiring the effort Sirius was putting into undoing his hair. But for every bit he managed to undo, it only re-did itself even more stuck. Remus sat down with a cup of coffee, stifling laughter himself.

"Tonks, remove that charm right now," Sirius warned his cousin, already so unnerved and sleep-deprived that he was in no mood to play…or look like some crazed nymph.

"Oh, you can't be _serious, _Sirius!" she said mockingly with a laugh. He just looked at her warningly while she grinned. It was fun razzing him. Like the big brother she'd never had. "Oh come now. It makes you look…" He gave her an expectant glower as she searched for the right word. She was very lucky her mother was his favorite aunt…She thought for a moment as a grin spread across her face. "_Sexy_."

Remus sputtered into his coffee as he tried to control his laughter. Ron ducked under the table for fear of whatever might ensue, as well as to hide his own laughter out of something akin to respect. Tonks blew an audacious kiss Sirius' way and he rolled his eyes at her. This was ridiculous.

"We're going to have one less shape-shifter in this house in five seconds if you don't--"

"Fine fine, don't get your panties in a twist…" She gave him a speculative look as her wand paused in midair, a grin curling on her face. "She didn't put you in panties, did she?" Sirius stood from the table in threat, and Tonks snickered. Kara wasn't _that_ good, but the idea was funny. She gave her wand a wave and Sirius quickly undid his hair. Remus was still chuckling, and doing a bad job of hiding it, but Tonks was glad at least _someone_ appreciated her humor. She offered him a pleased smirk.

Sirius quickly undid his hair and ruffled the tiny flowers out of it. Even James had never gotten away with this sort of thing! He immersed himself in coffee and the paper once more, ignoring the covert chuckles and snickers about the table. Remus didn't even bother with hiding his laughter now.

"Oh be quiet, Remus!"

sSs

"I'd like to know how you girls _normally_ get people up in the morning," Sirius posed crankily hours later in the atrium of the house, the children getting ready for the ride to King's Cross. He rumpled Harry's hair affectionately after being promised to be written to every weekend in full. "It can't be a pleasant way to wake."

"You try not screaming when you see a polar-bear sleeping in the bed next to you," Kelena challenged, a look of contempt at Kara.

"I'm _not_ a polar bear!" the sleep- and sugar-deprived blonde affirmed. "It was that furry-fur stuff that Live always has." She leaned close to Ginny, who was stuffing a book into her bag. "And it's a real bitch to get off."

Ginny giggled and gave her book a punch to which it surrendered to her bag.

"Well look at the one who put it there," Kelena said snidely, a smirk on her face as she looked to Live sitting on a bench. The Slytherin didn't respond, being halfway between sleep and consciousness as she rested her head against her hand, having gotten close to no sleep that night and in no mood to fight it this time. "Let's draw on her face!" Kel suggested in a whisper to Kara.

She was almost asleep, the noise of the room melding to nothing, until she was jarred and startled awake by the sudden pop and too-cheery "Hello!" to her left. Upon recognition of the grinning twin next to her, Live went for his shirt collar (his neck to those watching) as he jumped up and away in surprise.

"Fred! I'm Fred!" he affirmed, holding his hands defensively in front of him. Live stuck out her tongue and sulked and settled back into her original position, her consolation in knowing that she could sleep on the train away from these…distractions…

"You dork!" Kelena declared, smacking him with the side of her duffel. He'd ruined their chance to write creative obscenities on her face in permanent ink.

"Aah! What's that for?!" Honestly, narrowly miss a strangling from the Slytherin Snake Queen and here his fellow Gryffindor brings the onslaught right back. Bloody Gryffin-traitor. _That's_ why she owned an evil cat. Just as libertine as the pet.

"It's for disturbing her!" Kel remarked. But her motives were hardly as righteous as her arguing made her seem. When would she get a chance to write on Live's face again before next summer?! She wasn't half as crazed or brave enough to try sneaking into the Slytherin dormitories for _that_.

"You bloody Gryffin-traitor! You and that psycho Slytherin are touched in the head!" Fred spouted from too-little sleep and more than the normal tension he felt around Kelena.

"You take that back!" Kel demanded, ire rising from her own share of tension, sleep-deprivation, and nightmarish visions.

"I will not!"

"You had better!"

"They're back to their old ways," Terry commented to Hermione who was packing her stuff. A curse-word slipped to terry's ears, catching her attention as the two continued to bicker.

"I suppose it's for the best…" she said, noticing that Kara and Ginny were watching with apt interest, eating candy from her sequined duffel. The argument had caught Live's attention too, being a subject of it as such.

"This won't end bloody well…" Terry remarked with a snide glance, promising herself that this year she'd fall in with some new _normal_ friends to the crazies she currently ran with. Or keep praying that her request for a school transfer get approved this year.

"You're both bloomin' nut jobs! Especially for trusting in a snotty Slytherin! Just wait until she stabs you in the back!" Fred spouted angrily to Kelena, this little exchange of words turning into a full-blown fight without any real anchorage. And now they were getting nasty.

"They're not _all_ like that! And _she_ wouldn't do that! To me or any of her friends!" Kelena countered.

"Yeah, right, and I suppose all Slytherins aren't slutty either," he mentioned with affirmation. Kel was shocked silent that he would say such a thing. Kara and Ginny's hands were frozen midair, treats halfway to their mouths in still time. Terry made this another note of researching new acquaintances. Hermione couldn't believe her ears, and looked to Live for reaction, who was standing straight up from her seat facing them.

Fred knew he'd gone too far and said too much and he knew he hadn't been thinking, and it was far too late to just take it back. Live was going to curse him into oblivion, and he knew rightly that he deserved it. It was uncalled for. And then Kelena would have her go at him as well. He shouldn't be talking about friends in such a way…

He moved his head slowly in Live's direction to gauge her with shame. He didn't expect to see tears in her eyes, nor did he expect her to flee the room up the stairs like the devil himself were on her heels.

He was left gaping at her retreat, completely bewildered. This was way worse than her cursing him. If she at least yelled at him it would be better…For her to be angry instead of hurt was always a better option. He looked at Kelena, who took a puffing breath and smacked him across the face. "You jerk," she muttered with meaning before leaving to find her friend.

He looked around the room, ears and face burning brighter than his hair as the faces of those who'd heard were all too obvious. Biting his lip, he apparated away from the scene to the kitchen, only to surprise Snape who was working on something nasty-smelling (Kelena's sleep-potion), and thusly being berated for it (as well as threatened on the proper treatment of women as he was mistaken for George in Snape's fury) for the remaining time till the cars came.

Ministry transportation arrived not long after as everyone piled into the two cars, the older girls noticeably separate the boys. Live was in a foul mood, hurt by Fred's words more than anything, and Kelena was deciding whether she should go muggle on his ass and give him a thrashing, or wait and let magic take its course. There were still tear-stains on Live's cheeks, but if one looked at her, they would never guess she had been crying. Hermione and Terry were riding with the boys, and Ginny and Kara were silently munching on confections from the red duffel.

Little to say, it was a rather uneventful ride to King's Cross. Even as they entered the station weighed down with their belongings did nothing of interest happen. Except when one of Kelena's more interesting 'reads' fell off her pile of luggage to the floor, making her now certain that it should have been safely packed away with the rest of her belongings.

"Hurry girls! You don't want to miss the Express!" Mrs. Weasley shouted at the group of straggling girls running pell-mell through the station. Considering the sheer volume of trunks and people she had to get on the train, a little tardiness was to be expected, but hardly agreeable unless they wanted to miss the train and opt for late-arrival and all that mess.

It seemed that the girls belongings had multiplied like bunnies, for not only were their trunks stuffed to the brim, but they had taken to packing their other belongings in bags and rucksacks hanging off their persons. Most of the girls also ended up holding various odd shaped objects and some books in their unsteady hands, much to the chagrin of Live, who ended up carrying certain 'intimate' items in her hands (and that is why you always have a separate lingerie bag ready on hand).

Kelena was also unfortunate. She had refused point blank to pack away her more 'special' books in her trunk ("Screw the clothes! What if I lose my books in some horrible railway mistake?!" she had fervently exclaimed, horrified at the mere thought of someone else enjoying fireman number six). So, safe and sound, her more 'interesting' books were stacked in a precarious tower in her arms, a stack that at first glance seemed taller than the owner herself. Kelena struggled to balance the load in her arms and not fall on her face at the same time while making it to the train. It was not an easy feat.

The other girls had sympathized with Kelena once they had seen the sheer volume of books she had stacked the night before beside her bed. However, none of them were available to help as they had recently owl ordered several didactic tomes of enlightenment (read: 'smutty how-to books') and none were about to ask an adult or Fred or George to shrink them for the ride (they would have asked Tonks, but the last-minute fight with Fred had made the thought flee their minds).

Of all the books in their female hands though, none were more…er, graphic, literally, as Kelena's and therefore they had all agreed to make sure that none of her books were seen by male eyes. That would be truly disastrous and horrifying, as well as blaspheming one of several Sexpert Guild codes.

"Come on girls, almost there!" Mrs. Weasley coaxed the five females as they hurried through the barrier to the necessary platform. She threw a look at poor Kelena. Being the shortest of all the girls, she seemed to shrink even more under her tower of books. Mrs. Weasley's heart went out to the poor girl with her love of academe, and she looked to one of her boys to help her out. Catching Fred giving George a mournful look, she found her prey.

"Fred! Go help Kelena with her stack of books!" Mrs. Weasley firmly ordered in her no-nonsense way. Fred started to protest (for several very good reasons) but shut his mouth when his mother gave a look that said "Do it or I swear if you weren't my blood, I'd poison your food!"

Fred grimaced at this unsavory task, seeing as he was already in less than good-graces with the sixth year girls. He felt bad, and strangely confused, about Kelena and the whole morning's terrible start. He knew he should feel nothing but guilt and regret about what he'd said about Live (and fear as well, since both she and Kel would probably curse him into oblivion at some point) but the only things he found in his mind were unbidden mental images of Kelena in his lap doing wonderfully naughty things and the urge to reciprocate those things as he watched her from struggling with her books.

_Idiot hormones._

He turned his gaze on said Gryffindor as Kelena dropped the uppermost book on her tower. It slid towards him and his twin as he bent in a humble manner to help out and return it to her in some form of repentant gesture.

He never suspected in his helpful moment that he'd be tackled by five females seemingly out for the book (but to him it seemed for his blood) and pummeled to the cold floor of the Hogwarts Express platform. Ginny grabbed the book and thrust it aloft like Excalibur itself from their human dog-pile.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Terry boarded without a second glance at their friends and relatives laying about the platform floor. George didn't quite know if he should get involved or not (thinking that perhaps Fred had been _purposely_ pummeled extra for what he'd implied about Live) and saw that said girl just looked disgusted with the whole lot of it. Fred quickly learned the way to avoid being tackled: don't bloody help anyone.

Once Fred had been freed they boarded the Hogwarts Express quickly and not a moment too soon as the train began to chug out of the station. Hermione and Ron were sitting with the prefects while Harry, Fred, George, and their room mate Lee Jordan shared a compartment, leaving the girls to their own, except for Terry, who took advantage of the low number of incoming first years and happily claimed her own sleeping compartment in retrospect to the 'normality factor' this year.

"I just want to get back in the Slytherin dungeons and go to bed," Live announced dolefully as she settled into her comfy seat, crossing her arms and closing her tear-sore eyes. She had a feeling this day would turn out to be crap.

"I know what ya mean," Kel agreed, settling in with her rescued 'reading material'. She wanted to leave behind the last wretched day of summer and begin considering the new school year. She mulled over her classes in between drooling over the happy fun time she was having with her book and tried to ignore Live's sleepy-noises as the blonde witch tried to get comfortable.

It wasn't long before the plump witch with the candy trolley came by that Kara and Ginny cast a furtive glance in Live's direction.

"Anything off the trolley, dears?" she asked cheerily. Kara eyed Live, her deep, even breathing and relaxed form. She grinned and pulled some wizard money from her red sequined duffel, moving very stealthily towards the witch.

"Don't even think about it," Live said without moving a muscle, eyes closed and every semblance of sleep about her. Kara gave her a look of surprise.

"_Whhyyyiiiieee_?!?!" Kara whined, rather upset that she'd been caught.

Live opened her eyes and narrowed them at her little sister. "You hardly need _more_ candy. That entire duffel's devoted just to sweets!"

The plump witch in the doorway regarded Kara with a curious look, inclining her head to see if the word of the pseudo-sleeping blonde witch was true. Which, of course, it was, and no understatement at that by way of the candy-bursting drag-queen's bag.

"But it's mostly _muggle_ sweets only!!" Kara caught the movement of the woman as she started to go about her way. "Wait a minute!" The witch stopped with a worried look. Maybe this child didn't need anymore candy… "Liii-_iiive_…" she whined.

"Don't _make me _stop you…" she threatened, annoyed with his sister's sugary compunctions.

"But I was gonna buy you a present," Kara implored sweetly, dejectedly. Anything to get her sugar fix, especially with the rotten mood Live was in.

Live started to concede, but as soon as her mouth opened Kara shoved a handful of money into the witch's hands and clawed mercilessly at the candy on the trolley. After Kara was done with it looked like a band of marauding goblins had gotten to it, but the witch was happy with the sale, Kara happy with her candy, and Live happy with peace and quiet, so everything was fine.

She chucked candy at Ginny and a chocolate frog box at Live, who adamantly threw it back after its collision with her face. She was sick of being bombarded with candy and she couldn't stomach any such thing right now anyways. The noises thereafter were that of page-turning, small moans, and yummy noises mixed with Live's light breathing and the metronomic chugging of the train.

There was a knock on their door as a red-headed face made itself known in the window. George opened the door sheepishly as he received death glares from Kelena and Kara, a hopeless look from Ginny, and no mark of acknowledgement from Live. He looked in her direction and saw that she was sleeping. Speaking to the next elder year and one with a bit more authority, he looked at Kelena. "I want to talk to Live."

"Nothing you have to say holds any interest to me," Live answered in her semblance of sleep, not even deigning to open her eyes and look at him.

"Please?" he cajoled. "Come outside for a moment."

"Go away," she told him, opening her eyes and glaring at him, wishing him gone.

"Would you give us a moment?" George asked beseechingly to Kelena, his tone one of sincerity. She looked at Live and back to him, deciding that Live should get her un-witnessed chance of vengeance at this twin first. She'd get Fred personally later.

"Fine," the Gryffindor said tartly, grabbing up her stuff and the other two girls, brushing past him brusquely.

"We'd best tell Terry her dreams of privacy are over," Kara said as they invaded the next compartment over, shooting last minute glares at George. The blonde fifth-year fixed him with a hawkish look. "Gryffindor or not, I hear anything bad and I'll bite you in the bludgers." He shrugged and entered their vacated compartment, shutting the door and sitting as Live glared at him from her seat, feet up on the opposite and arms crossed over her chest. She looked very unwelcoming.

"I'm not Fred," George stated very clearly as she glared at him. He'd heard what his twin had regrettably said, and while Live had plenty to glare about, this was the wrong twin to do it to, and he came only to talk.

"Is that supposed to be some sort of consolation?" she spat angrily, mock-disbelief in her voice.

Okay, apparently she was still mad at him for sneaking into her room that morning and basically scaring the crap out of her. Or for one of the many other things he'd done to her. Not to mention that he was identical to the antagonist of the moment. "He didn't mean what he said. It slipped. And he's really sorry. Very sorry."

"And that excuses him?!" She sat up in her seat, angry emotions rising with her hurt. She gave him a look of disbelief and mild betrayal. "You're here to defend him, then?" And why wasn't the bastard there to apologize himself?!

"He didn't mean it. And, well, we've all heard the rumors…" He trailed off as he spoke the regrettable fact. More rumors about Slytherin girls flew around Hogwarts faster than Harry's firebolt. Everyone had heard them at least once, and the natural assumption about the girls of that house were anything but flattering, of course. They were nasty, wild, and several of the rumors painted the girls of Slytherin as notorious bed-jumpers with little to no indiscretions. There was even a rumor that incoming first-years were taught spells by the elder-girls all having to do with the nether-regions. Kara had actually confirmed that one through Live, though the truth of _that_ rumor lay in that the spells they were taught were all _defensive_. Slytherin guys weren't all bad, but many were not at all good.

But still, everyone _did_ hear of the more dirty rumors before. _That's_ what he meant when he said it- the commonality of Slytherin rumors, but Live took it to mean he was implying that it was probable that _she'd_ partaken in such events.

She jumped off her seat in indignation, betrayal, and above all, hurt. "_You_ think the rumors are true, too?!" she shouted in disbelief as she stood before him, crushed that he had such a low opinion of her. "About _me?!_"

He quickly panicked as she misunderstood. "No! No, I didn't mean--"

"I can't _believe_ you! I expect it from everyone else. I-I didn't even think your _brother _thought like that about me, but _you_ too?!" He was sputtering, trying to get out words, but she felt too betrayed to stop her onslaught. "Before _you _came along I'd never even _kissed _a guy! And then--! You--! My god!" she sputtered in frustration between almost half-sobs and a tumult of emotions. She wanted out of the compartment, to where, she wasn't particular, but she didn't want to look at him that moment.

He grabbed her wrist as she wrenched the compartment door open. "Live, wait a minute! I didn't mean--"

"I thought you guys were my friends! Even you, _Gryffindors_ of all people! But even you think I'm so awful just 'cause I'm in Slytherin! Well maybe I should live up to your expectations then, George Weasley!" she accused as she freed her wrist and burst into the not-so-empty hall, feeling rather self-destructive and too angry to stop herself from proving him so horribly right.

George stepped outside the little room himself and saw a gaggle of seventh-year Slytherins a little ways down the hall. He didn't want to cause a scene right now. It may be his specialty, but now was not the time, and he needed to explain himself and fix his bollocks wording.

"Live, _please_, come back in. Let me explain. You've got it all wrong," he tried as he took her wrist in his hand. She tried to shake him off, this time with more effort and having to nearly shout to be released as she glared at him through hurt, unshed tears.

"Everything alright?" a concerned male voice asked from down the corridor. Live shook George's hand off her wrist, nearly in tears, as she saw a familiar acquaintance from her house watching her interaction with the seventh-year Gryffindor speculatively. George feared she might start something he would have to end, but what she did next shocked him even more.

"Hey, Putterly, want to go make-out in my cabin?!"

sSs


	16. Deception Utter, utter deception

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 16: Deception. Utter, utter deception

sSs

George looked at Live like she'd gone completely mental, and voiced as much. "Have you lost it?!"

"I'm not doing anything out of the ordinary as you _perfect little Gryffindors _see it!" she hissed through tears at him accusingly. George nearly flipped as the slime ball Slytherin actually came down to their end to claim her, his friends whistling and catcalling behind him. How could some random guy just up and take advantage of someone? He couldn't let her do this.

"Get lost, Weasley," Putterly dismissed as he looked appraisingly at Live, up and down. There was no way George could let him have even a moment alone with her with _that_ look in his eyes. He knew that look. He _invented _that look.

"No way, Putterly."

"Go away, George," Live aid with hitched breath. "What I do is none of your business!" she shouted harshly, a tear sliding down her cheek as she grabbed the guy's wrist and tugged him into her cabin brazenly, shutting the door in George's face and glaring through the glass as Jason Putterly leaned against the back window, arms crossed in observation. Live locked the door and then got out her wand, casting a spell to block the windows from sight and lock up the cabin tight. George pounded on the door and demanded she let him in or throw the other one out, but he got no reply. He eventually got his twin to try and undo her locking spell, but it just wouldn't budge. He had to live with the anxiety of her trapped in that cabin with that slime ball for the rest of the train ride and the knowledge that it was his fault, followed by concerned and angry questions from their Gryffindor counterparts the next cabin over.

Live breathed heavily as she stood before the door, and then remembered her guest, and wished she hadn't invited him in in her fury and now shame. She turned and saw him staring at her with unmistakable interest as she mustered her courage to either do-away with him, stall for time, explain, or dismiss him, but overall she felt a complete, humiliated fool.

"Are you alright?" he asked kindly, face softer than the previous leering, a tinge of anger to his voice as he stood still. "That Gryffindor rabble giving you a hard time?"

Right there Live started to cry. The tears came unbidden, and before she could stop them, she was fully sobbing into his robes. He hugged her and pet her as she laid the whole story on him, the stress, and everything else that had been bothering her upon that morning.

"And I know I said '_let's make out_', but I don't _want _to bloody make out with anyone! And I never even _had_ before he came along and I just can't bloody stand it and what they said about--" she had to stop herself as her breath hitched in another sob, and he pat her consolingly. "…so mean…just so awful--"

"It's alright, Live. Don't even worry about any of that." He was rather understanding and very amenable for one she only knew through classes. Apparently, he was one of the good ones. It made Live sob even harder. This was what nobody else understood. Slytherins weren't _all _bad. They had these kind of moments that no other houses ever saw, and they even protected against other houses knowing. The kind of moments they denied to their last breath, if possible. The rumors weren't true of everyone in their house. Every Slytherin wasn't out for a free screw or anything. They had genuine people as straight-arrow as those Hufflepuff girls, and more than the _rumored _virgin-graduates of Slytherin that were apparently as rare as idiot Ravenclaws. Dispelling the nastier rumors were harder to fight, though.

"--I'm sorry…" she sobbed, mid-hiccup, opposing what she had said earlier once again. "I don't want to make out or--"

"Live, _it's okay_. Don't worry about that right now. I'm--" he thought for a moment, biting his lip. "I'm gay."

Live stopped mid-sob and looked at him in shock. He was?! "_You are_?!"

"Well, sure."

She momentarily forgot her troubles as her disbelief rose and her tears started to stop. "Really?" He nodded as he continued to pet her soothingly, holding her close almost affectionately. She was relatively calming, and altogether interested. This was news to her. "But last year I thought you were going out with-"

"Melinda Harris?" he supplied. She nodded as he laughed without humor. "A ruse, of course. That damn Malfoy git was getting on with what I like and she helped me lead him astray. You know how _they_ are with this type of information." Live knew that by _they_ he'd meant Death Eaters and their offspring. Pure blood wouldn't rule out in Putterly's case should they uncover his little 'secret' affection for boys, and she knew that their house held more than enough secrets to drive one mad.

"I never would've guessed…"

"And I'd like to keep it that way," he informed her with command. "I keep your secret, you keep mine."

She looked at him speculatively for a moment, wondering what her secret was when she realized once again all her gripes. She must be really tired. "Oh yeah. Of course," Live promised as she wiped her eyes, tears subsiding and feeling much better.

"But," he said with a grin, dragging a hand through his hair with a smirk, "let's say we give Weasley a few things to mull over. I've got a little idea that would keep him off your case, if not irritate the prat," he confided with a wry grin as Live smirked in game curiosity.

sSs

George was waiting outside Live's cabin as the Hogwarts Express had pulled to a stop. When she exited, he was leaning against the wall with a scowl on his face, ready to pound Putterly. She paid him no mind as she gathered her things and left the train with Putterly in tow, the both of them looking too disheveled for George's mind to commit to thrashing motor-coordination. He was completely thunderstruck.

While no make-out session had occurred (unbeknownst to George) with the Slytherin who'd shared her compartment, Live was awfully friendly with the slime ball as they got off the train. Too friendly, he decided. And as she found her friends, he heard her filling them in on what they'd all heard had happened. If his mind wasn't so clouded by anger, he might have realized she was obviously making sure he was listening in.

"…and he does the most interesting things with his tongue," she boasted to those around her, the girls lost in a sea of giggles as they looked over their shoulders at the smug seventh year.

Live seemed a bit in too good of spirits. What had gone on in that cabin? What had he done? The thought that another guy had touched her and kissed her the way _he _had boiled his blood. George caught Putterly's eye as the Slytherin smirked his way, placing his hands on Live's hips almost lecherously as he helped her into a carriage. George would've given him a muggle-style thrashing right then out of spite, but he was dragged away to a carriage before he got the chance to by his distraught twin and friends alike.

After a few more disbelieving glances at Live's carriage, Kelena was to be found riding with Terry, Hermione and Ginny. Kara had opted to ride with Dean, Seamus, and Neville, fellow fifth years from her house ("I brought presents!"). Harry and Ron rode in the carriage with the very miffed looking George, his mind intent on finding out what exactly had gone on. It wasn't a pleasant carriage ride.

sSs

During the shortest sorting that he could remember, George had kept his gaze on Live over at the Slytherin table between two of her friends. She didn't look nearly as happy as she had when she had gotten into the carriage, and she wasn't even sitting next to Putterly. It made him even more speculative, sometimes deviating from studying Live to glare fully at Putterly. When lucky enough to catch Live's own gaze, however, she shot him a nasty look that swore harm to his person. Ron swore they were lucky that none of the Slytherins hexed them on her behalf during dinner.

Getting settled in wasn't much better. Kara had hit Fred upside the face with her sequined duffel on accident, having gotten excited over a cupcake offered by Harry. Hermione was trying to keep everything in order as well as organize a tour as per her prefect duties, resulting in some confusion on Ron's part and annoyance on Terry's (after all, clumsy first years stepping on your toes is not a fun experience). Kelena's ill-manner cat had made itself known later that night as they were sitting around the common room discussing their summers. George was sporting red-welts on his ankle after Kitty-Nimbles had run by his feet to jump on Kelena's lap for cuddling, and she hissed terribly at Fred whenever his gaze dared to settle on her owner.

Kara herself was discussing her candy experiments with Dean and Seamus, brain-storming ideas as well as planning some market research with her muggle stash (beings as how the muggle-studies students _did_ need to bring in muggle 'artifacts', which ran a pretty sickle on the black market). Lavender had taken one look at the trio and dragged Parvati up to the dormitory, whispering the whole way. Kitty-Nimbles was prancing around Kelena's legs, purring and rubbing against her for affection. When said Gryffindor wouldn't relinquish her 'reading', Kitty-Nimbles had to settle for Dean to let her out, purring and rubbing and mewing, thus earning another title of 'sweetness' in opposition to the treatment she gave the twins.

Little to say, it wasn't one of the happiest home-comings that any had experienced.

sSs

It was a week after term had started and Live still wasn't talking to George, or Fred, and she ignored them whenever they came about or if they tried to get her attention in class. Fred had given up trying to apologize to her directly, instead focusing on Kelena and Kara, and was still intent on watching his back in case Live still wanted his hide.

George was frustrated beyond belief, catching Putterly watching Live when she wasn't looking, and then leering at George when he saw him. It was driving him mad. Lee's ideas to scare Live into better spirits and make-up with comforting had not worked for some strange reason, and had only made her run to Putterly more often that week, which really, really steamed up George for one reason or another. He decided they were getting more close than he deemed healthy, and he didn't trust the other bloke. After all, Slytherin.

Having had no luck with Kelena as their go-between, the twins decided that Kara was their best bet for retribution. Early evening found her sitting in front of the common-room fire roasting marshmallows.

"Kara, my dear," began Fred.

"A moment of your time?" finished George.

Kara yelped as her marshmallow caught fire and exploded, spattering her- and an unlucky Dean Thomas- in fluff. She licked her fingers clean (and Dean's in the process, earning a huff from Lavender) and sucked the fluff off the quill that was sitting in her lap, and began scribbling on a piece of parchment. As Kara didn't seem to have noticed the twins, George leaned over and peered down at the paper, glimpsing only, "…ing marshmallows--5secs…" before Kara rolled up the parchment and turned her gaze to him.

"How may I help you?" she asked cheerfully, folding her hands over her parchment and quill. She didn't seem the least bit perturbed by her sticky state.

Fred cast a wary eye around the common room, glaring at both Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnegan who appeared to believe that they were included in the conversation. The twins hoisted Kara up by the arms, pulling her to a remote corner of the common room occupied only by Lavender Brown, who was engrossed in her Witch Weekly.

"Listen," began George.

"We need your help," interjected Fred.

Kara crossed her arms and cocked her head to one side expectantly. This sounded like she could make some profit.

"It's Live--"

"She hasn't said anything outside of 'sod off' all week--"

"--and it's beginning to put a damper in our new-term spirits," George finished with a beseeching grin.

"Oh, not this again." The three Gryffindors turned their attention to the interruption. Lavender Brown was sitting on the couch corner, her issue of Witch Weekly sitting forgotten in her lap.

"Butt out, Brown," Fred snarked at her.

"All you two have been doing all week is bugging Kelena and stalking that Slytherin witch," Lavender remarked distastefully, cocking an eyebrow.

"Get out of it, Lavender," George warned, his patience not at its best.

"You two should be careful," Lavender continued haughtily, "someone might think something was going on between you and the Slytherins."

The twins eyed her suspiciously. "What exactly do _you _know?" asked George with a snarky look.

"Or _think_ you know," Fred remarked cuttingly.

"As usual," George added, staring Lavender down. Honestly, had she gone to Bitch-Ville over the summer?

"Only that you called that Live girl a slut on the train," Lavender finished smugly.

"I did not! That was Fred!" George corrected.

"And I didn't call her a slut! And it wasn't on the train!" Fred defended.

Lavender shrugged noncommittally. "Anyway, I don't know why you would say something like that to a girl's face," she chastised with a holier-than-thou look. "I mean, I hear she's not even that trampy…_for a Slytherin_."

Kara didn't know whether to be pleased or angry with Lavender's comment. She settled on mildly agitated. "What's _THAT _supposed to mean?" Kara demanded, rolling up her sleeves.

"Nothing, it's just that, compared to some of the other stuff I've heard, Live is a regular saint."

A saint? Live?! Now Kara knew Lavender's brain had turned to mush. "And just how many Slytherins do you talk to on a daily basis?" Kara stepped up, demanding to know. She was getting a little more than riled, Fred and George noticed. It was like she had sucked the ire right out of them and added it to fuel her own fires.

"Oh, none, naturally," Lavender declared with wide eyes as if to do such a thing was the biggest faux pas one could commit. "I don't associate with _them_."

"Them? Them who? Slytherins?" Kara asked acrimoniously. True, she had a deep seated…dislike…like any Gryffindor, but this was her _sister _Lavender was talking about. And not all Slytherins were bad news.

"You do know that Live is Kara's own sister, don't you?" George asked with arms crossed, noticing Kara's hackles rising.

"Yes, and that only further goes to prove my point," Lavender stated with an upright finger. Fred, George, and Kara waited rather impatiently for her to elaborate. "I mean, you hang around with one sister, something's obviously going on that allows you to compare her to the other sister. So why was Live the one you called a slut?"

"Your point being?" Fred asked at her idiotic crypticness.

"Well, Kara's _way_ sluttier than her sister," Lavender elaborated as if the other girl wasn't even there.

Kara stood looking rather stunned. No one had ever dared insult her in such a manner straight to her face.

"Excuse me?" George gasped.

"No she's not!" exclaimed Fred in her defense. She was like a Ginny to them, and they didn't like Lavender being so, well, bitchy.

Lavender looked meaningfully at Kara as if disappointed with her. "Oh, don't kid yourselves. Even if Live is a slut," she started noncommittally, "everyone knows that Kara's the biggest whore to hit Gryffindor tower since that libido potion accident back when McGonagall went here."

Fred and George didn't have time to be properly shocked at the statement. Before Lavender had even closed her mouth, Kara dove over the couch at her, tackling her to the ground with a clawing fury.

"Take that back!" Kara shrieked as she went for her hair.

"Make me!" Lavender shot back with repressed ire, smacking Kara upside the head. By now, most of Gryffindor house was gathering around them as they rolled around on the ground. As far as fights went, chick fights were relatively rare.

Lavender, who had managed to free herself from Kara's grasp, kicked the blond Gryffindor in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Kara coiled up from the blow, yet still launched herself at Lavender, clinging.

"Get off of me, you barbarian!" Lavender yelled.

"Take it _back_!" Kara screamed, grabbing a fistful of hair and tugging.

"No!" Lavender vehemently shot back. Kara yanked her hand forward, taking Lavender's head with it, and head-butted her between the eyes. She felt hands grabbing her around the midsection, and heard Hermione's cries of "get off each other!" mixed in with the soft lilt of Seamus's "Finish her Kara!!"

People were pulling her and Lavender apart, but Kara had no intention of releasing her grip on Lavender's hair. Angelina Johnson had Lavender in a full nelson, incapacitating her arms, but she was still kicking as much as she could. There was a separate pair of arms around Kara's legs and midsection, but when someone tried to pry her fingers from Lavender's hair, she swung her left first and made contact with a solid gut, bringing Neville Longbottom to the ground.

Her grip faltered, and Lavender was pulled free (minus a clump of natty brown hair). Kara felt herself being lifted back and up off the ground so that she would have no further leverage.

"Skank!" she yelled.

"Slut!" Lavender shot back.

"Gryffin-traitor!"

"Gryffin-whore!"

"That's enough, both of you!" Hermione yelled. Prefect or not, this was truly enough.

Kara squirmed and bucked around in her captors arms to try and get free. "Hold still!" she heard Lee Jordan say. He was having trouble holding onto her legs. One of the twins, she thought it was George, had his arms locked around her midsection and her right arm, pinning it in place as she fought to take even more of Lavender's stupid hair.

Lavender was sporting a bloody nose, and was being escorted out of the common room, presumably to the hospital wing. Kara made one last final attempt to get free, but succeeded only in falling half onto a couch with Lee and George beneath her, still holding her captive and refusing to let go until they got the all clear.

Most of the crowd was dispersing, no doubt to spread news of the catfight around the castle. Still surrounding her were a very astonished-looking Ron and Harry, Fred, who was helping Neville to his feet, Terry, Ginny, and Hermione and Kelena, who were both frowning and looked very displeased. Kelena crossed her arms, and Hermione turned to her to let her do the admonishing. Kelena stared at Kara who stared defiantly back. After a long moment, Kelena sighed and said, "Haven't I taught you anything? You should have taken her out early, before she had a chance to give you a black eye!"

"Kelena!" Hermione gasped, thoroughly disappointed.

"I have a black eye?" Kara asked, bringing her free hand tenderly up to her face. George and Lee unanimously decided it was okay to release Kara.

"It's a nice shiner, alright," Ron said leaning in to examine the eye further.

"I can't believe you!" Hermione exclaimed. "We're only one week into term and you've already gotten into a fight!"

"Correction," said Kara, "I've already _won_ a fight." Ginny snickered.

"Do you have any idea how much trouble you're going to be in?" Hermione scolded with worry and concern for Kara. The girl in question stared blankly at her, fingering her swollen eye. "I'm going to find Live and tell her that you've been fighting again this term!" She turned and walked out of the portrait hole, knowing that, while a prefect would have no impact on Kara, her sister definitely would.

"_Tell her I won_!" Kara called after her.

There was a loud pop and a string of mottled curse words. Everyone turned toward the noise, and saw Terry in front of the fire, splattered in marshmallow goo. Kara immediately took up a scroll and quill and scribbled down "--popping noise" as if nothing had interrupted her study. She slapped Kelena a high five and gave her a lopsided grin. "Success!"

sSs


	17. Rumors

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 17: Rumors

sSs

It was as bright a day as Kara's shining demeanor, most pleased with herself after her fight with Lavender only the day before, as well as the amount of damage she'd inflicted upon the other girl as opposed to what she'd received. Boy did Lavender have natty hair. And then there was the fact that it had taken so many of the boys to restrain her, and she wasn't _that _big. She was quite proud of herself, as it were, and she had the whole weekend to revel in it.

She went outside the castle grounds on the pretty sun-shiny day after having Lee fix up her eye (although she rather liked the idea of having battle-scars) to find her sister reading beneath a tree by the lake. She sat right next to her and settled down, Live not even looking up from her book, and neither speaking a word as several moments passed.

It was Live who broke the silence with an almost bored tone. "I heard you got in a fight with Lavender Brown cuz you're sleeping with her boyfriend," Live stated noncommittally. She paused, still engrossed in her book, a silence between them. A cricket chirped in the shady tree. She gave Kara a sly look. "Is it true?"

"No. Of course not. Lavender doesn't have a boyfriend."

Live put forefinger to the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "I didn't mean if it was true if Lavender has a boyfriend. Idiot."

"Oh. Well she doesn't, so I couldn't possibly be sleeping with them, then, could I?"

"_Them_?"

"I-um, mean…Um…well, you know how Lavender's always had a thing for Dean? I've sorta fallen asleep on the couch a few times with him and Seamus…ya know, testing candy and stuff? And with this year especially, all the summer stuff…"

Live thought to reprimand her on her sleeping habits (she was an expert on sleeping-in late and getting the requisite hours, after all) but she thought better to work her annoyance at Lavender.

"Little scheming bint._ That's_ why Lavender thinks you're whorier than me." Live smirked a bitter, dismal smirk, rolling her eyes in preposterous nonchalance. "As _if_." She laughed at the allusion to the Slytherin reputation one received once sorted. It was okay when you called each other tramps and the like and knew you were kidding and just being silly, but the way Fred had used it and _meant_ it…She was still mad at him.

"I know, really!" Kara laughed with her.

She and Live had a good long laugh until Live cut her own abruptly short, immediately to a halt. "Really though, if you ever go whoring it up I'll kick your ass," she threatened seriously.

"I knew you cared!" Kara exclaimed with glee, throwing her arms sloppily around her sister and nuzzling her. And tickling her. And sloppily petting her face. It eventually frustrated and then frightened Live into such a claustrophobic panic that she let out a high screech and scuttled away from her beaming sister on the grass.

"I hope nobody saw that…"

"Everybody saw that!" Kara beamed with a great toothy grin.

Live looked around. For once her sister wasn't just being saucy. There were two separate groups of snickering younger years and a couple of elder years looking in the direction of the Slytherin and Gryffindor sisters.

"And I go down yet another notch on the social ladder…" Live huffed dramatically. "I should take you with me in terrible, horrid flaming glory…" she mused threateningly.

"I'm non-flammable," Kara supplied cheerily, undaunted by her threats whatsoever.

"Is that a challenge?" Live asked haughtily, watching her sister looking out at the cool lake.

"Challenge? Like, pistols at dawn?"

Live once again massaged her temple, dismissing her sister's comment entirely. "You want me to ruin Lavender's sense of social-safety? She could be Hogwarts' best known lesbian by the end of the day if you want. I could have Vivian Monteclaire do it…" she tempted with easy leisure.

"Naw," said Kara, studying a blade of grass absentmindedly. "I got it covered."

Live looked at the grass at her feet and thought about asking Kara to elaborate, but thought better of it. She turned to her sister but found only a robe sitting in the impression in the grass. She looked around for her now half-naked sister and saw her bobbing up and down in the lake playfully amidst four tentacles, presumably belonging to the giant squid. Live sighed and went back to her book. She wasn't about to question her sister's outlandish habits.

sSs

"Okay, now we just got to get it in his bag and get to a safe distance within ten seconds or else--"

"Yeah, we know," Lee responded to George's warning of their delicate little surprise for their Slytherin pal Putterly. "Don't want this stuff gettin' on me, and you already smell bad enough, mate," he quipped at Fred. It wasn't just _his_ nose either. The kids that passed their stationary forms kept giving them sickened looks.

"Well you try and leave Professor Sprout's green houses smelling like roses," Fred stated ironically, rubbing at his sleeve. "Half the stuff in there tried to grab me, and one of the mandrakes bit me, not to mention I got bubotuber pus on my favorite shirt--"

"And you did it all for a most worthy cause," George stated with a smug grin, patting his twin on the back. "He'll stink so bad she won't go near him for a week! She'll have no choice but to listen."

"And then what?" Lee asked, gently holding their latest invention as one might a delicate snowflake. Or a bomb. "Gonna corner her and beg forgiveness?"

Fred gave Lee a doubtful look while George contemplated his statement. "What do you think the success rate of doing so would be?"

"I don't want the bollocks cursed off me," Fred warned his twin with very real concern. "Corner her and that's what'll happen. Slytherin or not, that girl's dynamite, and I won't put in danger any of my more significant parts around her anytime soon."

Lee snickered and Fred promptly told him to sod off.

"Any ideas, gentlemen?" George inquired with quizzical brow.

"Do it somewhere public, where she won't try anything," Lee suggested, shifting his stance to hide the thing in his hands away from the prying eyes of those in the hallway.

"Public or not, it doesn't really matter, does it?" Fred said with resignation. "I can't stand waiting around for one of them to curse the daylights out of me. And Kelena's been giving me the evil eye all week, just waiting for a reason…Can't things just go back to normal already?"

Lee laughed out loud at Fred's exasperation, and something caught his eye down the hall that put a large grin on his face. "How much do you want to get this over and done with, mate?"

"As soon as possible," Fred affirmed, putting two hands to his head in frustration. "I'll just apologize and that will be that!"

Lee gave him a great shove with a laugh down the hall. "Here's your chance!"

Fred didn't know what was going on except that Lee was propelling him forward and that Live was in his line of sight. He nearly stumbled right into her as he heard Lee's semi-distant laughing coupled with that of his twin's.

"Does this mean we aren't going to need this?" Lee asked George, holding up the small but deadly item in his hand.

"And let a good prank go undone?" George exclaimed with horrific shock. Lee grinned and followed as George lead the way to find Putterly and give him a thing or two to think about, leaving Fred to his own devices and hopefully peace-making.

"Oh! Sor-" Live stopped mid-speech as she saw the red hair and face belonging to the body that had bumped into her. She gave Fred a detached look and continued on her way.

"Wait!" he said, grabbing her arm to stop her while ducking a hand aimed at his face. George told him she liked to smack people. He decided to quickly plead his case before she had time to do real bodily harm. "Live, listen, I'm-really-sorry-and-I-never-should've-said-such-mean-things-or-anything-and-I-didn't-mean-it-but-that-doesn't-make-it-right-but-I'm-still-sorry-and-I-didn't-mean-to-hurt-your-feelings-and-it-was-stupid-and-I-really-wasn't-thinking-so-please-won't-you-forgive-me?" he quickly spat as she gave him a look like he was crazy.

She blinked once, her cheeks flushing from the profuse apology after having finally comprehended what it was he was saying. She looked him in the eye, a bit of amusement behind her frowning face, but overall, she accepted his apology. "You reek of bubotuber pus."

"Um…yeah," he agreed, not bothering to volunteer information as to why. He let her arm go, looking at her expectantly. She took this as dismissal and went about her business, leaving him in the hall quite confused and wondering where his twin had gotten to.

sSs

"And then McGonagall took five points off me for improper bathing attire! Can you believe it?! You don't _wear_ anything if you're bathing! Geez!" Kara explained to the fourth person on her way out of Gryffindor common room, fully clothed and dry.

"And that's why you always plan ahead," Ginny spouted knowledgeably. She saw- or rather, smelled- Fred coming towards them. "Pe-_uw_! Fred, you reek!"

"Like something that rolled in a bubotuber pus-and-stinksap sundae…and it's dying…" Kara commented, following Ginny's example of holding her nose.

"Have you seen George or Lee?"

They shook their heads while twin expressions of 'ick' held their faces.

"How about Kelena?"

"I wouldn't if I were you," Kara started, her voice coming out high due to her closed nose, "smelling like that."

"What have you been doing all afternoon, Fred!" Ginny asked in a high squeal of offended senses.

"Nothing," he told his younger sister with a grin. He turned to Kara, the smile still on his face. He was lucky. He was _used_ to the smell by now. "Maybe you can give me some insight, Kara my dear."

"Ugh, anything as long as you promise to take a nice long bath!"

"In scented oils!" Ginny added with haste.

He raised an eyebrow at his little sister and continued to Kara. "I apologized to Live-"

"That's a start."

"-but all she said was that I smelled."

Kara grinned from behind her hand like it was real progress. "At least we know her sense of smell works. And she's talking to you now." She smiled at Fred, who just gave her an exasperated look. "Well, she _did_ talk, right? I mean, she didn't scream at you or anything?"

"Well, no…"

"Then you're fine. Now for the love of Godric, take a bath!" she shrieked.

Meanwhile, Live was in the great hall eating an early lunch with Slytherin roommates Vivian Monteclaire and Rebecca Haversham when a loud bang echoed somewhere outside in the entrance hall. She abandoned her food along with everyone else in nosy curiosity that fled towards the source of the noise.

Almost immediately a rank stench reached their noses, the most vile that she'd ever had the pleasure of smelling.

"Oh--that's _nasty_!" Live choked out.

"Cover your nose!" Vivian warned.

"Don't bother with your nose! Cover your whole face!" Live countered, bringing her robes up to eye level and clasping the material tight to her like a biohazard mask.

It did nothing to stop the smell whatsoever.

"I think I'm gonna be sick…" a young Hufflepuff commented. And they weren't even out of the dining hall yet.

"What _is_ that?" Rebecca asked, face screwed up from the smell, eyes stinging at the offensive rank. She pointed to a big globby thing in the middle of the entrance hall.

And from there the smell only got worse.

"Ugh! It's like a rotten fish and petrol milkshake!"

"With a vomit-and-garbage chaser!"

"And rancid-meat sauce on top-"

"Don't say that! I swear I'm gonna throw up!"

A few teachers approached the globby thing, bubble-head charms in full use, as they spelled the stuff away (not without effort) to reveal none other than Jason Putterly at the center of it all like the fruit in a jello mould.

And he looked right pissed off.

Rebecca gasped. Vivian laughed. Live was paralyzed by the still-wafting smells.

"What is the meaning of this, Mr. Putterly?" McGonagall asked crossly from inside the safety of her bubble-head charm.

From somewhere off Live swore she heard a familiar male chuckle, but she couldn't find the body that belonged to the sound. Though it was one who had reason to prank Putterly, or so he thought he did…Little bugger. He was quite amused and almost certainly having a splendid time at the expense of the seventh year Slytherin.

Putterly, however, was most certainly not. After trying to explain to McGonagall but not quite getting anywhere (his smell was too distracting), he let off quite a few interesting profanities that landed him a detention (but he could keep his house points if, for the love of Godric, he got rid of the smell).

He left in quite a rage, profanities echoing through the halls as he made his way to the dungeons and everyone prayed, the baths.

Vivian laughed again. "I'll have to remember those."

"I didn't think a beaver could do that…" Live commented. "Ugh, I bet we all reek from just standing here."

"You're right. Let's go wash our hair," Rebecca advised as the three began to make their way down to the dungeons.

"Wait," Live paused. "That's where Putterly just went, and I bet he's fouled the whole place up in two seconds flat." She thought for a minute. "Let's go for a swim in the prefects' washroom."

"We need a password," reminded Vivian dolefully.

"That which I have," Live grinned sneakily, a look of entitlement on her face.

"How'd you get it?" asked Rebecca, clearly pleased.

"Oh, a little kitty told me," Live said cryptically, and the three of them giggled as they headed off to the industrial-sized bathing area.

sSs

"In the entrance hall?" asked Kelena, hearing about Putterly's mishap.

"Yeah, haven't you smelt it?" Kara asked with surprise, licking her ice-cream cone.

"I've been in the library all day…reading…" Kelena replied pointing to one of her 'books'.

"I see," said Kara.

"Well, it smelled awful," said Ginny emphatically. Then she remembered, "Oh yeah, Fred and Lee were looking for you too."

"Were they?" asked Kelena, intrigued.

"I wouldn't seek them out though," said Kara. "I know for a fact that neither of them have bathed."

There was a pause. "For a fact?" Kelena repeated with disbelief, lifting an eyebrow. Ginny too waited for an answer.

"Uhh…" was Kara's open-mouthed reply. She took another lick off her ice-cream.

"Where did you get that?" Ginny asked of the frozen treat.

Kara looked at the ice-cream, then shoved it in her mouth so only the tip was sticking out. She mumbled something incoherent in explanation, then abruptly got up and left. Ginny and Kelena looked at each other, then to the retreating form of Kara. Kelena sighed.

"So, you got a new book?" Ginny asked with a grin.

sSs

After having had a nice long bath (with lots of strawberry bubbles), Live and her two Slytherin roomies were just leaving the prefects' bathroom when they ran into Ron and Harry, who were just entering.

"Live?" asked Ron, confused by her presence.

"Oh…hey," Live murmured a bit sheepishly, receiving looks from Rebecca and Vivian.

"What are you doing here?" asked Harry.

"Well, uh…the other bathroom's broke, and well…" Live was trying to spin some sort of believable explanation, but she was too relaxed to come up with anything clever.

"No, not what are you doing in the prefects' bathroom," Ron clarified. Live had been sneaking in the prefects' bathroom as long as he'd known her.

"What are you doing out of detention?" asked Harry.

Live looked at him like he had another head. "I don't have detention."

Harry and Ron exchanged a look at the same time Vivian and Live did.

"They say that you've got detention scrubbing floors all week," informed Ron.

"That Filch is practically dancing with joy," added Harry a bit disdainfully.

Rebecca crossed her arms over her chest. "Is that what they're saying?"

"They say your toy-friend Putterly shat himself in the entrance hall when he found out," said Ron grinning mirthfully. Not only because it was a Slytherin that the rumors were about, but because he knew George rather didn't like the guy's company around Live. He was loyal to his brother.

"And they say it was because you tried to kill Kara by the pond!" Harry added, rather enjoying the bewildered looks on the Slytherins faces. It wasn't the weirdest rumor to fly around the castle

"-and then you _threw her _in the pond!" Ron joined in emphatically.

"What? No I didn't! And it's a lake, not a pond you idiot! And she _jumped_ in of her own volition! And she was _hugging_ me. I wasn't trying to kill her!" Live finished irritably.

Immediately, Live and her associates turned and started off, Live in a huff and wondering if there was any truth to the detention parts. One could never be too careful.

"Well that's what I heard…" yelled Ron after her as Live and her associates made their exit.

sSs

"Hey…_Live_!" George whispered rather loudly. He had been looking for her all day and had finally located her in the library reading a book titled, _Beautiful Hair, and the Witches Who Maintain It._ She didn't even look up as he sat down at her table.

"You smell horrid," she ascertained, turning the page. He gave his sleeve a sniff and wrinkled his nose. Well, there was only so much he could do.

"Sorry," he said, knowing the rankness all too much. "Have you spoken with Fred?"

"Yes," she said firmly, as if it was of no consequence whatsoever, and she was in no way about to talk about it. She looked up after a moment. "You two don't by chance share cologne?" She was sporting a very Slytherin smirk, remarking on his horrid scent.

"Ha-ha," he laughed sarcastically. "We share with all of Slytherin house in fact."

"Shut up," she sneered self-consciously, "I took a bath."

"So I heard," he grinned, mischief replacing the contempt in his face. He put his chin in his hand and gave her a charming grin. "With Vivian Monteclaire and Rebecca Haversham…How did THAT go? And leave out no detail no matter how small!" His grin was hopefully naughty.

"Oh, sod off George," Live said dismissively as she got up and left. She still wasn't sure if she was mad at this one or not…Probably the former, and she wasn't about to let him think they were hunky-dory.

"See you later," George yelled cheerily after her, then settled in for a nice nap. Madam Pince did not look pleased.

Live, however, had a mission. She set off through the corridors to find her errant sister. After an hour and a half, she was quite ready to give up, when she spotted Neville and Seamus in the hallway ahead.

"Longbottom!" she called out. Both boys stopped and turned. Neville seemed to shrink as Live neared him. She inwardly rolled her eyes. Honestly, that kid had more to worry about from Kara than he did from her. "Have you seen Kara?"

Neville looked to Seamus before answering. "Why do you ask?" queried Seamus suspiciously.

_Sodding Gryffindorks,_ Live thought irritably_. Honestly, I'm her blood and they don't even trust me._ "None of your business, Finnegan," Live snapped. She was feeling in a rush, so there was no time for niceties. Seamus looked properly abashed.

Neville mumbled something of an answer, but the boy was stuttering so badly, Live couldn't make out a word of it. "What?" she asked sharply.

Neville stiffened. It made her feel kind of bad, but she wanted information and she wanted it efficiently.

"Haven'tseenhersincethismorningbutshesaidsomethingabouttheastronomytower," he spouted, then took a deep breath. Live gave him a smirk, then turned towards the astronomy tower, leaving two harassed-looking Gryffindors in her wake.

Kara was intently studying the floor with one of the telescopes when Live found her ten minutes later.

"For someone as loud and…frankly, obtrusive as you, you sure are hard to find."

Kara kept her scrutiny on the floor. "I think there was a faerie in here," she said. "There's residue on the floor."

"You _hope _that was from a faerie," Live replied, wrinkling her nose in knowledge of the astronomy tower rumors. Ew.

Kara turned her attention to her sister. "How can I help you?"

"I need the password to the Gryffindor changing rooms on the pitch." She thought for a minute. "And each of Fred and George's shampoos."

"They share a bottle," Kara said, a rather worried look on her face. Live too, looked worried, but for a different reason.

"How do you know they _share_?" she asked with a brow raised all the way to her blonde hair.

Kara promptly ignored her. "Why do you want in our changing rooms?"

"It's just a little practical joke, no harm intended," Live's voice reassured. Her face, however, was home to a wicked grin.

Kara looked rather skeptical. "I don't know, Live. I'm all for practical jokes-- hilarious semi-dangerous pranks even, but this is QUIDDITCH we're talking about."

"I'm not sabotaging your team, if that's what you're worried about. Nothing I could do could make them any worse anyway," Live said with amusement at her own statement. Kara didn't look amused. After all, this was _quidditch_. "Oh, I'm just pulling a prank on Fred and George, nothing dangerous or harmful to your precious team."

"You'll owe me Live. Big time," Kara said, putting on her serious face. It was quite a change. "You're falling behind on product testing, and I'm up to my neck in business negotiations."

Live looked confused. "Business negotiations? You haven't been making any raw deals behind my back, have you?" Just what was Kara up to? And why oh why had Live left her to her own devices?

"So very behind," Kara murmured disappointedly. She'd have to fill her sister in later. She looked at Live, who gave her a hopeful, toothy grin. She sighed. "Give me…" she looked up at the sun, "…two hours. By then I should have what you need." She went back to studying the 'faerie-residued' floor, and Live took it as a dismissal.

sSs

Two hours had never seemed so long. Live spent her time pacing the corridors and renewing her friendship with Mrs. Norris, poor skinny thing that it was. Exactly two hours after Live had left Kara, the informative witch had appeared with bottle in hand.

"Here's their shampoo," Kara said, giving up the bottle. "The password is 'sloth-roll'."

A pleased look spread across Live's face. "Brilliant!" she said with a satisfied smile.

"Whatever you're going to do, you have to do it before midnight, because the password changes at 12:01am every Sunday morning, and the team's practicing tomorrow morning," Kara said, pleased with her own thoroughness.

"Don't worry," said Live. "I'll be well finished by the time the team goes to practice."

Kara grinned a devious little grin. "Wood would be rolling in his grave if he knew what I was doing." She furrowed her brow. "…and if he was dead," she added, turning to leave. She just counted her lucky stars that he was gone and graduated. It made her feel slightly less guilty. "Happy Pranking!"

"Cheers!" called Live, thinking her sister was becoming quite the little closet-Slytherin…She was so proud!

Live was quite pleased with herself when she went to bed at half past midnight. Tomorrow was going to be a wonderful day.

sSs

_Note: Just a reminder, this _is_ a sort of slightly AU fic, so some things from the books may not match up (much to my chagrin) and a bunch of stuff I have to go gung-ho with and be brilliant (ha ha) with. After all, this was started back in '04, and several books have come out since then. _

_-FireV._


	18. Pranking Preparation

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 18: Pranking Preparation

sSs

Why practice had to start promptly at 6am, Harry had no idea. He was excited though, as it was his first practice with Ron as Keeper. Tryouts the Friday before for the new team had replaced Oliver's spot with Ron and Alicia's with Ginny. There were now four Weasleys on the team, and it made for a fine show of house-spirit. So many redheads had that effect.

Ron seemed in a nervous panic as he put his robes on in the dark.

"You'll do great, Ron," Harry told him reassuringly.

"I had a horrible dream," said Ron in a distant voice. "My broom only went backwards and the hoops were three meters wide." He had a dazed, fearful look in his eyes, and Harry was bemusedly concerned. Ron, however, had not finished. "I tried to block the quaffle, but the only one I caught turned into Wood's head, and he kept telling me I was going to fall. Then I did."

"You're working yourself into a state. Just do your best and you'll be fine," Harry promised with a grin.

They left the dormitory and ran smack into Fred and George who were making their way sleepily down the stairs.

"Oi, look out you two," Fred muttered, rubbing his eyes. The four continued down the stairs to the common room.

"My legs aren't ready to function yet, and if we fall and break something, Angelina'll kill us," George murmured as he watched his steps carefully.

"Then she'll re-animate our still-warm corpses, stick us on our brooms, and force us to play," Fred added.

"That's a cheery image to have in the morning," spouted Ginny, who was exiting the stairs to the girls dormitory with Katie Bell. Angelina was already fully awake and wearing a rut in the rug.

"'bout time," she said. "We have a lot to work on."

George yawned loudly, and was about to fall back onto the couch, but Ginny grabbed his arm and yanked him back up.

"Aw, I wasn't going to go to sleep, I just wanted to sit down," George whined.

"It's not that," said Ginny. "You nearly crushed Kara."

The rest of the team came to have a look as George turned round and saw Kara sprawled out asleep on the couch behind him. Crookshanks was stretched out on her chest, purring loudly and contentedly.

"What's she doing down here?" Katie asked as she pondered the blonde's snoozing form.

"Hermione said she and Lavender have been at each others throats since last Friday," said Ginny quietly. "And the fire is nice and warm down here."

"I don't suppose I'd want to sleep in the same room as that nutter," Ron speculated.

"Who, Kara or Lavender?" asked Ginny with a grin.

"Guess the common-room couch is better than having to sleep with one eye open," Harry said with a grin.

Fred moved to cover Kara up with the blanket that had fallen to the rug sometime in the night. Kara turned over in her sleep, accidentally throwing Crookshanks to the floor. Crookshanks wearily jumped back up and settled in next to her, falling back to sleep. After a moment of thought, Fred grinned and tucked the cat in as well.

Kara sighed and mumbled, "Get out of it Live." Fred frowned. She thought he was her sister. Ginny giggled.

"I thought you looked rather feminine," Ron remarked with a smirk.

"Oh stuff it, Ron," said both twins together.

"Can we get going now, or do all of you still need to have a moment?" Angelina said impatiently.

"We're coming," said Harry tiredly.

Yawning as they went, the team made their way out to the pitch. It was a good practice, except Malfoy had come out with his cronies, and Ron was so nervous he couldn't block a single shot. He was so distracted by the taunting that he was hit in the head by a shot that Ginny sent towards the hoops, and nearly fell off his broom.

"Oh, good show, Weasel! You finally blocked one! Now if all the chasers were little girls with no aim, you'd be in business!" Malfoy jeered, much to the amusement of his fellow Slytherins. Ron's face was redder than his hair.

Harry caught the quaffle before it hit the ground and flew up next to Ron to offer a few words of encouragement.

"Don't listen to him, Ron," Harry advised, tossing the quaffle back to Ginny. "He knows his team's rubbish this year and he's trying to psyche you out."

"Watch out, Potter, or Weasley might take you down with him!" Malfoy shouted from the stands. "Or did you want another scar? One shaped like a broom handle?!"

Fred and George became so angry that, at the same time, they both sent bludgers flying towards the Slytherins. The group scattered, yelling in both fright and anger as the balls hit the stands with a metallic cling that caused some of the wood to splinter.

"Wait until my head of house hears!" Malfoy yelled as he took off like a coward.

Angelina gathered the team together. "We might as well end practice now," she said dismally. "We're not getting anywhere and Snape will break it up anyway."

They made their way unhappily to the locker rooms, separating into boy's and girl's as they went. Ron was absolutely miserable.

"Don't listen to them, Ron," Fred cheered as he pulled his dirty robes off.

"You're not as bad as all that," added George, getting into the shower.

"Yeah Ron," said Harry, "It's only your first practice, and Malfoy fouled it up anyway."

"Yeah," Ron agreed dismally. He changed quickly into clean robes and headed out before Fred and George were even finished showering.

"I'll cheer him up," Harry promised, changing quickly and leaving as well. The twins took their time showering as they didn't have any classes on a Sunday, and all the girls had left by the time they were done.

There was no one on the pitch to hear their twin yells of horror.

sSs

Breakfast was quiet as Ron was quite depressed, and the Slytherins kept giggling and whispering, despite the reek that emanated from their breakfast table. The dungeons had yet to air out from George's biological warfare on Putterly, and the students therein had resorted to carrying around perfumes and musks to attempt to hide the scents. Kara cheerily suggested they should wear air-fresheners around their necks. But it was a depressing scene as Fred and George sat down. The giggling increased, and Fred and George were silent.

"Holy crap!" shouted Kelena when the twin's appearance registered with her. Both twins were sporting bright green hair in place of bright red, and 'Property of Slytherin' was spelled out in drippy green letters on their foreheads.

"What happened?" asked Hermione incredulously.

"It was something in the shampoo," George said torpidly, already accepting of his new look.

"It won't come out, we've tried everything," exclaimed Fred, looking like a drowned puppy.

"What spell could write that out on your heads?" asked Harry, baffled as he took in their ridiculous appearances.

"Well it's obviously some kind of _automa scribere_ potion, like those instant-graffiti drafts they sell in Knockturn Al-," Kara stopped mid-speech. All eyes turned to her. She was suddenly self-conscious. "They dip Quick-quotes quills in it," she said quickly to her plate, suddenly interested in the finer points of dining.

"You know a surprising lot about it," said Hermione suspiciously, her fork held midair in apt interest.

"Don't go blaming her-," started Seamus offhandedly, "-for being so…out there…she knows a lot."

"No, it wasn't Kara," George agreed with suspense, giving the fifth-year a look of acquittal. "We _know _who did it."

"First we thought it was Malfoy, 'cause he was being such a twat this morning," Fred explained.

"Then I caught a look of my bum in the mirror--" continued George.

"Big green letters--"

"E-V-I-L, plain as day--"

"Evil?" Ron asked incredulously. "It couldn't be--" he lowered his voice, "_you-know-who_?"

Fred looked at him like he had a horn growing out of his head. "No you twit!" he said irritably. "What interest would you-know-who have in our bums?!"

Ron looked blank, and George offered some explanation. "It was in the mirror, so it was backwards," he generously elaborated for his brother.

"You have writing on your bum?" Kel asked, looking at Fred with an intrigued smirk. "Can we see it?"

"Oh sod off."

"So what did it say?" Ginny asked in suspense.

"LIVE," said Fred in a haunted sort of voice.

"But she couldn't have, could she?" asked Ginny. "She doesn't have access!"

"To my bum?!" George asked horrifically, a brow cocked in shock.

"To the pitch, idiot," Kel remarked. She looked over at the Slytherin table, where Live was having a good, long laugh. "She could have," she said with all certainty. "She's pretty clever. And you guys _did_ piss her off. Which, by the way, we're still not done," she gave Fred a pointed look as she went back to munching some toast.

"But why would she write her name? Isn't she afraid she'll get in trouble?" Ginny asked, still curious and rather amused at Live's daring.

"Nah…" Kara denied, adding a heaping spoonful of sugar to a grapefruit half.

"Why are you so sure? If they tell McGonagall--"

"Hey guys, you gonna bend over and show McGonagall the evidence?!" Kara suggested enthusiastically.

"Hell no!" they said as one. Kara laughed at their affirmation, and the cleverness of such a prank, wondering if such a thing could be marketed…

"But believe me, it's there," George affirmed with raised brows. "Lovely big letters…I've been branded, I have." He gave a sweeping glance over at the Slytherin table and caught Live's eye. She wiggled her eyebrows at him in a suggestive manner that made him smirk. She knew _exactly_ what they were discussing; the information not currently available to the public at large. He grinned and turned back to the conversation.

"You know just how creepy it is? E-V-I-L…I wonder how long I'll have to see that for," Fred wondered as he helped himself to a biscuit.

Kara was about to ask why it was absolutely necessary for Fred to view his bum every chance he got, but her thoughts were interrupted by a most snotty voice.

"I knew that girl was evil," stated Lavender loudly to Parvati.

"Excuse me?!" Kara cried out, standing in offense.

"What? Are you deaf, too?" Lavender asked sarcastically, also standing.

Kara grabbed a fork and a rather hard piece of toast. Lavender's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed.

"Don't Kara," Hermione warned. She thought of using prefect status as a stop to this problem, but knew it would only cause more. She hoped as a friend Kara would listen.

"McGonagall's looking," Ginny informed, looking around in feigned nonchalance.

Kara crunched the piece of toast in her hand and grudgingly sat down, swallowing her anger. She stared hard at her plate, fuming at having to back down from winning another round. She was about to get up and leave, maybe do something nasty to Lavender's belongings, when a blob of porridge smacked the side of her face. There was a mass intake of breath as Kara wiped off the porridge in shocked, mechanical movements. It was obvious something had snapped.

"Don't do anything, Kara. McGonagall saw, she's coming," Hermione pleaded quickly through the mass silence. She could see the Hunter bloodlust rising and knew that she had to do whatever she could to quickly disarm Kara's anger. Everyone seemed to be watching and waiting for the moment that Kara's tolerance ran out and she went into a frenzy that Live fondly referred to as 'The Insanity-Defense Stage'.

McGonagall, who was almost halfway down the row, called out, "Miss Brown, come here please."

Lavender, despite the fact that she was about to be punished, looked rather smug as she rose. "I win," she murmured. She turned to walk towards McGonagall, and saw the aging Professor's eyes widen at something behind her. She turned around and received an entire kidney pie in the face. She shrieked through the hot mess as if her nose had been cut off.

"Win that, wi-atch," Kara said with sick satisfaction from where she stood, using her anger creatively.

"Miss Hunter!" McGonagall yelled in shock. "My office, both of you!"

Kara turned, almost cheerfully, and made her way to McGonagall's office while said teacher helped Lavender scoop chunks of pie off her face. Kara waited outside for them and scooted her chair away from Lavender's when they were let in. Her lips had become a thin line.

"I'm hard-pressed to think of a time when I've been more ashamed of two of my own students!" she began. "Food fighting in the Great Hall! In front of everyone! And not to mention the rumors I've heard of you two muggle-dueling in the common room."

_Hermione, you nark,_ thought Kara.

"Well, explain yourselves." There was silence as she waited for an answer.

"Miss Hunter?" Silence. "Miss Brown?" More silence. "If one of you don't start talking, you will both have detention for a month! With Professor Snape!"

"She started it!!" Lavender accused, pointing her finger at Kara.

"I did not! _You _did!!" Kara vehemently snarled. "Do you hear the sounds you attempt to make words with?! You're a nutcase!!"

"You're a big Gryffin-whore!!" Lavender threw back.

"Miss Brown!!" McGonagall admonished. "I'll hardly tolerate such degradation of our house!"

"SEE?! She's been saying stuff like that all week about me!!" Kara told McGonagall ardently. "On no grounds whatsoever!! For no reason she's been being a pain in my-!"

"No grounds?! No GROUNDS?! Are you ever _not_ surrounded by guys?! I'd be dishonoring our House if I let you keep up with it! And after all, we all know how you and Live get around--"

"Don't you say another word about my sister or I swear I'll curse you into a coma!!!" Kara jumped up and shouted with raised wand pointed at Lavender's head.

"MISS HUNTER!" McGonagall firmly cried. "Lower your wand and sit down at once!"

Kara, satisfied that Lavender looked somewhere between fainting and wetting herself with fear, put her wand away and complacently took her seat, a last glare in Miss Wee's direction.

"Now I don't know why you girls hold so much hostility for one another but I will NOT tolerate it in my office!" Her tone was firm and mildly threatening, eyes holding them both still in their seats. It was obvious to the old teacher that this was just a case of popularity jealousy, and clearly Lavender had not figured out a way to manage it. She hoped she could straighten the brown-haired girl out. "You'll each serve detention tonight as punishment for your disgraceful behavior before your peers in the dining hall. Miss Brown, you'll serve with me, and think on more constructive ways to deal with your shameful provocative behavior with the new term."

Kara smirked at McGonagall's rather ironic choice of words and how Lavender's eyes widened when she thought _she_ was being called loose. And by their Head of House, too.

"And Miss Hunter, you'll serve with Professor Snape."

Kara went from pleased to disappointed. "Why do _I_ get Snape?!" she exclaimed with distaste.

"_Professor_ Snape needs an extra pair of hands with brewing tonight and since your sister _is_ in Slytherin House and you're familiar with them it seems only logical that _you_ assist him," McGonagall stated without question. Kara looked rather irritated with her choice while Lavender looked most pleased with this small victory. "Besides, Miss Brown needs to get reacquainted with her manners and Professor Snape already has a large-enough task to bear." She gave Lavender a reproving look that made the other girl lower her eyes in embarrassment. "Now, I'd like you both to leave this office in peace, and should I hear anything else about the two of you fighting, you'll spend the rest of your days in the dungeons. Do I make myself clear?"

Kara wondered if she meant shackled-up or detention with Snape, but decided not to question as both seemed horrid consequences. They both murmured agreement as McGonagall looked thoroughly finished with this matter.

Kara got off her seat and exited first as Lavender didn't want her back exposed to the sister of a Slytherin. Already Kara's wheels were turning for revenge most sweet. So enthralled was she by the allure of her plans that she didn't even notice Lavender quickly gaining on and passing her.

"…_stffid oaer_…" she murmured as she passed by.

"_What_?" Kara said, threat in her voice. Did she just call her a stupid whore?

"I didn't say anything," Lavender denied quickly, sudden realization that her back was exposed to Kara.

"Don't forget, Lavender, who my family is, and who you could upset."

"Ooo, Live? I'm so afraid…"

"Oh, not her, although you should be afraid for all the magic she knows that they don't teach us here," Kara genuinely warned. She gave Lavender a hard stare to jog her memory of what kind of magic Hogwarts refuses to teach, and what gifted witches she and her sister were. The other witch visibly cringed at the thought, but raised her head arrogantly as if they would never dare it.

"Whatever," Lavender threw off flippantly, although taking a note on her being warned. "I think you're a liar. Live's all you've got, and she's nothing to brag about, either."

Kara bristled but kept her anger in check, promising it that it would have its chance at payback. "I didn't mean _blood_, you twat. My _friends_ are my greater family and my family looks out for one another. And I'm connected, if you haven't noticed." She gave her one last stare and a smile before going about her business. "It's all up to you how this game will be played. You better watch it. Wi-atch."

sSs

If one happened to be flying around the lofty turrets of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, by broomstick or other means, one would be surprised to find a pale, ginger-haired girl and a tan, blonde young lady sun-bathing precariously on the vaulted roof of Gryffindor Tower.

Ginny stretched languidly and took another long sip of her chilled pumpkin juice. "What a great way to spend a day," she said happily.

"Yeah," Kara approved, popping a large glob of melty chocolate into her mouth. "Great idea Ginny!" The two high-fived each other before laying back down.

"So, it was Live who sabotaged the shampoo?" Ginny asked for confirmation, shielding her eyes from the sun.

"Of course," said Kara nonchalantly.

"I won't say they didn't deserve it," said Ginny, "but I think having it happen right after Malfoy had a go at the team didn't make it all that funny."

"You're right," Kara replied. "We do need to do something nasty to Malfoy. That git needs to be taken down a notch." Kara was silent for a long while.

Ginny grinned. She liked it when Kara made plans. She decided to give her a little more encouragement. "Ron's been absolutely miserable ever since. He's not even that bad, but if Malfoy keeps at it, we're not going to win anything this year."

Kara was pensively silent as she took a drink of a cooled butterbeer, and a wickedly promising smile spread across her face.

sSs

Live was having a grand time with her Slytherin friends, despite the fact that their common room smelled like warm fish-heads. Everyone thought she was brilliant for the prank she had pulled on the Weasley twins since Slytherins were usually the target of _their _pranks. She hadn't done it for the sake of the Slytherins, however, or just to get one-up on the Gryffindors; she'd done it for purely selfish reasons to get back at her little buddies and feel even with George.

But she wasn't about to go advertising that fact.

"That was a great one, Hunter," Montague said with a smirk. "You got those Gryffindorks good."

"Well, I try," Live said in an exaggerated-humble way, relishing in the praise. _It's about time I got recognized for my cleverness._

"How'd you do it?" asked Blaise Zabini.

Live smiled. "Tricks of the trade," she said cryptically.

"Aww, come on, tell us how!" insisted Rebecca. "You can't keep it to yourself!"

"Just remember," Live hinted, "it's all about connections. You make the right connections, you get things done." She began making her way out from the usually-pleasant common room. The smell was really starting to get to her.

"That's it? That's all you're going to say?" asked Vivian with disappointment. If she wasn't about to give up her methods to everyone, Vivian at least thought she'd tell her later in their dormitory. It'd bother her all day if she wasn't filled in.

"That's all I can stand to say, this place is ripe," Live remarked, grinning.

"You should be used to it by now, what with hanging around with those Gryffindorks all the time."

Live turned to see who had addressed her and was greeted by the sight of a platinum-haired ferret named Draco.

"Got something to say to me, ferret-boy?" Live genuinely inquired. She was immediately flanked by Vivian and Rebecca, her roomies and best friends in Slytherin. Malfoy's cronies surrounded him as well.

"Only that you seem all too comfortable with a certain pair of Gryffindors of late," Malfoy sneered.

"Sod off, Malfoy." Putterly had come up behind Live and put his arm around her waist, claiming ownership and that she had his protection. Malfoy's glare deepened.

Putterly really _did_ smell worse than a pile of dead rats, but he was playing his part nicely. If Malfoy thought that Putterly _wasn't_ interested in blokes, and that Live was Putterly's right-hand gal, then both of them were sailing a fine course indeed. She had his added protection (not that she needed it) and he had a new 'girlfriend' sort to throw them all off. And sure enough, Putterly's presence coupled with Live indeed made Malfoy fume.

Stupid prat.

"If by _comfortable_ you mean going great lengths to turn them green and write my name all over their asses, maybe you'd like it if I was a bit more comfy with you?!" she asked sarcastically, but smiled a sweet smile. He tried to hide it, but his face clearly held the fear of what he'd look like green-headed and if she had the time to do such a thing. His eyes also held a look she did not like, but she continued with regal entitlement. "I just claimed two annoying prats for Slytherin House. What have you done for us lately, Malfoy? Sat on your ass wasting what precious little clean air we have down here?" Live had on her best 'I'm-gonna-F-you-up' face. She glared at Malfoy as she approached the common room door. "Go eat a worm, ferret boy." With that, she turned and, leaving her comrades behind, exited the Slytherin common room, maybe even for another bath.

"He's an annoying little prick, isn't he?"

Live let out a squeak of surprise as the voice sounded next to her ear. She wheeled around to see Kara come out of the shadows.

"You scared the hell out of me!" Live shrieked in annoyance.

"Well, someone had to; no priest will come near you," Kara said with a grin.

"Ha-ha," Live said sarcastically. "What are you doing down here anyway? You'd be stuck in some dark room if a Slytherin found you."

"That mean you're gonna lock me in the closet again?" asked Kara. She was feeling quite clever.

"Do you get more sarcastic as the day wears on?" Live asked tiredly.

"No, only as I get closer to Slytherins."

"Smart-ass." She grinned. "What do you want anyway?"

"I need to call in a favor…" Kara put on her best 'innocent-request' face.

"Is this about product testing?" Live asked feeling much wearied. Being in a fish-head perfumed common room did that to a person.

"Not as of now," Kara commented with a smile.

Live peered around, as if looking for any hidden eavesdroppers. "Let's walk."

When they had found a nice, empty corridor, Kara pulled Live aside. "I need the password to the Slytherin dungeons."

"What?! Why do you need in our dungeon?"

"It's a surprise," Kara said with a grin.

"If the surprise is you coming in in the middle of the night with a torch and pitchfork like last year, I'm not interested."

"You know I never repeat," Kara said indignantly. Live gave her a withering glare, and murmured something about 'nightmares'. "I'm not doing any permanent damage, just a little light-hearted prank; won't affect _you _at all."

"I don't know…"

"Aww, come on! I got you the password to our changing rooms, and I had no idea what _you _were gonna do!"

Live laughed. "I own those bi-atches." Kara smirked.

"So will you give it to me?"

Live was pensive for a minute. "Fine. If any of this gets back to me, you'll wish it _was_ a closet I locked you in." Kara's eyebrows shot up. Live leaned in close, green-eyes looking around one last time to make sure there were no witnesses to her treachery. "The password is…" she looked around, "Viper-tooth."

Kara grinned broadly. "You're a doll!" Before Live could say anything further, Kara turned and disappeared down the corridor with a skip in her step.

sSs

Harry and Ron sat under the tree by the lake, trying to get started on the essays that Snape had assigned on the uses of Erumpet horn. They had waited all week to get started on them, and were now in a state of panic as they had no idea what an Erumpet was and could not locate Hermione. They really needed to pay more attention in class.

"You don't reckon Hermione would do these for us if we mixed them in with her homework, do you?" asked Ron.

"I think she'd notice," Harry said dismally. "All of her homework is already done."

Ron made a sour face and took another look at his blank piece of parchment. "I don't think I'm making any headway," Harry said flatly.

Ron leaned over and took a look at Harry's paper. "At least you've got more than me."

"I've only written the title, Ron."

He shrugged. "Well, it's a start."

"Geez, procrastinate much?"

Harry and Ron both jumped. "Don't do that Kara," Ron cried, picking up the ink bottle he knocked over.

"People are too jumpy around here," Kara said, sitting down.

"Where's your essay?" asked Harry.

"Finished it," Kara replied plainly.

"Already?! Where do you find the time?" asked Ron, taken aback.

"Here and there," she replied nonchalantly with a smile.

"So what are you doing right now?" asked Harry, looking for any reason to put off the essay. Yes, procrastinate much indeed.

"Killing time until tonight," replied Kara without thinking.

"What are you doing tonight?" asked Ron furrowing his brow.

"I'm…uhhh…" Kara tried to think of something without giving away her plans.

"You've got detention with Snape, don't you?"

_Oh, yeah._ "Oh yeah," said Kara, remembering her date with the greasy git.

"Tough break," said Ron. "Hope he doesn't make you clean out old cauldrons. Those things smell horrible."

"McGonagall said he needed an assistant, and as she's doing detention with Lavender, I'm filling in."

"You got off easy then," said Harry remembering all of _his_ detentions with Snape.

"I s'pose it's because of Live," Kara said thoughtfully. "She's in good with him because she gets good marks in potions. I bet he thinks he can turn me."

"Into what?" asked Ron.

Kara laughed at his expression of horror. "Don't worry Ron, I won't be taken in by the dark side." She smiled.

"I don't get it, Kara, you're good at potions, so why do you get bad marks during class?" asked Harry, thinking of all the fires she had started in the past.

"The mind wanders, you know? I s'pose I'll try to pay more attention this term so that I make it into the N.E.W.T. level class next year."

Ron and Harry were shocked. "Why would you want to take potions next year?" asked Ron. "Snape's horrible!"

"Yeah, but being qualified in potions is useful in life." Kara had a far off look in her eye. Ron and Harry exchanged perturbed looks.

"Since when do you think about the future?" Ron asked skeptically.

"Don't be a twat, Ron, of course I think about the future." Kara gave him a rather insulted look. "What if Voldemort-" Ron cringed, "-comes back to power, and Hogwarts isn't up and running? You saw how we were treated by the Order. Like little kids. I need as many skills as possible if I'm to be useful in the future. Not to mention to survive."

"I'd never thought about that," said Ron. "You don't think that could really happen though, do you?" He gave Harry a knowing look. He shrugged in response.

"Anything could happen, Ron. Our futures are up in the air right now," Harry told him seriously. "You've got a point Kara."

"It's not like we're useless right now, but if you can get more power, I say do it," Kara declared.

Harry smiled. "Live's been exerting her influence over you again, hasn't she?"

Kara smiled, and Ron was frowning. "I didn't like being a prisoner in my own house last week. You know mum still says they haven't figured out what all those creatures were doing there or where they came from?" Kara shuddered. "Maybe we should all study up this year."

"When would we find time to practice?" Harry mused aloud, taking this most seriously. "We're behind as it is."

"I'm sure you'll find time to test your new talents here and there," said Kara with a grin. She was imagining the evening she had planned for herself. "I know I will."

Ron and Harry exchanged a glance of suspicion. "What have you got planned?" asked Harry.

"A surprise. Just for you two!" Harry raised an eyebrow. "Okay, so it's for me too, but mostly for you two," said Kara truthfully.

"What kind of surprise?" Ron looked rather worried.

"Not a surprise _at_ you, a surprise _for_ you," Kara elaborated. "You'll like it, I promise. Anyway, maybe we could find time to practice together. You know, show each other the stuff we learn on our own. It would save time."

"That's a good idea," said Harry. "Weekends? I mean, if we don't have quidditch."

"Don't worry about it right now," said Kara smiling. "You have to catch up on regular stuff first, and unfortunately, your essays won't write themselves." Ron groaned loudly in protest. Kara opened Harry's copy of _Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them_ to page 16 and set it between Ron and Harry. "This'll get you started." She turned to walk away. "Good luck," she said over her shoulder

sSs


	19. Double, Double, Toil and Trouble

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 19: Double, Double, Toil and Trouble

sSs

Kara ate her dinner quickly that night and left the Great Hall at 5:30. She was to report to Snape's dungeon at 6:00, but instead of heading down, she went up. She had already slipped Lavender a slow acting sleeping potion that would make her wake up late the next morning, and she now had to complete step two of her 'revenge on Lavender/surprise for Ron and Harry' plan.

She headed at a brisk pace through the Hall of Moving Stairs and Portraits in search of Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor ghost. Seeing a wisp of white vapor going around a corner, Kara hopped off the moving staircase and jogged down the corridor. She turned the corner, expecting Sir Nicholas, but nearly ran through the Bloody Baron.

"Oh!" she gasped. She was taken a little by surprise. He looked at her with a slight frown.

"Yes?" he asked with a ghostly look. "May I help you?"

Now that she thought about it, she had never actually spoken to the Baron before, and now was as good a time to do so. "Umm, excuse me Baron, but….I don't suppose you've seen Peeves around, have you?" She stared, transfixed by the silvery blood on the Baron's waistcoat and waited anxiously for an answer.

He considered her for a moment before answering. "Actually, I was just going to have a word with him. He's been splashing ink all through the Arithmacy classroom."

"Oh, well, do you mind if I go with you?" He frowned. Kara, thinking fast, appealed to the nobility in him. "I mean, I needed to have a word with him as well, and I would prefer to be escorted to him by someone who has such honor and dignity in their command that he would know I mean business."

Though she waited with great apprehension, the Baron seemed slightly pleased. Apparently, she had struck a good chord in him. "It would be my honor to escort you, miss--?"

"Hunter," she answered brightly, "Kara Hunter."

"Miss Hunter. Shall we?" With that, he turned and lead the way down the corridor to a moderately sized classroom that was, indeed, covered in ink. Peeves had just thrown another bottle to the floor with a smash, when he noticed that the Baron had entered.

"That's quite enough from you, Peeves," he said in a commanding voice.

Peeves looked apprehensive. "Whatever do you mean, Your Bloodiness?"

"You know what I mean, Peeves. Enough! I don't want to hear that you've smashed one more bottle of ink, is that clear?"

Peeves flipped himself into a sort of midair bow. "Of course Mr. Baron, sir. Clearer than ink." It was a weak joke, and Peeves did not smile as he watched the Baron.

The Bloody Baron looked from Peeves to Kara and said, "If you will excuse me, Miss Hunter, I have things to do." Kara nodded slightly, wondering what sorts of things a ghost would have to do, and the Baron said to Peeves, "I expect the utmost decorum from you."

Peeves put a hand to his forehead in mock-salute, and with a small bow to Kara, the Baron exited through the wall.

"Got something to say, have you?" Peeves asked with a snarky look once the Baron had left.

"I've got a proposition for you, Peeves," Kara proposed, putting on her business face.

"Ooo, sounds dirty!" Peeves said with excitement, flipping onto his stomach in the air.

"Yes actually," Kara told him. Peeves' face spread into a toothy grin. "A large bucket of mud is sitting just behind a knight in the corridor leading to Gryffindor tower. It would be a shame if all of it ended up in Lavender Brown's bed," Kara said slyly.

"And why should I do that?" asked Peeves, who hadn't stopped grinning.

"Because I'll owe you one, and you're the kind of poltergeist who likes being owed one."

Peeves seemed to be considering the offer. "Hmm," he said, his grin widening, "It seems I not only found a bucket of mud, but also a tin of oysters hiding behind that knight."

Kara grinned wickedly. "Knight? What knight? Oh! _Good_nightPeeves."

Cackling madly, Peeves disappeared through the ceiling.

Kara smiled to herself then suddenly remembered her detention with Snape. She left the room and sprinted down the corridor. She hopped on the stairs leading down, only to have them decide to move. She slid down the banister and jumped the growing gap from the bottom of the stairs to the landing without looking down. She continued down the stairs, running the entire way, until she finally reached the dungeons.

She opened the creaking door, gasping for breath and holding her cramping side.

"You're late, Hunter. Five points from Gryffindor."

_Dammit. _"Sorry Professor," she said grudgingly through panting.

"Since Professor McGonagall does not have the patience to deal with you, you will be assisting me with brewing tonight. Watch closely and perhaps you will learn something, as opposed to your designated time in my class." He gave her his customary scowl, then turned and began to remove ingredients from a storage cupboard and place them on the worktable where his cauldron was sitting over a steadily glowing flame.

Not quite sure what to do with herself, Kara sat on a stool by the worktable and watched. After a moment, Snape closed the cupboard and stood by his cauldron.

"So, er-- what are we brewing, Professor?" Kara asked quietly.

Snape turned to her. "I assume by now that you know the purpose of the Wolfsbane potion?" Kara nodded. _Why does he look at everyone as if they were bugs?_ "Then I also assume that you know that it takes a great deal of care and an experienced hand to concoct?" Another nod. _Ha! He said 'ass' and 'cock' in one sentence without smiling!_ "I will assume that since you are now free of…_distraction_…" _Is he implying that I have no attention span? I can pay attention, I can! Ooo, he didn't lock that cupboard over there_… "-that you will put forth more effort and concentration than you have in the past." Kara nodded once more when he stopped talking. Sensing that he was staring at her, Kara shook herself from her thoughts.

"Yes, Professor." Snape gave her an odd look and turned back to his cauldron.

"I want you to grind these Moonstones--no, the blue ones before the violet--into a fine powder and keep them separate."

"Yes, Professor," replied Kara.

Snape looked at her oddly again. "Do you know how to say anything besides 'Yes Professor'?" he asked snarkily.

"Yes, Professor," Kara replied with a grin, beginning to grind the stones.

Snape sighed, too exasperated to bother with the 'bad' Hunter sister, and began to brew his potion.

Kara became lost in her thoughts. _These Moonstones sure are shiny…almost like they're glowing. Wonder if he has more_ _in that cupboard. I know there's stuff in there I could use…he probably wouldn't notice if I took one or two of the pink ones…and the blue ones, they're so pretty. They probably do different things…Maybe I _should _pay more attention in class…did he just scratch his butt? I hope I imagined that…hey, this potion is probably for Lupin. I wonder if he's coming here to take it. Probably not. Ow, I smashed my thumb with the pestle! Oh, he took the blue powdered Moonstone. Time for the purple…hey these ones _are_ glowing! That potion is starting to stink. How does Remus stand to swallow it?_ Kara gradually became aware that Snape was saying something to her.

"…hope to continue on into the N.E.W.T. level class?" Kara stared at him for a moment. _Is she even listening?_ thought Snape. _She always has this dazed, glazed-over look in her eyes, I wonder if she comprehends half of the things going on around her. Bloody Gryffindor._ "Well, Miss Hunter?"

"Er-- I've finished with the Moonstone," said Kara, trying avoid answering. She didn't even know the question.

"Grind up the orange Fwooper eggshells. Two of them."

"But," Kara started uncertainly, "don't Fwooper eggshells help _cause_ insanity?"

Snape looked taken aback. "When they are combined with the right amount of Hellebore, they help to decrease it, though I am pleased to hear that you have taken something from my class, as rare as such a thing may be."

For a moment, Kara thought he was referring to the Kappa scales she swiped from his class last year, but then realized he was talking about knowledge.

"Oh, yeah," she replied, relieved.

"But you still haven't answered my question," said Snape as he returned to stirring his potion.

Kara tensed. "Uh…what question would that be, Professor?"

"I asked how, with your pitiful potions record, you hope to continue into my N.E.W.T. level potions class?" He fixed her with something akin to a glare, though he was rather curious as to just how she thought she _would_ be returning. He wouldn't allow her in just because her sister was such a brilliant potions maker. _This_ sister caused more explosions than any.

"Actually, I've been thinking about that, Professor." Snape had a look that seemed to say, 'Thinking? You?' "I'm going to pay more attention to what I'm doing this year."

"Really?" Professor Snape asked with cold disbelief. "Is that why you are grinding an empty pestle and mortar?"

Kara looked down. It was, indeed, empty. She placed two brightly colored orange egg-shells in the mortar and looked up at Snape with a grin, undeterred by his snarky comment. He was sneering, but it was the most grin-like sneer she had ever seen him manage.

"Well, I've got a lot more motivation _this _year, haven't I?" Kara said honestly, watching the egg-shells turn to powder. No wonder Live liked potions so much if you got to destroy things…And grinding up eggshells was surprisingly satisfying…

"Trying to _Live_ up to your sister's standards?"

"No, I meant because Lord Voldemort's back," she said almost nonchalantly. She heard a sharp intake of breath at the Dark Lord's name, but Snape did not flinch.

"Do-not-say-his-name!" Snape snapped angrily through clenched teeth.

"But--"

"Don't!" He was almost yelling.

Kara went, literally, back to the grindstone, feeling rather chastised, and for a while they continued on in silence, broken only by Snape giving her an order to grind this or chop that. After four hours, when Kara was beginning to think that she would go insane from the silence, it was broken by another sharp intake of breath from Snape. His back was to her, but she could see that he was clutching his left forearm. _Is he having a heart attack?_

"Professor?" asked Kara timidly.

He rounded on her. "I will be gone for approximately half an hour. I want you to chop up the wolfsbane, but touch nothing else. I don't think I need to tell you not to put anything in your mouth." Kara nodded chipperly. "If you cause me to have to re-brew this potion, it's going to be a week of cauldron scrubbing. Without magic."

_Nope, not a heart attack. Better tell Sirius not to break out the noise makers and party hats just yet. _"Yes, Professor," Kara said glumly.

"You are not to leave until I return," he said, pulling on a long, black traveling cloak. "I'm going to lock the door behind me so that the potion will not be disturbed, and I expect you not to go anywhere. Is that clear?"

Before Kara had managed a 'Yes Professor', Snape had slammed the door.

Kara was thoroughly depressed as she carefully chopped the wolfsbane. Then a thought occurred to her. _I'm alone in the potions classroom! That cabinet is unlocked! Shopping time!_

She felt a surge of joy as she hopped off the stool and ambled over to the cupboard. She went over all of the ingredients she found, careful to leave them exactly as she found them, and taking minute amounts of the ones she wanted or needed. She felt a twinge of guilt as she pocketed a particularly shiny pink moonstone. _He's trusting me. Maybe I shouldn't nick this stuff. _Then she heard that other voice, that one that was always doing war with her conscience. _Take it! He doesn't trust you, that's why he locked the door. Just take it, and you'll be happy later when you don't have to pay loads of galleons for necessary ingredients!_

Wholeheartedly agreeing with the sneakier half of her mind, Kara finished her 'shopping' and sat back down on the stool to watch the potion bubble. She got bored after a while, and began to read the very long, carefully written out instructions for making Wolfsbane potion.

_Hmm…It says that the wolfsbane needs to be added 36 minutes after the potion has returned to a boil. _She checked the timer. _It's been nearly 34 minutes already…where is Snape? It's definitely been 30 minutes since he left…what if he doesn't get back in time? The potion would be ruined. Would he give me a week of cauldron scrubbing? 2 minutes left, maybe I should continue brewing. The instructions are there, plain as day…but what if he makes me scrub cauldrons because I touched it…But I bet I could do it, I'm not as big a potions dunce as he thinks I am. One minute. No, I should just leave it, it's his fault that he's not back when he said he would be. He can't blame me for that, although he'll probably try. It's his own fault that the potion will have to be tossed out_…then Kara had another thought, one that came from her sensible side, or her risky side. She had a thought that pulled on her heartstrings and made her brow crease with worry. _But then, Remus wouldn't have his potion on time. He relies on it. Cooped up with Sirius in the house, what if he hurt himself, or Sirius for that matter? He'd never forgive himself. I'd never forgive myself for letting something happen that I could prevent. Hmm…_

Time was up. "I'll do it," Kara said out loud. She carefully read the directions and set about brewing the crucial potion, heedless of what Snape would do when he came back. He sure was taking his time…

sSs

Meanwhile, in Gryffindor tower, Fifth year girls dormitory, number one…

Hermione entered the dormitory, accompanied by Lavender, Parvati, and Terry.

"What in the hell is that stench?" cried Terry, holding her nose.

"It's coming from Lavender's bed," said Parvati, inclining her head towards the closed four poster in the corner.

Warily, Lavender made her way over to her bed, followed by the other three girls. She threw open the curtains, only to scream in fright at Peeves, who was floating provocatively over the mess on the bed. Mud (or at least they _hoped_ it was mud) covered everything: the insides of the curtains, the pillows, the sheets, the blankets, and all of it carried a fishy smell.

"PEEVES!" Lavender screeched as he cackled and disappeared through the floor. "I am going to kill that horrible little hell-beast!"

"Ew, Lavender. He messed your bed."

"You can't _kill_ what's not alive," Terry pointed out, thoroughly disgusted.

"We can fix it with a _scourgify_," Hermione said as she began casting the spell over the four poster.

"I don't care," Lavender affirmed. "It might look clean, but I'll lay down thinking about what was in it-- I can only hope it was mud." She grabbed a spare blanket from her trunk and headed for the door.

"Where are you going to sleep?" asked Parvati.

"On the couch in the common room. I won't be able to get any sleep on the floor." With that she left the room, presumably to sleep on the couch.

"I hope she doesn't expect one of us to wake her up in the morning," said Terry. "I don't want to deal with _that _right before potions."

"Be happy that you don't have the N.E.W.T. level potions class," said Hermione. "It starts an hour or two before the rest of the classes in the morning."

"An _hour_?" asked Terry incredulously. "They get up an hour earlier than everyone else to take _potions?_ With _Snape_?"

"Just because you don't see the merit of an extra class in the morning doesn't mean that everyone else doesn't," said Hermione as the three of them began to put their pajamas on. "Live is taking the class. So is George."

"You're kidding me!" said Parvati, climbing into her bed.

"I was as pleasantly surprised as you are," Hermione replied. Terry gave Parvati a look. They were surprised, yes, but whether it was pleasant or not was questionable. Somehow, George having more knowledge in potions didn't seem all that great. "Now let's get to bed. Monday is the day when most homework is assigned." With a groan, the three girls got into bed and tuned the lights out.

"It still smells like fish in here."

sSs

Severus Snape climbed wearily down the steps that led away from the Headmaster's office. The Dark Lord had been particularly annoyed at the slow recruitment rate for his Death Eater army and each member of the inner circle had suffered more than their share of the Cruciatus curse for it. He shuddered at the fresh memory as he made his way down to the dungeons. Having had two curses for himself on account of not having much information to offer, Snape was way past tender. Relaying to Dumbledore all that was said had taken well over two hours, and now, at half past four, he was barely able to keep his eyes open.

He half walked, half stumbled into the corridor that led to his quarters and the potions classroom. _Potions Classroom? Salazar Slytherin, I locked her in!_

Snape hurried down the corridor and unlocked the door to the potions classroom as fast as his deft fingers could work. As he entered the cold room, he was struck by the unhappy thought that he would have to stay up all night to brew a new Wolfsbane potion for Lupin. _As they say, no rest for the wicked,_ he thought grimly.

He was greeted by the sight of Kara, huddled asleep underneath the work-table, warmed by a bowl filled with a bright blue ball of flame. He walked up to the table, peering underneath at the sleeping Gryffindor. Honestly, this one was as strange as her sister was normal. His eyes wandered to the cauldron, still being heated by the flames.

He peered inside, puzzled as to why the potion was not spouting green smoke, as it should have been when burnt. _Come to think of it, where did all of the ingredients go?_ He considered Kara a suspicious moment before he studied the potion once more. _Of an excellent color, a decent consistency… Did Hunter…?_ He peered at the sleeping girl once more with doubt.

"More motivation, indeed," he said wearily, his face coming as close to a smile as possible through the haze of exhaustion. He yawned, deciding it was time to send Hunter back to her dormitory. He knelt down by her side. "Miss Hunter?" Nothing. He tried a little more loudly. "Miss Hunter!" Not even a twitch. "Miss Hunter." He prodded her with his foot. She rolled over, nearly catching herself on fire. "Wake up Hunter!" He gave her something a little closer to a kick than a prod. She stretched out, mumbling what sounded like, "-but I didn't drink the potion, Professor. I don't know why I turned into a werewolf…"

Not wanting to know what that meant, he shook her and said loudly, "Get off of the floor Hunter!"

Kara blinked sleepily, then leered up ready to berate her sister in her dazed state. Her eyes widened suddenly and she screamed, knocking the fire over. Snape jumped back in surprise, and Kara huddled herself under the table, holding her chest and gazing wildly around the room. Her breathing slowed as she took in her surroundings, realized that a really ugly Live was _not_ the one who'd woken her, and gradually remembered why she was there and what was going on.

"I would hope you have a good reason for that outburst," said Snape, a little more awake now.

"I was having a nightmare, and when I woke up, I thought it was still happening," Kara assured, stretching as she got up from under the table.

Deciding that he was too tired to bother about what she meant by 'nightmare', he said simply, "You are excused, Hunter," as he began scribbling something on a piece of parchment.

"What time is it?" Kara inquired sleepily. She thought it must be late. She had never seen Snape look this worn out.

"Half-past four," replied Snape, feeling a little guilty, or as close to it as he was capable, for locking her in. Kara's eyes widened at the time as Snape handed her the piece of parchment he had written on.

"What's this?"

"A note, in case you meet Mr. Filch on your way back to your common room."

"Oh, thank you sir."

"And it's time-sensitive so don't go wandering about. I'll not excuse you if you're found sneaking."

Kara looked as though she was about to leave, but then her eyes traveled to the simmering cauldron. Snape followed her gaze, then met it. Kara diverted her gaze to the stone floor, feeling a bit guilty.

"I, er…well, I thought that if I messed up…it would be ruined either way…and well…I didn't want Remus to go without his potion…" she explained, suddenly very interested in the scorch marks her fire had made on the floor.

Snape considered berating her for touching the potion, but it did come out fairly well after all. "The potion is…_adequate_," said Snape reducing the heat on the flame.

He returned his gaze to Kara, who was beaming brightly up at him. He almost regretted paying her such a minute compliment. She was practically glowing with happiness. Or was that moonstone smudged on her face?

"Is it? Really Professor?"

He sighed, too tired to bother. "Yes, Hunter. Now go to bed. I won't accept tardiness in my class in the morning."

"Yes sir," Kara said making her way to the door. She turned at the thresh-hold, speaking to Snape's back. "Goodnight Professor. Get some rest." Snape turned back towards the door with a snarky retort, but Kara was already gone. He sighed tiredly and consoled himself in taking away five points as he began to clean up his work-table. It had really been a long night.

sSs

Kara made her way up to her dormitory in a daze, bumping into walls as she went. She tripped over a cat that could have been Mrs. Norris, but she didn't get her hopes up. With her luck, it would be McGonagall.

She tromped through the common room, passing a snoring lump of blankets on the couch and wearily made her way up the stairs. She got to her dormitory and lay down, closing her eyes and reveling in the comfy softness of her pillows. She lay there, feeling more tired than she had in a long while, but unable to fall back to sleep. She counted sheep, hippogriffs, and the seven very-real house-elves that came in to sweep the floor and add wood to the faint glow of the hearth.

After over an hour had passed, Kara rolled over in frustration. Looking out the window at the darkness that was just beginning to creep back and let the light grow, Kara went rigid. _Wait a minute…darkness?_ Kara shot up in bed.

"Aww, crap, I forgot to break in to the Slytherin dorms!" She climbed back out of bed, hitting her foot on her trunk as she passed it. "Dammit!" She heard a gasp and nearly tripped over a straggling elf that appeared to be throwing a box of S.P.E.W. badges in the dust bin. "Sorry! Er--" The elf looked at her with wide, fearful eyes, guilty of being caught. "There's a whole load of then in the bedside dresser," Kara whispered, looking meaningfully towards the dust bin. The elf smiled a large, toothy grin as Kara knelt down and began furiously scribbling things down in Lavender's book bag. The rest of her journey through her dorm was made in silence as she slipped back out the door, into the darkness of the hallway.

She crept down the stairs, passed the snoring lump that was Lavender and up the set of stairs that led to the boys' dormitories. She crept silently up the stairs, and into the fifth year boys' dormitory. She was quite stealthy when she needed to be, but she was heading into enemy territory, and her stealth alone wouldn't work if a Slytherin caught her in their dorms. She would need to borrow extra protection from her fellow Gryffindors.

She crept to the end of the bed that she knew to be Harry's, bemused that his curtains were open and he was snoring soundly, and opened his trunk. She rifled around for a moment before finding what she was searching for: Harry's invisibility cloak.

_I'm not really stealing, _she thought._ I'm gonna put it back before he ever wakes up, and it's for a good cause. I'd have asked him, but I think he needs his rest…_she rationalized.

She slipped on the cloak, disappearing from sight and made her way out the door, down the stairs, and out the portrait hole. She crept as quickly as she dared, always searching left and right for any teacher that might be in the corridors, and after what seemed like an eternity, arrived at the entrance to the Slytherin Dungeons. She only hoped that no one was awake in their common room.

"Viper-tooth."

The wall opened, and Kara stuck her head inside first and peered around. The common room was empty. She entered cautiously, heading for the passageway opposite the one that she knew headed to the girls' dormitory. She had only snuck into the Slytherin Dungeon a few times before (which was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid) and never had she gone into the boys' dormitory.

Having no idea what door led to the fifth year dormitories, Kara stood at the end of the corridor, facing the daunting task of checking each one.

_There's got to be another way…_she thought. She didn't have time to spare. There were no windows for her to look out and see how light it was, but she knew it was almost past dawn, and she needed to be done and out of here before people started waking up.

An idea came to her. In a moment of daring, she removed the invisibility cloak, threw it in a dark corner and popped into her animagus form. She crept along the corridor, stopping at each door to sniff at the space underneath. She searched door after door, until she caught the scent she was looking for. A clean, musky smell, mingled with the scents of at least three others, all hopefully asleep.

She popped back into human form, and carefully cracked the door open, pausing to listen. The only sound was of deep breathing coming from the four beds with green velvet drapes.

Closing the door, Kara got down on all fours and crept up to the bed that had Malfoy's book bag at the foot. She opened the bag quietly, and, pulling her wand out of her waistband, set about her work. She worked quickly, pausing every now and again in her whispering to listen for sounds of stirring. When she had finished, she smiled and peered around in the darkness for the item that she needed.

She began crawling towards a wardrobe when a deep, slow ringing, not unlike that of a small gong, sounded next to one of the beds. There was the distinctive sound of someone waking, and in a panic, Kara dashed into the open door of the lavatory. She jumped into the claw-footed bathtub, trying to make herself as small as possible and waited with baited breath for what would come next.

"Time to get up you louts," came the tired call of the distinctively-Malfoy voice. Several grunts came as an answer. There was a rustle of fabric and the unpleasant sound of footsteps growing closer.

Kara shrank down as low as possible as a light came on in the bathroom and a shadow of a person made it's way across the green shower curtain. She held her breath. A hand reached inside the curtain and turned on the faucet. Kara bit her lip not to cry out as the freezing cold water poured onto her from the serpent-shaped spout.

The boy in the bathroom yawned and there was the sound of rustling fabric again. Trusting that the sound of the water would mask that of her movements, Kara grabbed the edge of the tub closer to the wall and hauled herself up and over the edge. She wedged herself down in between the tub and the wall and prayed to whatever deities that were listening that whoever got in the shower would not feel the need to look down while facing the wall. The curtain opened and no other than Draco Malfoy climbed in, in all his pale, naked glory. Kara's eyes went wide as she looked up at him, and after the initial shock wore off Kara had to fight off the urge to laugh out loud. No _wonder_ he always behaved like a git!

After she had a good, long look in which she committed the entire scene to memory, Kara crept out around the side of the tub, and with a cautious glance up at the shower curtain, peered out the bathroom door. She could see no movement, but she could definitely hear it inside the four-posters.

Hearing the water beginning to shut off, she took a chance and took a running dive under the nearest bed. She peered out from beneath the green trim and spied the last thing she needed lying on the floor not two feet from her. Lashing out with her hand, she grabbed it and laid still and quiet. _Draco Malfoy's boxers._

Kara was forced to wait for nearly an hour until an opportunity arose when Malfoy had left, Zabini was in the shower, and Crabbe and Goyle had dozed off once more, when she could dash out of the door into the hallway, and back under the invisibility cloak.

She ran, full pelt, out of the Slytherin Dungeons, not caring if anyone heard her, and not stopping until she had reached her own common room. She tucked Malfoy's boxers into Lavender's sleeping arms, thankful for the sleeping potion she had slipped her, and snuck back up to the boys' dormitories. She stuffed Harry's cloak back inside of his trunk, fully aware of the bright sunlight streaming through the open window. She made her way wearily back up to her dormitory, and tossed herself bodily onto her bed.

She wanted nothing more than to sleep for days, but she had no more than closed her eyes when Hermione's morning alarm went off. Kara groaned loudly and pulled a pillow over her eyes.

"Time to get up everybody!" Hermione said cheerily, rising from her bed. "Come on, Kara, you can't sleep all day." She received a well aimed pillow to the face.

sSs

It was early Monday morning. The kind everyone hates, especially if you were a Gryffindor stuck in double-potions with an irate professor first thing in the morning and your hair was looking a Christmas dream of natural red and bright green.

Little to say, George was not happy.

"Urgh…" he groaned, plopping into his desk next to Lee. "I should be sleeping for another four hours or something…Remind me again why we're here?"

"Well, _I'm_ here because Madam Pomfrey said I'd need the extra experience to be fully trained in medics-"

"Not to mention entertain me, which you're failing miserably at, by the way." He slumped his chin to the desk.

Lee smirked, ever encouraged. "And _you're_ here so Fred doesn't have to be, most noble sacrifice by the way, mate! And also so that at least _one_ of you knows what you're doing when making joke-stuff--"

"Don't want a repeat like Disfigured Dave," George laughed. "Okay, I think you've made your point."

"_Plus_," Lee continued, a great smug look upon his face, "there's the fact that Live excels in potions and just happens to have this class first thing--"

"The better to prank her-"

"--_And_," Lee continued, throwing a glance in said girl's direction, "because that Putterly bloke what's been hanging around her _also_ has this class with her--"

"Get out of it, mate-"

"--and we all know how you don't like louts like him being around her," Lee continued undaunted, smiling in the knowledge that he'd struck a nerve, "and you wanted to keep an eye on her--"

"Sod. Off-"

"--because--"

"-Lee."

"--you--"

"I'll kill you, mate-"

"--fancy her!!" he shrieked quickly, laughing while shielding himself with his arms as George began to pummel him. "_With an undying love_!!" he added through laughter.

"I said get out of it!" George declared as he tried to put his hand over Lee's mouth lest anyone hear.

"_Of a thousand cupids--!_"

George pulled out his wand, ready to _make_ Lee shut up when Snape walked into the classroom.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Weasley, for disrupting a lesson," Snape sneered as he glared at George. He and Lee glared right back from their half-pummeled position frozen in time. The lesson hadn't even begun! Snarky git.

George smacked Lee when Snape wasn't looking and then glanced over at Live sitting a few desks away with Putterly. She was looking right back at him with raised brows and a puzzled frown at him for already getting in trouble, before quickly glancing at Snape and then mouthing back '_What are you doing?'_

George shrugged and smiled as she gave him a confused grin back. Her attention was drawn away from him, however, when Putterly tapped her on the back to get her attention front and center. She began taking down notes and paying attention to Snape's instructions as Putterly gave George a snide, furtive grin. He glared until Lee prodded him into attention and beginning their potion.

"He's a git, just ignore him," Lee told George as he put slimy bubotuber pus in their cauldron.

"Putterly or Snape?" George scoffed, absentmindedly adding the powdered wand-tree leaves to the cauldron.

"Well both, o' course," Lee smirked. A bright grin stole his face and he looked George square in the eye, trying not to laugh as well as maintain a semblance of seriousness. "Just remember, mate, it was _your _bum she wrote her name on, not his."

George gave him a friendly punch in the arm (maybe harder than should be, for good measure) and added the chopped up- well…_he_ didn't know what stuff he'd chopped up- to the potion and watched it fizz in the bottom.

Snape was walking around the classroom and happily found fault with a sixth-year Gryffindor and her methods of chopping up her- whatever that stuff was. Lee was looking around and elbowed George to get his attention.

"Lookit, mate. You're not the only one displeased," he consoled, pointing to some known 'friends' of Malfoy sitting in a corner and glaring in Live and Putterly's direction. Did everyone now have it out for them? "I mean, sure, he's an alright-enough bloke for most girls, but for him to snag Live? No wonder they're all so put-off." George gave his friend a warning look, but Lee grinned. He'd force George into admitting he fancied her a bit if it killed him. "Looks like they're planning something if I've ever seen it. Maybe we should warn her in a note…a _love_ note." He grinned and George smacked him again.

"Oh sod off. Isn't that his ex?" George asked, pointing to a girl with auburn hair glaring daggers in Live's back. He was glad he wasn't on the receiving end of such a look.

"Melinda Harris. Urgh, she resembles Parkinson." George laughed while Lee looked pensive. "Slytherins…Uh! She's looking our way!"

The Slytherin girl in question turned her glare on George and Lee, who smiled and winked. She proceeded to look very ill and asked to be excused to the girl's bathroom. "I think I made her ill," Lee laughed.

"Oh I know! The very prospect of going out with you must be horrid!" George gibed, earning a good punch in the arm from Lee. He grinned and then turned his attention back to Live and Putterly who were having some sort of hushed conversation that George couldn't hear. He wanted to know what Putterly would have to say that would make Live laugh so, and that the stupid git had no right to be doing so. If only he'd thought to bring along an extendable ear or two…

"If you looked any harder, mate, I think you'd bore a hole in her back," Lee teased as he tapped his wand against the cauldron top.

George got out of his seat and Lee took him by the arm. "Don't. Just sit down before Snape's done yelling at Sandy and comes swooping down on you. We don't need more lost points second week of term."

"I'm just going to ask if I could borrow some- what _is_ this stuff?"

"That's chopped up mandrake bits. You'd know that if you were paying any attention to something other than Li--"

"Yeah, if I can borrow some of that," George interrupted, smirking at Lee who gave him a solemn look of foreseen disaster. He made his way slowly around the desks and cauldrons, avoiding flames and fumes, while keeping his eye on Putterly and planning revenge the entire time.

Live put her hand to the bridge of her nose in frustration (as well as pinch it to keep Putterly's smell out). "Look, when you add the mandrake to the- no, not like that. Honestly, Jason, you're terrible in potions."

"Oh am I?"

"And you reek. It's a wonder I'm still here. Why am I still here?" she asked aloud, frustrated and a bit nauseated.

"Because I'm utterly hopeless and only you could possibly salvage me." He grinned and she let out a little laugh. "Not to mention the best gossip and the like."

"Right, like who's bum looks good in their quidditch gear and whatnot?" An image of a rather fine-looking bum belonging to a certain guy in class flew through her mind, and she forced it out no without trouble, giving her attention back to Putterly.

"Exactly!" he agreed, causing her to giggle. "You know Pucey's not that bad looking, if he wasn't one of Malfoy's mates."

"Ugh, I know…stupid little ferret…And those goons of his-"

"I wouldn't date that if you promised me the key to Gringotts' vaults!"

"Oh come now, Jason. Everyone has their price." She laughed and then sniffed indignantly. "Little spoiled git. He's a bad lot, he is."

Putterly leaned in close and whispered. "He tried to get me to join in with _them_. Back before he suspected…how I was, of course."

"Prick. Good thing you haven't," she commended with a smile. "…but he's an even bigger prat now, eh? Thinks he's all that." She sighed and gave a look towards the door that Melinda had exited through. "And why is Melinda suddenly chummy with his chums? Wasn't she on your side? Or, I guess, _our_ side? And now…I mean, aren't you scared she'll spill your secret to Malfoy that you're--"

"She wouldn't say that. She's a lot of things, Melinda, but she wouldn't tell him. A bint sometimes, and a bit of a doxy- _not_ the faerie type, I mean-" Live laughed. "-but she wouldn't reveal such a thing to Malfoy. It might even have a negative impact on her for helping me out last year, so why spill? Everyone thinks we had a bad breakup, let 'em think that, and _I _can happily think of Pucey's bum." He smirked wickedly, causing her to laugh.

"You've got a point there. But I'd still be careful. Malfoy _knows_ I don't find him agreeable, and if he's even _suspicious _of you-"

"Yeah, the prat doesn't like me much, either, but he can sod off."

Live grinned in wholehearted agreement. "Yeah, and another thing-" She stopped, feeling a weird tingling going up her spine as she turned around spotting George coming her way. And Snape was nearly done berating that poor Gryffindor girl over by those snarkily-laughing friends of Malfoy in the back. Stupid gits. She knew no good could come from this, and decided to ask to go to the restroom and avoid the train wreck coming her way. She was really in no mood to get into a row with George in potions class of all places.

"Watch my stuff for me," she told Putterly, who gave her a shocked look of surprise, no doubt seeing George coming right up their alley.

"What was that?"

"Watch my stuff? I'm going to the bathroom," she repeated. He gave her a bewildered look, red-faced, and she rolled her eyes. _Honestly. Boys._ She turned and found herself face-to-face with George, the Christmas-wonder. He grinned and she put her hand to her face, exasperated in the very least.

"Goin' my way?" he asked chipperly. He saw Putterly glare at him from behind her. Good. Let him know George was staking a claim. And how could she still stand the smell?! Oh he _reeked_! Now _that_ was a prank well-done.

Live looked George in the face and moved to get around him. "Only if you're going to the girls' bathroom," she replied.

He looked taken aback and blinked a few times. "Pardon me?"

"Do I have to explain the workings of the human body to you?" she asked saucily. "_George_?"

"Live, are you feeling okay?" He looked over back to Lee, who was listening in and looked quite stunned himself. Then back to Putterly, who looked in a right fit of agitation, a proper scowl of dissatisfaction on his face.

"Honestly, you're the biggest prat alive!" she spouted and stuck her hand in the air as she saw Snape bearing down on them. "Professor Snape?"

"What is it, Miss Hunter?" he asked smoothly as he glared at George to make him sit down. But not even Snape's glare could make him do so he was so utterly puzzled, bewilderment on his face.

"May I please go to the restroom?" she asked beseechingly. He was silent a moment, a dumbfounded look occupying his face that looked so out of place it was almost comical. It unnerved her and made her a bit wary. Then she noticed just how quiet the room was, and how everyone was looking at her with shock. What? Was it so unusual to ask bathroom privileges in here?!

"Take your seat, Miss Hunter, and five points from Slytherin for foolishness." She looked confused and a little hurt. She wasn't asking much. He let _Melinda _go. Why couldn't she? And points taken off?! Did he miss his medication today?! Damn bloody git.

"Sir, may I _please_ use the restroom?!" she tried again, a bit more urgently as she felt her face becoming hot, and worried if her cheeks were flushed as quiet giggles and snickers met her ears. She was quickly becoming embarrassed at the attention she was given, and by the whispering now going around class.

"Live are you _crazy_?!" George whispered, looking her in the eye with a bit of worry as he grabbed her arm in emphasis, trying to have her sit down.

"Have any of you taken your meds today?!" she cried, George's expression coupled with Putterly's and Snape's making her feel like she'd gone mental.

Or they had.

"Sir, I think Live needs to go to the hospital wing," George said as respectfully as he could muster while Snape gave him a hard look.

"Take her then quickly, and you lose today's points if you're not back in ten minutes. Pack her things," Snape instructed through cold, harsh tones as Live seemed as bewildered and irate as he did. "And give this note to Madam Pomfrey."

George took the proffered note and shoved it in his pocket inside his robes. He took Live's arm while she glared at him, Snape, and Putterly, her main points of anger as hushed laughter followed her departure from class accompanied by Snape's admonishing and threat to find the perpetrator.

Outside in the safety of the empty hall and the shut door, Live wrenched her arm free from George's shepherding and turned about herself angrily, looking for anything out of place that would be so amusing and get her into trouble. Did she have a tail?!

"Okay George, for fuck's sake _what_ is going on?!" she shrieked. He started laughing as he once-again took her arm and escorted her to the hospital wing with his hand placed merrily upon her own.

"I didn't think 'I love you' could be said so angrily, Live!" he laughed as she frowned at him. She nearly stopped in her tracks.

"What are you talking about?! _What did you do_?"

"Or as a question!" he laughed. She gave him a punch in the arm and became rather pissed off, getting a rough idea of what was going on. _She _heard her words okay, but apparently someone buggered it up. She dropped her bag to the floor, took out a quill and a spare sheet of parchment, and wrote down her query as well as 'sod you, George' and gave it to him.

"Aw, in writing it looks even better!" he laughed and teased. She snatched it out of his hand and saw written on the paper many times 'I love you, George'.

This made her quite angry. "Oh I could just SCREAM!!" she shrieked.

"That's right, tell everyone!!" he laughed, having a grand old time as she chased him halfway to the hospital wing trying to pummel him the whole time. She would have cursed him if her spells didn't seem to be malfunctioning, and she would have liked to smack him if she could get close enough. Damn those longer legs!

She gave up chase quickly, huffing and puffing in anger and hoping to bob that Madam Pomfrey could fix this.

"Geor-_oorrge_…." she groaned in exasperation.

"Yes?" he asked, slowing and looking at her with a grin.

"Wait, you understand me?!"

"Oh, I love you too!" he exclaimed with a laugh. She lunged at him in frustration and he took a few steps back, laughing with an amused smile. "Come on, beloved! Halfway there!" he happily spouted, green-hair and all. "Come along, sweetums!"

"Oh no, don't you start that again you green-haired pixie!" she threatened, brandishing a fist.

"Hm…I didn't think you could say it threateningly, but you do pull it off, sweetness!" he teased with an impish grin. He was quite happy to be out of potions so early, and he'd pissed Putterly off quite rightly, and he was having a grand old time, so all in all, this Monday was turning out to be quite good.

"Let me see the note, George," she demanded, hand outstretched to know what was going on.

He smirked and gave her a wry look as he took her hand in his and brought the back of her palm to his lips. "Oh I love you too!" She made an agitated little noise before he could kiss her hand, and he laughed and let her go. "Oh it's just too funny! Could we stop by transfiguration and visit Fred? McGonagall would flip!"

Obviously, he wasn't understanding her nor what she wanted. So when verbal communication doesn't work, one simply _must_ utilize physical. So she tackled him to the ground and started digging inside his robes.

"Geez, Live! Not even a first date and you just jump me?!" he laughed, fighting her clawing hands and trying to pull them out of his robes as she sat on him determinedly. "I mean, I'm flattered, and more than a little intrigued, but surely, right in the middle of the hall? Can't we at least find an empty classroom somewhere?"

"Shut up, George!"

He laughed even harder. Hearing her yell she loved him so angrily…He simply _had_ to figure out how this happened to her. It was just too much! And her hands tickled him mercilessly so that even if he wanted to he couldn't give her Snape's note.

"Eager thing, aren't you darling?!"

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" she cried as she finally found the note and hopped off him, reading it with even more confirmed horror.

_Please set Miss Hunter's language right. I highly doubt she can tell you anything which has happened to her beside her undying love until her speech is corrected. She's been hit with a _volarte communa _speech spell and it needs to be removed at once and the perpetrator punished. It should be complex to remove, so she is excused from further class. _

_Severus Snape_

Volarte communa?

Live held the note taut between her hands and wanted to rip it in frustration, but settled on biting it and throwing it back to George, who was still laughing on the floor.

"Shut up already, George!" she cried, coming to stand over him with a scowl on her face that sent him into even more chuckles. "We're going to get in trouble!"

He reached out at her and grabbed her legs in laughter, causing her to fall, which turned out to be not quite such a good idea, as she fell on _him_, knocking the wind right out of him. "You stupid prat!" she cried as he wheezed for air, feeling guilty for crushing him. "Now are you happy?!"

He wheezed so terribly that it made her a bit worried, and she backed off of him to let him get air, but his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he didn't wheeze at all, and she panicked.

"George Weasley! You idiot!" she spat. He'd brought this upon himself and now _she'd_ have to do something about it. She straightened out his head and plugged his nose, blowing air into his lungs as she felt him grab her, open his eyes, and grin as he kissed her- quite pleasantly as well, she didn't fail to notice. When he let her go, she caught her breath, and her nerves, slower than she would have thought, and then she smacked him aside the face for his daring as he laughed even harder, her cheeks flushed with quite a pink blush.

"You stupid, stupid ass!" she cried, feeling quite scandalized as she was certain that this would somehow get around, as well as for the fact that George seemed hardly discouraged through her efforts so far to deter him these days. But he just kept laughing. He laughed so hard that even when she gave him a right proper kick he didn't stop. Oh, he'd pay. His green hair wasn't even enough to quell the fire in her for this outrage. But fire from anger, or secret desire, she didn't know the difference.

"I love you too!" he laughed as she left him in the hall to go to the hospital wing herself. It was a good ten minutes after she'd been telling a bewildered Madam Pomfrey how much she loved her when George finally showed up with the explanatory note, still laughing his head off as she vehemently began telling him how much she loved _him_, and he promised to skive off class if she loved him so.

It was a morning none of them would soon forget.

sSs

The chimed bell rang signaling the passing period, when, red-faced and too enthusiastic to calm her jittered nerves, Susan Bones ran into Kara and Kelena with the gossip of a century.

"K-K-Kar-K-Kelena!"

"Susan, chill!" Kara said, grabbing the Hufflepuff's shoulders and yawning widely. "Now what's up?"

"Ye gods I just saw the most scandalous thing last class!"

"Oo! What?!" Kel asked, most intrigued.

"Well I was coming back from hospital because I tripped on that trick step in the stairs-" Kara knew exactly how she felt, "-when I caught your sister sitting on top of George Weasley in the middle of the corridor shrieking that she loved him--"

"_What_?!"

"--and she had her hands all inside his robes busier than Sprout on harvesting day!"

"_Are you bloody serious?!_" Kel asked, eyes wide and scanning the corridor to see if she could find anyone who could corroborate this story.

"I saw it with my own eyes! I swear I'm not lying!"

"Did anyone else see it?!" Kara asked worriedly.

"No, but Jen Blakely said she thought she'd heard them-"

"You told Jen Blakely?!"

"And Samantha Davis swears they were having sex in the hall--!"

"Oh dear God! You told _Samantha_?!"

"Hey, what's up?" Ginny asked approaching the little huddle with a curious smile.

"Live's sleeping with George!" Kelena spouted, horrified at having to hear it second-hand. What happened to friend's first? And then a telling at a Sexpert Guild meeting? Oh, so many violations! She'd have to be written up at once, president or not!

"I'd ask for details if it was anyone else," Ginny commented, wrinkling her nose. "But otherwise, good for them."

"No! We don't know that!" Kara shrieked, way too much information thrown her way.

"I've gotta go- first class, ya know? Hey maybe you should skip and go to the hospital wing, you don't look that great," Susan told Kara quickly before catching up with some friends.

"Yeah, thanks," said Kara, her face in her hands as Ginny was regarding Kelena with interest.

"But I don't think she'd do _that_ in the _corridor_," Ginny mused thoughtfully. "She's too clever for that. She'd jump him somewhere dark. And don't they have potions at that time anyway? It must be some mistake. You know rumors are always exaggerated."

"But Susan wouldn't lie, and she said she saw firsthand…" Kel remarked. "Wow, first we catch Lavender the loser snuggling with a pair of Malfoy's boxers, now this? What is the world coming to?"

"Hey Kara, hear about your sister?" Padma Patil asked with a shout as she passed in the hall. Boy would Kara flip at _this_ piece of gossip.

"Yeah, I did, thanks Paddi," she regarded mournfully as the Ravenclaw made her way to class, feeling a bit sorry for Kara.

"I don't know how everyone found out about this so quick. Except for Samantha Davis, maybe…" Ginny mused aloud, eyes still wide at the possibility. "She's almost better than Vivian Monteclaire…"

"Yeah, rumors get around here faster than Kara does," Kelena remarked with thought and a smirk.

"I'm _not_ a whore!!" Kara yelled adamantly. Kel laughed, all in good fun, and Kara put a hand to her temple. "Oh what are we going to do?!"

"Find your sister?" Ginny suggested. "And a wedding planner?! Oooo! We could be sisters Kara!" she projected into the future, getting quite into her little scenario. "Oh! And we could be aunts with nephews and nieces--"

"That's a conversation I do _not_ want to have!" Kara squeaked with anxiety. "Oh-oh god!" she cried, grasping her arm protectively. "Which part of your arm tingles when you're having a heart attack?!"

"Oh shut up, you're fine," Kel affirmed as Ginny fanned Kara with her hand. "Let's skive off class and go find Live."

"Alrig-- wait, I can't," Kara denied, desperately wanting to go ahead and ditch to take a nap and _not_ speak to her sister about how the latest rumor had been perpetrated.

"Why not?" Ginny asked.

"I've got double potions with the Slytherins next." Kel and Ginny gave her an odd sort of look.

"Why in Godric's name would you _want_ to go to that?" Kelena asked. "Are you punishing yourself again?"

"I want to see Harry and Ron's reaction to the surprise I set up for them." _Anything to put off that awkward conversation with Live._ "I'll see the two of you later!" With that, she turned and made her way down to the potions dungeon.

sSs


	20. Gryffindor Pride!

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 20: Gryffindor Pride!

sSs

Kara made a mad dash to potions and nearly threw Terry off her seat as she dove into her own.

"Geez, could you _be_ any later? I have loads and loads to tell-"

"Yeah, Live's having an affair with George. I know," Kara huffed with irritation, catching her breath and pouring the contents of her bag onto the desk. "I'm not late, anyway. I'm early. Class doesn't start for another five-"

"Hunter, clean up that mess!" a familiar, condescending voice commanded from behind. Kara seized up as Snape swept past her and disappeared into his office. She frowned, and then grinned in remembrance of the nicked moonstones and whatnot in her trunk. Then she remembered what was to befall Malfoy. A wide-grin spread across her face, banishing all thoughts of awkward conversations with Live, and her current state of zombification, from her head.

"Yes sir!" she spouted chipperly, a smug look on her face as she tossed everything but her potions ingredients back into her bag. Terry looked from Snape to Kara, and then gave her a disgusted look.

"The day I thought I'd see you kissing up to Snape was the day I swore I'd shave my head."

Kara huffed indignantly. "You'll still have hair by the end of today. I'm not kissing up. I'm just in a rather good mood."

Terry raised her hand and Kara gave her a look in question. "I'm asking if I can take you to Madam Pomfrey. I think you're dying."

"Put your hand down!" Kara said, forcing it down. "And shut up for a minute...I've got loads to tell you about what I saw this morning."

"Look, I thought you said you knew about Live and George-"

"Ugh…Not _that_!" She exhaled deeply. "Aaaanyway…Did you see Lavender this morning on the couch?"

"No…I overslept, too. But _I_ still managed to get _here_ on time…No bloody breakfast though-"

"_Apparently-_" Kara started, ignoring Terry's lip, "rumor has it that Lavender was caught snuggling with Malfoy's boxers. Rather desperately, too, like it was the end of the world or something and she'd never get another chance." She grinned wickedly, her plans becoming wondrous in her candy-coated mind. "I hear she's either sleeping with him or stalking him."

"Shut up! No way! Ewww…"

"I know. She adamantly denied the whole stalking thing, but everyone knows she's mental. Especially from the aftermath I saw at breakfast. Freaky." Kara grinned to herself rather proudly. Lavender-the-loser was getting hers Hunter-style.

"It was pretty wild this morning. Though you have to admit-" Parvati butted-in, taking a seat next to Kara, "-that she was right about you getting around."

"And what do you mean by that!" Kara snapped, not about to let Parvati ruin her mood.

"Well, she swears you weren't in bed last night-"

"This coming from the boxer-snuggler?" Terry asked rhetorically. "_She_ wasn't in _her_ bed last night. How would she know anything apart from sleeping on that couch and snogging those boxers? And besides, Kara _was _in bed…No one could mistake that lump for anything but her."

"Thanks Terry," Kara said dryly.

"Well…I guess…maybe…She_ was_ pretty crazy in the Great Hall this morning…" Parvati admitted.

Sadly, Kara had missed Lavender's outburst in the Great Hall that morning. A pity, truly, as there had been no teachers present to put a stop to it when the memorable event happened, and it was something people would remember for years to come. But poor Kara, having had set-up most of the ordeal, was still suffering from lack of sleep. She'd fallen asleep in the shower (and nearly drowned herself) causing her to miss out on breakfast and all the damned good gossip spreading from the discovery of Lavender's bed-toy.

The Slytherins had been forming a barrier (a literal, magical one) separating themselves from Lavender since Blaise Zabini was absolutely certain that she had left wet foot-prints leading out of their dormitory that night. If she was mental enough to sneak in there, there was no telling what she might do, and that included jumping their leader and taking his pants.

Draco had brushed it all off as "sick Gryffindork trash" and denied the claims that the boxers were his ("Someone like Brown has probably never even _seen_ such expensive garments let alone cuddle them like a twat."). Several Gryffindors swore they saw the pair of boxers she'd been snuggling with, and that they couldn't possibly belong to anyone else (after all, as Ginny so pointed out "…tacky use of dragon's hide and unicorn hair, the embroidered DM on the arse, and small-crotch size…Who else could it _possibly_ belong to?")

Now Draco might have gotten away with his usual neglect and denial of 'the subject', and might have even turned the gossip to his favor in his firm belief that Lavender was just sick and she had _not_ been in their rooms; there was no proof to the contrary. After all, what are the odds a Gryffindor could safely enter the domain of the snake and leave unharmed? And where were these boxers everyone swore were his? Stupid Gryffindorks. The rumors might have eventually died down and safely stayed down, too, if Lavender was favored by the powers that be.

But that was before Fred Weasley was factored into the equation.

Right in the middle of breakfast, Fred had burst in, banner flying (literally) with Malfoy's boxers on a crude pole, waving them around like it was a flag and he was cheering for his favorite Quidditch team.

"Hear ye, hear ye!" he'd shouted, all eyes on him as he walked right down the center of the Great Hall and then took a proud stance atop the middle of the Gryffindor House table with a grin to put all others to shame. "I declare ye view yon tacky boxers, and pay close attention to the small-crotch size! Would the owner of the boxers please take a bow?"

The tables of diners erupted in gales of laughter as all eyes went to Malfoy. There were people from every house laughing and pointing at the stick as Fred did a few bayonet-type motions with it and tipped his invisible cap to Malfoy, who had turned a bright shade of red matching the patches in Fred's hair that were returning to their normal color. If there was any doubt as to the validity of the rumors before, Malfoy himself _knew_ that those were his boxers, and that indeed, Lavender had been snuggling them.

Lavender, upon seeing the horrific object on the end of the stick (and wondering how in the hell Fred had found where she'd hidden them) went into the loudest string of curse-words that Hogwarts had ever heard. They didn't score very high on the creative scale (recently re-named the Live-Hunter-Scale), but one could definitely say that Lavender wasn't in need of a Sonorous charm.

Kara had missed that lovely outburst, as well as the sudden eruption thereafter of curses flying back and forth through the Great Hall that only nearly missed dear Fred (Malfoy was trying to kill him and retrieve his boxers). It turned into some sort of outrageous game of capture-the-flag, Malfoy's boxers being the prize. It ended when someone hit the 'flag' with a curse that caused it to go up in flames and turn to ash in a matter of seconds. Everything had stopped and everyone had watched for the moment, pondering their lesson learned: it is waste of money to buy expensive, flammable underpants, and Malfoy was a git that Lavender was stalking.

Kara had come into the picture at that moment in time, utterly confused as to why Fred was waving a stick in the air like some modern-day Braveheart standing on the table, and why Lavender looked heartbroken on the floor (she'd broken a nail during all the scuffle, and been hit with a conjunctivitis charm, but to those who didn't know that information, she looked mentally sad for her loss of her bed-toy).

And now they were in potions, the plan was in motion, and any moment Draco Malfoy would feel the second-sting of today's little war. Part one of project Revenge-on-Lavender/Surprise-for-Harry-and-Ron was complete, and now phase two could begin…

Parvati stout-heartedly left Kara's side and took a seat at the back of the room with Lavender. There were many offhand remarks about her 'being really brave', or either 'as loony as Lavender' for doing so, but Kara smirked anyway and gave Harry a grin. The Slytherins were not happy this morning, even in Snape's class, and they were whispering to one another and casting glares at the Gryffindors, no doubt planning some wicked payback. But they couldn't put a damper on Kara's spirits, either.

Kara offhandedly looked around to spy Malfoy reaching for his bookbag. She grinned to herself in glee. Snape re-entered the room and demanded it settle as she gave Ron a poke in the ribs. He and Harry both looked at her, and she grinned broadly and looked back at Malfoy. They followed her gaze just in time to see Malfoy open the bag and all it's contents burst out amidst sparkling streams of gold and scarlet light. Malfoy was turned scarlet from head-to-toe (robes included) with the golden shapes of variously-sized Gryffindor lions running up and down his body; skin, clothes, and all. On his forehead was the word "Gryffinwhore" just big enough to be legible and twice as charming. He was the very picture of Gryffindor pride.

The Gryffindors burst out in peals of laughter, the Slytherins in gasps of horror as they saw that all of Malfoy's books and sheaves of parchment read various forms of 'I Love Gryffindor!' in different styles of writing from calligraphy to gigantic block lettering. If the rumors that Draco had a certain something for a certain stalker weren't true before, then this made them official doctrines of verity.

"I _knew_ he was having an affair with Lavender!" someone called out from the back. More peals of laughter amid Lavender's sickened shrieks coupled with Malfoy's angry howls broke out in the usually-forbidding dungeons of the Potions Master.

"Silence at once!" Snape demanded with nothing short of his icy-smooth demeanor. "Mr. Malfoy, do something with your bookbag! Thirty points from Gryffindor!"

The laughter died soon after that, but every Gryffindor in potions class that morning had big grins on their faces despite the fact it was Snape who was teaching them. They went about making their potions with the usual complaint about the thirty-points and the usual snide remark from Snape, but aside from that, they were rather mirthful.

"It was worth it," Ron whispered to Kara. She grinned widely and went about happily grinding scarab beetles. There was no way he'd get that color off for at least a week.

sSs

Malfoy was sent to the hospital wing after his little show of Gryffindor pride. It didn't brighten his spirits to see that there were three Gryffindors and a Slytherin-traitor to view his predicament. The _identities_ of them didn't help, either.

The other weasel-twin was present, looking like Christmas had come early when he spotted Draco, and his little weasel sister was there as well, blatantly pointing at the word on Draco's forehead and giggling with that sixth-year witch the snake-traitor-Hunter was friends with.

"Draco, what the fuck happened to you?" Live asked derisively, a smirk on her face at reading his forehead. Her words might have been more effective, however, if Madam Pomfrey had had the chance to make permanent her speech-spell. For the past half-hour she'd been casting temporary spells to make Live's words understood and to help transition the spell, but this one was wearing off. She'd just proclaimed her love with the inclusion of the queen-mother of curse-words (many times used as a proposition) without realizing it.

"I knew you were a big whor-"

"She said she's gonna rip off your bollocks, Malfoy," George quickly stated with a threatening tone but a welcoming grin. But of course, that was just part of the reason that the twins were so unpredictable: they had worse mood swings than Lupin at a full moon.

Madam Pomfrey approached Malfoy at the sound of his voice and looked him over with a well-hidden smile before assigning him a bed to sit (strategically placed _away_ from the others).

"George, what makes you think I'd want anywhere _near_ his bollocks? Even to hurt him?" Live asked him with raised brow and sarcastic tone. Kelena gasped and Ginny giggled.

"Of course I love you too my sweetums, but speaking about my bollocks in front of these two? I mean, I'll try anything once, but I'm not feeling particularly exhibitionistic at the moment," he said with a grin and a friendly pat to her head. She frowned, realizing the spell had worn off again, and gave Kelena a meaningful look.

"Live says to sod you and die a slow death," Kel told him with feigned tone of all seriousness. George looked from Kel to Live and back to Kel with disturbed intrigue. Live cleared her throat and Kel added, "from woodchucks."

Live smirked happily to herself, satisfied with Kelena's keen intellect, and gave George a look that promised she'd provide the woodchucks herself. She looked back at Kel and stole a glance at a very harassed-looking Madam Pomfrey. She then asked her Gryffindor friend to get the medi-witch to quickly make her spell permanent so she could get out of the bed and back to her classes. Of course, it didn't sound right due to the spell wearing off even more…

"Live, I don't think you should say anything else until Madam Pomfrey fixes you," Ginny advised. Live's eyes went momentarily wide. "I mean fixes your problem, not _you_. Dork."

"Wh-"

"Live," Kel started, a harassed, yet amused look on her face, "I'm not interested in Madam Pomfrey that way. Not in any beds or classes or lord forbid, anything permanent. You may _love _the idea, but please…"

Live's eyes went wide and Ginny giggled. George looked pensive while watching the raped-by-Gryffindor-pride Malfoy bellowing and bitching about his current state of victimization. He grinned and walked over to get the medi-witch to fix Live so they could go (and spread the rumor about Malfoy's Gryffin-whoring, apparently).

"Madam Pomfrey, Live's spell wore off again," George reported to her cheerily, ignoring Malfoy (though committing his image to memory) as he inquired of her help.

"Goodness me you children never stop!" she exclaimed, commanding Malfoy to stay put as she came back to a bothered-looking Live trying to communicate with hand-signals to Ginny and Kel. Little to say, it wasn't going all that well.

"Live, stop flipping us off!" Ginny declared with a laugh.

"And saying 'I love you' doesn't make matters better," Kel added with equal amusement.

Live looked ready to pull out her hair as Madam Pomfrey came up.

"Miss Hunter, please try to relax. Your agitation isn't helping combat the spell."

Live pointed menacingly at George, who was grinning like a cat in the cream, and declared, to everyone else's ears, that she loved him.

"You're invited to the wedding," George told Madam Pomfrey with a smirk. She frowned and Kel restrained Live as she tried to jump out of the bed at him.

"Mr. Weasley, you're excused back to class," Madam Pomfrey said dismissively, knowing he was only agitating the already high-strung Slytherin in her care. Live brandished a fist as he blew a kiss her way before leaving. "Miss Hunter, how you children get yourselves into these things I'll never understand…"

Live tried to interject, but Kel clasped a hand over her mouth while Madam Pomfrey still murmured about the pranks she'd had to repair in her prime and how things never really changed. Live struggled under Kel's hand as Ginny got into the mix to try and restrain her while Madam Pomfrey completed the more-difficult permanence spell building upon the others to fix her speech.

Kel suddenly cried out and Ginny was shunted off.

"Are you _trying_ to suffocate me?!" Live yelled out angrily.

"At least her speech is back to normal," Ginny said with regained posture.

"But what about her temperament?" Kel asked, shaking her hand to get the blood re-circulating from the bite. "Can you do anything about that?"

"You're all excused," Madam Pomfrey said with completion. "And Miss Hunter, you need to keep that agitation in check. The spell reversed any damage, but you'll stress yourself into an early grave like that poor Hermione Granger--"

"Hermione's dying?" Kel and Ginny cried out at once.

Live 'hmphed' in derision. "She will if she keeps hanging out with you lot. Now come on. Kel, you need to get back to History of Magic. And Ginny, Defense Against the Dark Arts still has a good hour left." Live hopped off the bed, thanked Madam Pomfrey, and sneerked (sneer-smirked) in Malfoy's direction, leaving the Gold-and-Scarlet dream to his own devices.

"You honestly think I'd _willingly_ go back to History of Magic? How thick do you think I am?" Kel asked.

"Yeah," Ginny agreed, "we want to hear the truth all about these rumors flying around about you and George-"

"_-having sex in the hall!"_ Kel stated/inquired.

"_WHAT?_!" Live shrieked.

"Hello ladies," George declared with a smirk, stepping out from his lean-to against the entrance to the infirmary wall. They didn't honestly think he'd have just gone away, did they?

"_WHAT_?" Live shrieked again, face going red as she caught sight of George.

"What are we talking about?" he asked with an interested smile and a wink at Live.

"Girl-stuff. Go back to class," Ginny encouraged as she and Kel took each of Live's arms and pulled her in the direction of the courtyard.

"Okay, have fun!" George hollered, waving as he made his way to the kitchens for a light snack. He'd wrest the information from Ginny later.

"You're telling us _everything_," Ginny declared. "Kel isn't going back to class, and neither am I, until we get all the information out of you. And you _know_ we mean business!"

Live struggled but Ginny clasped herself about Live like a human backpack. She tried to throw the youngest Weasley off, but that was rather impossible unless she was willing to hurt her, and she'd never do that intentionally.

"Oh, stop it already, or I'll use a sticking charm to keep Ginny in place," Kel threatened. "Besides, article one, section three of the Sexpert Guild charter states that you've gotta dish out any and all intriguing and beguiling information or naughty gossip that you've come upon, and so far we've had to find out about your affair through Susan Bones. I oughta write you up, president or not."

"I'm not having an affair!"

"Yeah, she's right, Kel…Kara says you can't have an affair if you're not married anyway," Ginny clarified as she clung to Live's torso.

"Ah," Kel remarked as if suddenly enlightened, "just lovers then?"

"Kelena I am personally going to make sure you get a hold of a bad batch of 'special brownies' and leave you to the mercy of Fred!" Live threatened with all seriousness.

"You wouldn't!"

"I would!"

"'Special brownies'?" Ginny inquired from atop Live's head.

"Yeah, she puts bits of Fwooper eggshells in 'em and tells her muggle friends they're M&M's…Makes you go a bit crazy for a few hours…And I will NOT be eating anything _you_ give me until we get details!" Kel threatened, although she was running low on need-to-threat as she got naughty pictures in her mind of a certain red-head.

"There are NO details to tell! The damn rumor-mill is a liar!"

"That's it! We're going on a sexpedition!" Ginny declared from her look-out post.

"Who told you about those?" Kel asked, shaken from her reverie.

"I'll tattle!" Live threatened. "I'll tell Professor Binns! And Professor Moke! You skivers are gonna be in a crap-load of trouble!"

"Binns doesn't give a damn, and Moke can't do anything to us. You know that, Live. He's only a substitute. Now let's go. We're wasting valuable time." Live whined and groaned as she was dragged off to the seclusion of the courtyard to have some talkies with friends/Sexpert Prime Minister and Sexpert apprentice while hiding to effectively skive off class.

Had they not skived off class, however, Ginny would have made the discovery first-hand that Professor Moke was gone, and a rather familiar, spunky witch was now in possession of the teaching post as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor extraordinaire.

sSs

By the beginning of lunch the entire school was convinced that Lavender and Malfoy were having a secret affair. The gossip had spread from dorm to dorm and class to class like the plague, and also like the plague, it was hard for either of the aforementioned partys to do anything about it. The rumor itself was no longer under speculation, but the two in question were under the focus of the school's gossip-mill like an ant under a magnifying glass. And also like that ant, they were beginning to feel the terrible, skin-boiling, ant-combusting…uh…heat of that focus, and neither was handling it all too well.

"Well, Lavender's passed out again from the scandal. I hope you're happy. She's going to die from the embarrassment," Hermione told Kara reproachfully in the Gryffindor common room.

"I've never heard of anyone actually dying from embarrassment," Terry remarked as she got up to go and check on Lavender.

"No, but I've heard you could die from boredom."

"What does that have to do with any of this, Ron?" Harry asked his friend with a side-grin and a confused glance.

"Well, I don't know. Talking about Lavender's affair with Malfoy sorta makes me sick. Let's talk about something else."

"It's all part of my master plan," Kara told Ron with a grin. She offered him a delicious razzle treat and a pat on the head.

"You can't have an affair if you're not married," Hermione said with disinterest, eyeing Kara and her razzles with suspicion. That child ate entirely too much candy, muggle and wizard alike.

"Is that a challenge?" Kara asked saucily.

"I told you she was a ska--!"

"SHUT IT RON!" Kara yelled. Ron grinned with wide, slightly-accusing eyes and Harry laughed.

"Well, you did say it kind of skankil--"

"HERMIONE!" Kara barked with reprimand.

"Maybe if you didn't think having an affair was a challenge, we wouldn't have to say-"

"HARRY!" Kara was wide-eyed and frowning. The three of them were suppressing giggles and Kara glared in a way totally reminiscent of her sister. "I am NOT a skank!"

"What about--?"

"Or a whore, or a polar bear, or Willy Wonka!" she declared with fist raised high in brandishing, her razzles flying all over the place. Whether she was serious or not, it was the funniest thing the three of them had ever seen.

"Willy Wonka?" Ron asked Harry.

"Don't ask."

The rumors were getting around even as they spoke. The Great Hall was nothing but chatter as the students poured in and out for their feed before spreading the rumor anew. Even the professors at the Head Table were gossiping, and with the notable absence of either Malfoy or Lavender, the rumors were getting more and more proliferate. The only two not talking about whether or not Lavender was screwing Malfoy was Lee and George, caught up in their own little world of gossip.

"Hey, your hair's back to normal…And I can't even make out the 'Property of Slytherin'," Lee remarked while meshing his fingers studiously in George's hair. George smacked his hands off and he grinned. "When did that happen?"

"This morning when I 'escorted' Live to the hospital wing," George replied with a fond grin. "Madam Pomfrey muttered something about 'young people and their hair' and fixed it right up. The lettering should be gone by tomorrow, she thinks." He smirked. They both knew that while Madam Pomfrey was easily able to diminish the effects of what happened to George, she was hardly adept enough to take care of Draco's little dye-fest. He would be stuck that way for quite some time. "She said she'd take care of Fred's too, if he came by, but she'd rather not so she could tell us apart easier."

"And what about that writing on your bum?" Lee asked with a knowing smirk. "Did you have her get rid of that? How did _that_ go?"

George ignored his smirk and replied quite seriously, "If I was listening good enough to the spell she used for my head, I think I can get rid of it on my own."

"If you end up with a tail, I'm getting McGonagall," Lee said with feigned seriousness.

"I can get it off."

"Or do you like the fact that Live's autograph is on your bum?" Lee quipped with a smug grin.

"Sod it, mate, I'll have it off in a jiffy and take a picture as proof you can treasure forever," he said in lieu of threat.

"Eww…"

"What are we talking about?" Ginny asked as she took a seat next to her brother, hungry after spending all morning getting 'the facts' from Live, which actually turned out to be quite innocent. Once again, the rumor mills were wrong. Devastatingly wrong.

"Live's signature on George's bum," Lee enlightened her with a grin.

"Eww…"

"That's what I said..."

"Hey, don't go ranting about my bum!" George declared with feigned hurt-pride.

"You know," Ginny started knowingly, grabbing a muffin and several strawberries, "that it means Live owns you 'cause her signature is on you." Ginny shoved a strawberry into her mouth as George raised an interested-eyebrow at her, and then looked to Lee with a grin.

"Doesn't sound too bad, mate," Lee said with a smirk.

"Liffv uurrr rr bitff," Ginny added through strawberry-crowded mouth.

"What was that?" Lee looked puzzled.

"Hey Gin, chew and swallow, chew and swallow. Don't make me get the bib," George teased as she wiped a trail of juice from her mouth, scowling at him.

"I said," she started, swallowing a last bite, "that it's like you're her bitch."

Lee and George both looked shocked at her language, and she merely rolled her eyes.

"Honestly you guys, I'm nearly fifteen. Don't look so surprised."

"_They_ taught you about that, didn't they?" George asked in haunted, disapproving tones.

" 'They' who, exactly?" Lee inquired as to his sinister tone. Ginny muttered and hmphed '_boys_' and left the table in search of Kara for congratulations on pimping-out Malfoy.

"Kelena and Live…They've got this little club or something and Ginny wants to join. They've been filing her head with all sorts of stuff, like that disease Sexlexia and Sexercise I told you about…"

"Yeah, and I'm still intrigued. Sounds like some sort of campy fun if you ask me," Lee asserted with a wry grin. "Wonder how we could join?" he said with a wink.

"Yeah, but we have no clue what they're on about. Fred's tried everything to figure it out, but Ginny's lips are sealed and Kara wouldn't betray anything either…" George looked pensive, and Lee smirked. "What?"

"Clubs require membership cards, don't they?"

"Yeeeah," George drawled, a little intrigued and more than curious.

"And didn't you say that you overheard that Live and Kel _both_ have them? Laminated with all their dirty little secrets just waiting to be found out?"

"Fred did, yeah. The Extendible Ears told us that bit."

"Well?"

"Well what?" he asked, not feeling up to critical thinking. Even good pranksters sometimes need a break from the more 'creative' of thinking.

A wry grin spread across Lee's face, and he looked about him to make sure no one overheard their dastardly plans.

"I say we invoke the age-old inter-house tradition started in the days of our forefathers," Lee declared diplomatically.

George grinned in expectation. "_And this would be_?"

Lee smirked, two words never sounding more delightful or beguiling than now:

"Operation Panty-raid."

sSs


	21. The Raunchy Beginning of a Permanent End

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 21: The Raunchy Beginning of a Permanent End

sSs

"You do realize that this is the juiciest chain of gossip Hogwarts has had in years?" Kelena remarked as she and Live walked down the corridor.

"Just don't. I told you, nothing happ-"

"In less than a week Fred and George were dyed green, Lavender was found with Malfoy's boxers, Malfoy was dyed scarlet, and you and George were seen doing it!"

"No we were NOT!"

"Now we have two choices of which Gryffindor-Slytherin affair to follow! You and George or Lavender and Malfoy."

"Dude, I swear I'll put flobberworms in your bed if you keep--"

"Now personally, we both _know_ that the whole Malfoy/Lavender thing is fabricated, but as for the whole you-and-George thing--"

"There IS no me-and-George thing, dammit! I told you!" Live put two fingers to the bridge of her nose in agonized frustration, the kind akin to Sexlexia. "This has gotta stop. I hate being in the rumor mill…"

"Oh, you know you like it," Kel hinted with a wink.

"Shut up, Kel. I've seen the way Fred's been lookin' at you, and I'd _hate_ for you to get a bad batch of Fwooper brownies and behave a little _less_ than lady-like," Live threatened snarkily. Kel was momentarily chastised, and Live saw her chance to chide her even more when said twin with still-green hair came walking towards them down the corridor. "Oh look, and here's your chance."

"Live, I swear I will-"

"I gotta go see about fixing this. And as for a 'new' scandal the school can talk about-," she paused, a wicked smirk on her face while planning to leave her friend high and dry, "Fred! Fred! Fr-!" Kel smacked her hand over Live's mouth as the riled blond waved her hands all around to get his attention.

"I hope Karma comes and bites you in the ass!" Kel snapped as Fred came their way with a mischievous grin on his face and a strut in his step. He decided that things were much improved between he and Live since he'd apologized…Excluding the green hair…

"_Take that_," Live whispered in triumph as Fred was within hearing-range. "Oh Fred, Kel and I were just saying how well that green hair looks with your current labeling," she remarked, being snarky to both and grinning while admiring her handiwork.

"It's fading, at least," Kel supplied with a look at his forehead and a glare at Live. They were currently forgoing their pleasantries. This was pure house-on-house banter now, and Kel had to stand by Fred, Gryffindor in kind (if not due to house loyalty, then because Live had threatened to utilize Fwooper brownies as a major weapon of sexy-destruction).

"Is it?" Live asked thoughtfully, giving Fred a knowing look. He was graffiti-ed in more than one place, after all, and one of those places was not normally visible to the public eye…He frowned momentarily and then grinned at Kel.

"Shall I show her the proof?" he asked Kel with a grin, ready to unhitch his belt and moon the both of them if it meant proving Live wrong.

"Yeah, Kel was just saying she didn't believe you were actually branded Slytherin's true property," she purported, ready to take her leave after getting them into the right naughty-context and mind-set, leaving them to each other's company with raunchy-thoughts and lewd discretion (possibly being responsible if Fred actually mooned Kel).

Kel let out a muffled gasp of discomfort.

"Yeah, we think you should whip it out," Live said with all scholarly-seriousness. Then a wicked grin claimed her face, and she gave Kel a sinister look. "Bye-bye!" She then left, not waiting to see if he carried out her little suggestion or not. She had bigger fish to fry, and she had to find some way to get her name out of the gossip-circles and image out of George's mind.

Kel watched the indignant blond leave without a backward glance, and wished terrible Karma on her whilst wishing Fred away, for his sake and hers.

She'd done all she could to keep him disinterested: she wore baggy-clothes and heavy sweaters when they weren't in class to hide her body from his intrigued gaze. During class, she'd worn robes two-sizes too big; she'd kept to wearing her glasses (not her contacts, nor the fun ones, either) and keeping her hair up in messy buns. She had forgone makeup for the past week and tried to stay as low-key as possible (although this didn't exactly work when Kara was around, as the younger Hunter got Kelena laughing so hard that you could find her in a heart-beat). She'd even gone so far as to messing with her body-chemistry and playing up her Metamorphmagus ability, sometimes changing her appearance into someone completely different.

Yet still, he'd managed to find her.

He'd sit next to the 'new person' not knowing that it was really Kelena. Kara said it was his subconscious that knew it was her; Live remarked on its creepiness. He stole glances at her during class, and when in the common room, he made it a point to sit as close to her as possible without shunting Ginny or Kara off the couch ("Dammit Fred! If I end up on the floor again I'm telling Live to turn you into a lizard!" Ginny declared).

So Kelena kept herself even more plain and less fandangled. She even went so far as to transfigure her boy-shorts into granny-panties, even though no one ever saw her underwear outside the girl's dorm ("Why change your underwear like _that_ if no one's even gonna see it?" Kara questioned with pop-tart in hand. "The panties are the source of the sexy-vibe itself. I thought Live brought that up last Guild meeting?" Kel had explained).

Little did she know that through all her trials of keeping Fred disinterested, she was only giving him more ideas. She had no clue that due to her messy-bun and glasses that she had given him way to naughty-librarian fantasies, or that he figured that the bulkier the clothing, the more room there was for one more.

And right now, with robes two-sizes too big, bun a mess, glasses askew, naughty-ideas in mind and no teachers around, his thoughts were anything but pure.

"Shall I then?" he asked with genuine concern.

"Shall you what?" Kel said with curiosity, wondering why the hell he was still here and still looking at her in _that_ way. Hadn't she sacrificed enough with her poor appearance? Snape was even getting gibes off her for her deteriorating hygiene (however bad she looked, though, Kara assured her that her hygiene was _astronomically_ superior to Snape's). And through all her efforts, Fred wasn't deterred a damn bit.

"Shall I whip it out? Show you the proof? I assure you I wouldn't lie about something like _that_," he said with a self-satisfied smirk as she scoffed.

"No! I believe you, trust me, no persuasion needed otherwise," she declared. "Now I gotta go see a girl about a cat, but--"

"I'll come with you," he offered with a grin.

"That's really okay," she denied, unable to trust _his_ intentions as much as she wasn't able to trust her own. She might just jump him before he got a chance to jump her. As Ginny had pointed out, her Sexlexia was never quite cured, but just put on the backburner after the initial steam was let off. It would strike hard and deadly when it hit her. Lord have mercy upon whomever she was around when _that_ happened. In Ginny's professional opinion, she was more unstable than any of Fred or George's dangerous experiments. Kel gave him a deterring look. "I gotta go ALL the way to the astronomy tower and it'll take the better half of my time to get there so-"

"Slytherin hostility is running high after Malfoy was announced our house's whore, so we've been pairing up for safety. Don't go anywhere alone, otherwise those gits'll get you," he spoke quite truthfully while making it sound terribly naughty at the same time. He took her arm in his with a determined grin, and she blushed unwittingly.

A chill ran up Kelena's back at the echo of his words, and she wondered if Sexlexia was about to strike. Then she sneezed. That answered that question.

"I think I can find my own way-"

"I insist!" he said with a smile that nearly made her melt. They took their leave towards the astronomy tower, but Kel stepped on the bulk of her robes and would have become rather acquainted with the castle floor if not for Fred catching her. "See what I mean? You're hardly safe _alone_."

Another excited thrill went up her back and she stuttered when she spoke. "I-ah-I, my robes…t-t-too damn big..."

"Room for one more?" he asked quite saucily.

She nearly considered saying 'yes! yes there is!' but settled on gathering up the main bulk of them and stuffing the excess in her robe pockets, trying to hide the furious blush that claimed her face.

"G-g-gotta get these re-sized," she muttered, then regretted her choice of words as he grinned and raised an eyebrow at the word 'size'.

"You know, I think you're right. Those robes look terrible on you. You should take them off. Right now," he said thoughtfully. His tone implied sincerity, but that devilish smile on his face implied all those wonderf- er, nerve-wracking dreams that had been plaguing her mind since the beginning of the school-year. Remembering his lovely-chest, expert hands, dreamy eyes…She nearly fainted right there in the corridor. Fred must've noticed the far-away, barely-coherent look on her face, because he wrapped arms about her and took her into an empty classroom, sitting her on the table with speculation.

She barely registered anything but his hands touching her and voice floating in her mind, and she felt very hot and bothered, dizzy and almost shaky.

"Are you alright?" he asked, fanning her with his hand. Part of his mind was occupied with concern for her well-being; the other part was painfully aware of the fact that they were unsupervised in an empty-classroom, and that it had been of his own doing.

"I-I'm fine," she said, regaining her wits and bringing her sight back into focus. "Just…robes…hot…" she muttered, swiping a hand over her face nervously as she shed the robes for her bulky-sweater and such beneath.

"But you're okay?" he inquired, clinically moving her face this way and that in inspection, hands gentle on her skin.

"I'm just a little hot, but I'm fine."

"Oh yes, rather hot and very fine," he mentioned with a wicked grin. She quirked an eyebrow at him and he grinned, his hands on her face now less-than-clinical and more-than-enticing, gentle stroking of her cheek with a smile of naughty intent.

She was beginning to breath hard, nervous as hell and unsure if she could hold off this sudden bout of Sexlexia or if she should just give in.

"Fred…I think you're blind," she declared, giving a weak try to changing the subject and both of their thought-tracts. He moved closer, his face only inches away from hers.

"And I think you're blind…You do realize you look like a naughty-librarian, don't you?"

"I do_ooo_ _not_!" she quickly changed her statement, her last effort of fighting it off.

"Oh yeah, and I believe there's room in there for one more, what with those baggy clothes you've been wearing…An invitation? Or were you purposely trying to seduce me?" he asked with a grin, his forehead against hers, arms about her waist, looking in her deep brown eyes with naughty intent.

"I wasn't trying to-- _You_ were trying to seduce _me_!" she wrongly accused. He hadn't been doing anything of the sort (but that was just the effect he had on her). Already her hands were roaming his back, trying to get under his robes and explore that taut skin and Quidditch-refined muscles.

"Is it working?" he asked saucily, bringing his lips close to hers. He never got an answer as she pulled his lips to hers, bringing an end to this silly Sexlexia, and making-out like there was no tomorrow.

He had her on the desk, pinning her, kissing her, both of their hands busy in- and out-side each other's clothes. Sexlexia was cured and caught and cured twice over, lips locked and hands explored, moans were made as they threaded fingers through one another's hair, green and brown alike.

Kelena giggled as he kissed her throat and collar, his hands snaking up the inside of her shirt. She gave as good as she got, running dexterous fingers from his sides to his back, then feeling the skin of those lovely biceps that one only got from years of being a Beater. He laughed as she wiggled her fingers and entwined her legs around his hanging over the edge of the table.

There was a clicking noise and a shocked gasp. And if Karma ran in circles of friends, Kelena was the first to get hers.

"Hey Pansy, look who's having sex in the Arithmacy classroom!" a Slytherin girl shouted to none other than Pug-faced Parkinson outside in the hall. She slammed the door and ran to shout even more about it to her friends as Fred gave the door a look, and then Kel, and then the door.

"You see, _this_ is why you always remember to charm it against intruders," he said between breaths as Kelena looked halfway between shocked and wanting more.

"We're screwed," she said, although she didn't remove her hands from under his robes.

"Wanna make rumor into truth?" he asked with a grin, wiggling his eyebrows entreatingly.

"Oh sod off," she laughed, though she _did_ consider the possibility, forcing him off her as he grinned and pulling his clothes back into order as she threw her robes back on over her own bulky garb. "We gotta get out of here before they get a teacher. Or worse, Filch."

"I still think we've got a few moments," he said with a smirk, bringing her to him for a stout embrace, lips, hands, and all, making them devoid of anything but each other for that lovely moment in time.

"See Professor! There they are! Caught in the act!" a wicked voice rang through the air. "I saw Kelena and Weasley doing it with my own eyes!"

Kelena didn't breath; didn't even move. Since when were authority-figures so easily and quickly found? There was a teacher in the room, probably an assortment of Slytherins outside, and she was caught in Fred's arms, the both of them looking more disheveled and adding more credibility to the story than not. She felt faint.

"You two, come with me. Miss Parkinson, you may go about your business," McGonagall's strict voice rang out. Fred merely grinned and gave Kel a shove to get her going. She was immensely grateful it was their Head of House who'd been told, but she doubted that whatever punishment they received would be any less than if Snape himself had found them.

They dutifully followed her out of the classroom, the snickers of that Parkinson cow and her friends trailing after them. Fred put an arm around Kel with a grin, deciding that if people were going to talk, he'd put them in a different light than that of Lavender and Malfoy, and act as if they were so enamored of each other that they couldn't stay away from one another.

Kel inwardly groaned, knowing that it was her turn to be the scandal of the day and that Live would give her the third degree as much as she and Ginny had done earlier. But one thought did make her smile, and that was that, hey, at least she'd gotten to snog the daylights out of Fred and cure her back-boiler Sexlexia…All in all, today was turning out to be a pretty good day.

sSs

"Okay, so that's two orders of the cotton-candy-cobwebs and two cases of root beer. Have your galleons ready by Monday." Kara chipperly waved good-bye to her most recent customer and shoved the sheet of parchment back into her bag, happily humming in the corridor.

"And what are you up to?"

Kara shrieked in surprise, and then grinned proudly when she realized it was Live behind her, looking both disturbed and most affrighted by her outburst. "Hi!"

"If you react like that again, I'm alerting Peeves…You know you nearly gave _me_ a heart-attack!" Live asked crossly.

"Have to have a heart to have a heart-attack," she stated with a grin.

"You know I've killed for less?" Live threatened in inquiry.

"Yes," Kara replied pleasantly.

Live sighed and rolled her eyes. "What are you up to anyway? Who was that?"

"That," Kara decreed with a scholarly air, "was a customer." Live raised a speculative brow. "Oh shut up! I am NOT a whore!"

Live laughed. "Okay miss salesman, what're you selling, then? If not your body?" Kara started prodding Live in indignation, who shunted her off with a laugh. "Okay now, stop. What's up?"

"_I_ happen to be selling _our_ products, as a matter of fact," she said, whipping out her parchment sheet.

"Our…?" Live thought for a moment. "Oh crap! Are we already in full-blown sales-phase?!"

"Yes, miss 'I-don't-think-I-should-help-my-dear-little-sister-cuz-I'm-too-lazy' Slytherin!" she said indignantly. "You said you'd help me with testing! Only a few of our wizarding items are ready for market--"

"Sorry--"

"--and I've had to settle for selling most of the muggle-treats! And you know _I_ need those for eating!" she whined.

"Well I'll buy you more muggle-sweets next time I get a chance," Live promised, taking the sheet of parchment from her hands. She murmured as she went down the list of items written in Kara's quick-scrawls, some with stars next to them, others with lines through them, surveying what was ready to sell and mentally noting what wasn't. "Kara, what are these dates at the bottom? O-one twenty-eight? O-three sixteen? Are these dates for next year? I'd think testing would be done sooner."

"Well it would if you'd _help _me!" she whined. " And those aren't dates, they're sales."

Live's eyes went wide. "SALES?"

"Yes," she answered smugly.

"What have you been _selling_? Mary Jane? Peyote? Crack? Smack? It's smack isn't it?!"

"I'm not selling drugs!" Kara snapped. Live smirked and let her eyes sweep over the parchment again with more than minor amazement.

"You sure? How are we making this?"

"Oh, so it's _'we' _now?"

"Hey, don't forget who wanted to start this up," Live chided. "How're you doin' it?"

"Well, we only have a few things ready for market…there's the cotton-candy cobwebs--"

"I heard those gave Ron nightmares..."

"And the heat-changing clothing--"

Live smiled in happy memory.

"And then there's the Dazzle Razzles--"

"Dazzle Razzles?"

"Yeah…I put a charm on the muggle ones to make 'em sparkle when you chew."

"Ah. I see."

"And I did thorough research, and I found out that Laffy Taffy doesn't make you laugh. It's just _not_ funny." Kara looked slightly insulted, her smile wry and dissatisfied.

"There's no way you could have made that much money with just those three things." Live looked over the list again. "You _are_ selling smack, aren't you? The candy's laced with it, isn't it?"

"Okay, you got me; it's a side business." Kara rolled her eyes sarcastically. "Anyway, muggle sweets have been selling like mad. Apparently Hogwarts has a bigger black market than we thought," Kara said studiously. Live looked intrigued. "Mostly purebloods or wizarding households are buying. Muggle-borns aren't as interested."

"For class? Rumor has it people need stuff for Muggle Studies."

"Rumor says a lot of things…" Kara remarked awkwardly with a disturbed shiver. Their moods simultaneously shifted from light-hearted to sober.

"I'm gonna kill George…" Live stated.

"So me and Ginny _won't_ be getting any nieces or nephews anytime soon?" said Kara with a light laugh. Live snorted in indignation.

"I've already had this conversation with Ginny, thanks," she said dryly. "Thankfully the rumors about me and George have dimmed since you made Malfoy a whore…" Live smirked. "But I swear I'm still gonna kill him."

"_You always hurt, the ones you love_," Kara sang in a teasing tone.

"Sod off."

"Just playing Devil's advocate," she stated with a grin.

"You _are_ the Devil," Live asserted. Damn George…why wouldn't he just give this whole thing a rest?

"No, technically that makes _you_ the Devil. I'm just your helper."

Live scoffed, looking anywhere but Kara out of annoyance. "You're evil. Wicked evil."

"Again, technically _you_ are," Kara said with a smile and a hug, trapping Live's arms so she couldn't attack her. "Evil Live, _evil_…" she added in a spooky voice.

"Yeah yeah, very funny. Now get off. I'm not going down another notch on the Slytherin social ladder cuz of you," she declared, wiggling out of her grasp. They looked at each other for a moment, Live pondering as to whether or not she should hex her sister; Kara pondering if she had enough sodas to have a few herself.

"So…_are_ you selling the stuff through Muggle Studies, or not?" Live asked, trying to change the subject and quell her impulses to harm her sister.

"You'd think so, but rumor has it that people like Neville are just easy to addict to soda pop." Kara grinned mischievously.

"What did I tell you about addicting people to things?" Live scolded.

"Um…'get 'em while they're young'?" Kara smiled a great toothy smile and Live laughed.

"Come on, brilliance, we need to do inventory and figure out our stock options."

They left arm-in-arm, Kara being the one to more or less pull Live along, as they headed to Gryffindor tower to figure out profits, sales, and competitors.

sSs

"I still can't believe you got away with only a week's detention," Lee told Fred. "I mean, it's _you_!"

"I think McGonagall's officially run out of ideas," Fred told them.

"But she was clever enough to keep your detentions separate," George remarked with a smirk and grin at his twin. "Were you and Kelena really--?"

"I told you, no! Since when do you believe the word of a Slytherin over your own brother?" Fred said with feigned hurt. George momentarily blanked, his face turning a shade of red.

"I know a Slytherin George _would _believe," Lee said glibly, elbowing said twin as he tried to think of a clever comeback. "Their wedding's this April!"

George began to pummel Lee off the bed they were all sitting on in the dorms, telling him to shove it while Lee laughed and laughed, listing off wedding gifts for registry. While it was fine for George to tease Live, he wasn't going to let _Lee _tease _him_.

"Yeah, how _is_ that going?" the still-green-haired twin asked with a grin. "I wouldn't think you'd have a-- what did Kara call them? A shotgun-veggies wedding?"

"_Shotgun Vegas!_" Lee shouted from beneath George's clouting. His laughs were muffled as George got him in a full nelson, covering his mouth with his hands.

"I'm not having any weddings," George said, face the color of his askew hair. Whether that was attributed to their little brawl or a little blushing, no one but George really knew. "I'm just riling her up a bit. No harm in _that_."

Lee struggled and lifted George on his back, chucking him onto the other bed while running round the dormitory singing the universal song for love.

"George and Live, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

"Shut up Lee!" George growled, jumping off the bed after him as Lee jumped onto the next, laughing between verses.

"First comes love, then comes marriage!"

"Fred, you shut up too!" George shouted as he'd gotten a hold of Lee, shoving his face into the mattress of the bed while glaring at his twin. "How old are we?" he asked with derision.

"You have to admit, it _is _catchy," Fred said with a smirk.

"Remind me to add a verse for you and Kel," George said in threat. Lee struggled, trying to free his face from the bed, but George pushed him further into it.

"You gonna let him up?" Fred asked curiously as muffled noises of agreement were heard.

George let go of Lee, who came up and gulped air. "Are you trying to kill me, mate?"

"Then who would he have for bridegrooms?" Fred asked with quirked brow.

"Oh shut up. Anyways, we have more important things to do here," George declared, words full of business, mind full of a certain honey-blonde. "Now tonight's panty-raid…who's in?"

"Well so far there's us, and that Ravenclaw McNabb, Hufflepuff Jamie--"

"Jamie?"

"Jenny's brother."

"Oh."

"Then there's Davies- also Ravenclaw…and Rutherford."

"Rutherford?!"

"_David_ Rutherford?"

"He's Slytherin, isn't he?"

"Don't worry, he's cool. I knew his brother," Lee said. "Besides, what's an inter-house panty raid if we don't have access to all the houses? Rutherford's had it out for ruining Pug-faced Parkinson's reputation for years…I don't even want to _think_ what he's going to do with _her _underwear."

"I guess you're right…I hadn't figured out how we'd get to Live's Sexpert card thing yet," George told them. "I figured we'd just clock a Slytherin what-for…"

"Kel's won't be a problem…" Lee remarked thoughtfully of the fellow Gryffindor.

"I thought our main objective was panties?" Fred spoke up. "I mean, I'm all for their secret licenses and what-what, but the panties! _The panties_!"

"The panties…" Lee agreed with a nod.

"Okay, secret licenses are a priority, but panties are an even bigger priority. If we can find the licenses, good, but try and nick their panties!"

Lee and Fred snickered.

"And now for the next item on the agenda…Kara's been stealing our Wheezes clientele…"

sSs

"Just be good for five minutes and I'll put you down," Kara told her Kitty-Nimbles sister in her arms. She hopped through the Gryffindor portrait hole, not particularly grateful when Live put her claws in her skin from fright, and repositioned the tabby cat to a baby-hold. If a cat could scowl, then Kitty-Nimbles was doing it.

"Hi Kara."

"Hey, Hermione. Have you seen Kel? I need her for…um…I have a business meeting."

Hermione gave her a wry glance and a suspicious eye, but she surrendered the information anyway. "She's been hiding in her dorm since the whole McGonagall thing. This wouldn't have anything to do with Neville's sudden addiction to root beer, would it?" she added with accusing implication.

"Why Hermione, I am offended. Truly and utterly offended," Kara sniffed indignantly. Hermione smiled and let Kara disappear up the stairs without further inquiry. At least the stuff Kara was selling on Hogwarts' black market wasn't even _half_ as dangerous as Ron's idiot twin brothers.

"Pretty slick, wasn't I?" Kara asked the cat in her arms. Live extended one paw, allowing her claws to pop up one by one in kitty-threat. Kara frowned. "You know, I'm much bigger and stronger than you right now, so if you keep sassing me--"

"Threatening small animals, Kara? I swear, you get more like your sister every day."

Kara looked up to see George, Fred, and Lee blocking her way to the girl's dorms, grins of either amusement or terrible, terrible plans on their faces. Kitty-Nimbles twisted in Kara's arms to rest in a more comfortable position to hiss at them from.

"You tell 'em, Kitty-Nimbles," Kara said agreeably to her kitty-sister in her arms.

"It's a pretty cat, but for that temper," Lee said thoughtfully, looking at the cat with something akin to threat and boyish mischief.

"Yup, she's a bad-ass," Kara agreed, and tried to get past them to the girl's dormitories. They wouldn't move, so she tried wiggling through their small ranks. "_George_! _Mooove_!" Kara whined like a hurt cow.

"We'd like to have a few words with you, Kara my dear," Fred requested.

"Business, mostly," Lee agreed, placing an arm around her shoulder jovially. He reconsidered when Kitty-Nimbles arched up to hiss at him.

"_Business_?" Kara inquired with suspicious tones and raised brow. Kitty-Nimbles moved from her arms to cling to her shoulder. Lee looked slightly taken aback. Fred was even more assured that this cat was a demon. George figured it was evil incarnate.

"You _know_," Lee hinted with a look about the room, and lowered his voice when he caught sight of Hermione, prefect and fun-ruiner extraordinaire. "…_business_…"

Kara sighed with exasperation. "I told you I'm NOT a whore!"

Fred chuckled and Lee smirked. George put a hand to his face in exasperation. "Honestly Kara…"

Kara frowned, arms crossed indignantly. She'd rather hoped it wouldn't come to this. She _knew_ they weren't making jokes about her being a whore (which was a joke all in good fun anyway as she was the furthest from whorey one could get), and her declaration thereof wasn't necessary anyway. They were upset about her stealing their Wheezes business.

"No, we mean _business_, as in the business you've stolen from us," Lee remarked with a grin.

Kara grinned in kind. "I don't know what you're talking about. Now if you'll excuse me, Kitty-Nimbles needs her litter-box," she said with purposeful snobbish demeanor.

"You've been taking our clients, haven't you?" Fred accused.

"I don't know what you're talking about…" she asserted once more. Kitty-Nimbles hissed at him.

"Look Kara, just give us back our business and no one gets hurt," George hinted. Not that they'd do anything…except maybe sabotage her somehow…all in the name of good fun, of course, and nothing too serious.

Kara sighed. "Okay, fine. You can have your business. I didn't know you were so stuck on it," she admitted with serious tone, reaching in her bag for papers.

"I told you it wouldn't be a problem," Lee whispered to George. Fred grinned.

"Okay, here's all the proper paperwork and documentation. Happy business to you!" she declared, brushing past them after thrusting the papers into Fred's hands. Kitty-Nimbles took an ill-placed swipe and missed George by mere centimeters. She let off an unhappy hiss as Kara happily bounced along to her dormitory.

"So what is that?" Lee asked, leaning over George's shoulder.

"What the…? …_ownership_…_pimping_…_disciplinary pimp-slaps_…? These are the papers for pimping-out Malfoy the Gryffindor-whore! _This isn't mine_!" George yelled up the stairs to Kara.

"Really?" Kara yelled back down, and quieter, to herself, "Hmm…So Malfoy's a capitalist then."

"He's into socialist orgies," she heard as she opened the door and entered Kelena's dorm. Loud cursing and falling noises were heard next, and in all their fervor, the three Wheezes partners were on the floor of the Gryffindor common room in a heap.

"You know you're not allowed up the girls' dorms," Hermione chided from her respective reading. The three boys looked at one another in thought.

"We have more problems to work out before we do this panty-raid."

sSs

"I'm really surprised with you, Kelena," Live said with abject disgust.

"It's because of _you_ that it happened!" she countered.

Live quirked an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you be thanking me, then?" She grinned as Kel scowled. "I know the dirty thoughts you have about him…" She smirked as Kel's eyes widened.

"I honestly can't believe you'd do that, Kel," Kara remarked, chewing on a licorice whip. "Poor Fred…"

"_WHA?!_" both sixth years exclaimed in earnest surprise.

"Well, I mean, we've all seen the way he looks at you…" Kara elaborated with sympathy.

"You've given him a full-blown case of Sexlexia!" a voice from beneath the bed announced. Kelena, Live, and Kara screamed from atop the bed.

"GINEVRA WEASLEY! What the fuck are you doing under there?!" Live shouted, more than freaked out (her skeleton having tried escaping from her body and all).

"I was looking for dust-bunnies," Ginny explained, crawling out from under the bed, rather non-plussed with Live's cursing. "It's for my muggle studies report. But I can't find one damn bunny…I don't know how the muggles do it." Kel sighed in exasperation and Live took a deep breath, trying to calm her skeleton from wanting to leave her body once more from surprise. Ginny gave her an innocent look. "You're awfully jumpy."

"You just popped out of nowhere like Freddy Krueger in some scary Nightmare on Elm Street movie!" Live announced.

"_It's the red hair_," Kara whispered to Ginny. Live flopped onto her back on the bed and flung a pillow over her face. She mumbled something incoherent, akin to either an impressive curse word or declaration of doom.

"_Aaanyway_…before we were interrupted by Ginny-Krueger," Kelena started, more than miffed and feeling directionless. "I have no idea what I should think about this. Do you know just how wrong it is to have McGonagall lecture you on 'teenage impulses'? I thought I'd die right there!" Live snickered and Kelena threw a pillow at her. "Shut up or I'll throw you to the lions!"

"Ha. Ha," Live stated sarcastically, though taking the threat to heart as the Gryffindors would _not_ appreciate her being in their Tower.

"Gah! What should I do?! That Parkinson cow has probably already spread the rumor halfway around the castle!" Kelena shrieked out.

"Which brings to question, why were she and that other girl going into that class in the first place?" Ginny asked deductively.

"To steal?" Kara said brightly. It was Live's turn to chuck a pillow at her.

"I could talk to Vivian and Rebecca…They've got enough dirt on Pansy from this incident alone to claim she was going to make out with her lesbian friends," Live stated casually. "And we all know how homophobic she is. She'd be ruined by such a thing. What other reasons would they have for going into that deserted classroom?" Live implied devilishly. Parkinson wasn't even much to look at from _her_ point of view…

"All the moans?" Ginny suggested naughtily. Kelena threw a pillow with lethal force, trying to knock the red-head off the bed.

Kara looked up from her licorice, something suddenly dawning. "Pug-face likes girls!"

"No," Live drawled, then gave them all a sly look. "But she _could_, if I talk to the right people…"

"Everyone knows she's a shoe-in to be the next Mrs. Malfoy. Don't waste your breath," Kel muttered, running a hand through her hair in exasperation.

"Malfoy is currently a shoe-in for Best House Spirit," Live pointed out. "Maybe not _our _house, but it's either that or whore of the year."

Kelena groaned into her pillow hopelessly. "I'm never going outside again!"

"Won't Fred have problems climbing the stairs to get in here then?" Live asked saucily. Kel shoved her off the bed, to which Live let out a rather loud profanity.

"Okay Kara! This is it! You come out and come out now!" a distinctly-male voice asserted itself from outside their door.

Live slid under the bed in a panic as the door rattled a few times, then opened to reveal Fred, Lee, and George grappling the stairs like cliffhangers.

Kelena hid under her blankets, in no mood to see Fred, and Kara and Ginny looked at the three liked they were crazy.

"You guys have gone officially mental," Ginny announced.

"Shut it, Gin, this is business."

"They want to go into pimping," Kara explained. "Especially that of pimping Malfoy."

"That's just sick and wrong…Besides, no one'll tap that. It's profitless," Lee told them dismally.

"Hunter, this means war!" George announced to Kara, getting a firmer grip on the rope as he tried to maneuver them to solid land for further threats (plus, you know, it was rather fun trying to climb the stairs like mountains).

"RRWWEEOOW!"

Kitty-Nimbles sprang from beneath the bed, latched herself onto George, took a swipe at his face, and ran/slid down the non-existent steps, seeking refuge in Hermione's arms once safely in the common room.

Her unprovoked attack ended with the three seventh years falling and sliding to a heap to rest on the common room floor. Kara stuck her head out the door to try and get a view. She settled on yelling out: "Girls one, Boys nothing!"

sSs

As if the prize of countless pairs of panties wasn't enough of a spur, the events that had taken place that evening in the Gryffindor common room worked to further provoke the guys to action. It was midnight in the room of requirement, and Fred, George, and Lee were instructing the twenty-odd boys in the ways of panty-raiding. Harry had even floo-ed Sirius about it earlier that evening for any tips. His main pointers were to utilize the hidden passages, fly brooms up magical-steps, and clothe oneself in darkness. Pretty basic, but he swore that even a great mastermind like James Potter had used _lumos_ when he'd raided a one Lily Evan's panty-drawer so long ago. Little to say, it didn't end how he'd thought it would, but it still ended well.

The boys were split into two teams, and those teams further broken down into look-outs, guards, and a position Fred referred to as Panty-Major General (not as if there was such a thing, but Fred accepted the title nonetheless.

Passwords were exchanged, manly-giggles were heard, boys became men, and voyeurs were born. It was an overall stimulating night, one they would never forget.

But no one could have foreseen the consequences that would arise from something as simple as a panty-raid. And it was all thanks to Kara's sudden interest in a place called 'library'.

sSs


	22. Consequences

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 22: Consequences

sSs

The day started as normal as any other.

In Gryffindor Tower, Kelena and Kara were fighting over some muggle root beer and the last chocolate taffy in Kara's drag-queen's purse. In the Slytherin Dungeons, Live was cursing and threatening roommates Vivian and Rebecca as they tried to get her out of bed, stealing her blankets and sandwiching her when she tried to get comfortable again. With their daily routines already set in cycle, it was no wonder they were unaware of the new artwork the castle would soon have on display, all sponsored by the beneficiaries of the four Hogwarts Houses, led by a man only known as the Panty-Major General…For the most part, it was as close to normality as one could get, and late-start classes and far-between breaks were the expected highlight for the day. An art gallery was the least of anyone's expectations…

It was during one of these breaks that Kara met with Live early after class in the library for 'consumer testing'. After having successfully encased three fourth-years in crunchy toffee bombs, they'd escaped the library and Madam Pince's wrath (the fourth years were stuck in their sugary prison to bear the brunt of her anger).

"So we want to market those toffee death traps?" Live asked Kara, fingers to temple in subsequent annoyance. Live liked the library, and now Madam Pince would be watching her like a hawk…Damn.

Kara gave Live a sour look. "_You_ were the one that especially wanted to sell them…" Kara regarded her with eyebrow raised. "You look tired."

"You know, you could just say outright that I look like crap," Live said with a shrug. "The words you _didn't_ say were louder than the ones you did."

Kara laughed. "Get no sleep?"

"Hardly…I kept having these nightmares that George was in my room--"

"Ooh! naughty!" Kara interrupted with a grin.

Live let out a strangled noise "No! Not like that! Ugh…I oughta sell you to the goblins as slave labor…" Although now that the whole George-idea was implanted into her mind, and she considered just how handsome he sometimes seemed to be…"_Dammit Kara_!"

"They pay better than you'd think," Kara remarked of the goblins.

"They don't pay at all if you're a-- Oh shut up…Aaaanyways, no I kept having these terrible dreams that George was in my room going through my underwear…I even got up in the middle of the night to check if they were there…"

Kara made an even more sour face than before. "Blind your friends much?" Live frowned, and Kara laughed.

"I wore PJs last night, dumbass…The ones Kel refers to as 'that sexy little number'…"

Kara smiled and gave Live a pat on the back. "Good for you. Welcome back from the nudist colony."

Kara's last comment went thoroughly ignored. "It was weird though…Like, you know how sometimes my dreams come true?"

"Yeah…That's creepy…Have any more premonitions about dead meat?"

"Meat _is_ dead, dork." Kara looked ponderous. "Well, I swear it was the weirdest thing, but Pansy Parkinson swore her 'expensive, designer underwear' was all gone this morning…" Kara outwardly shuddered. "And I swear mine looked like they'd been mussed up…" She looked at Kara, who had a growing grin on her face. "What? You didn't do anything to piss Peeves off, did you?! Shit Kara, not again…"

Kara's grin grew. "No, but last night after you left our common room I _did_ happen to sell, and forgive the pun, an ass-load of those heat-changing clothes we came up with…"

Live quickly linked the ideas. "Eww…To who?"

"I dunno who he was…It was dark…I think he's in your house, though. He was a slinky-type if ever I seen one…"

"You're going to personally market our Knockturn Alley branch of business," Live joked. Kara raised her hands innocently with a cherubic grin. Live smirked and thought on her words. "Hmm…Pug-face _was_ complaining about only having her granny-panties to wear this morning…Yuck…But why would someone ever want to touch _her_ undies? Crotch-rot if you ask me…ewww…"

"I don't know…haven't had my breakfast yet, and nobody's told _me_ anything. You know how hard it is to smuggle goods down here without being seen?" Kara asked adamantly.

"Well let's find Hermione…she'd know in the very least, wouldn't she? She'd be at breakfast now, right? I totally don't want to be caught off guard if someone's planning something on Parkinson…"

"Yeah…We've ruined the library, and Hermione wasn't in there…I got this fun book though!" Kara grinned and extracted a large tome from her bag.

Live raised an eyebrow, taking the book from her grinning sister. "Weird Wizarding Regulations and the Wizards Who Warrant Them…What the hell are you doing with this?"

"Checking out the laws on black-market selling and rights to selling other stuff…You know Fred, George, and Lee want to shut us out…?"

"Fat chance," Live declared. "Just wait until the next Hogsmeade visit…I've got something that no one in the wizarding world has ever seen before…" She gave Kara a wink, while the younger witch looked thoroughly disturbed and utterly serious.

"You're not doing porn, are you?"

Live burst out laughing, her face turning red as her laughs became more frequent. She turned away from Kara, who had such a look of affront on her face that it only made her laugh harder as tears streamed down her face.

Live laughed as she tried to speak and calm down. "The day…I do porn…," she snickered a few more times, her speech becoming bursts of laughter, "is the day Dumbledore wears women's underwear!"

"Oh dear, Miss Hunter, I see you've discovered the comfortable secret of my undergarments."

Live went stock-still; Kara didn't breathe. She turned around slowly at hearing the voice of the Headmaster himself and then seeing the man before her. She began to move her lips, but no sounds came out.

And then something dawned on her at the sparkle in his eyes. She smacked him good and hard right in the chest.

"Kelena you rat!" Live spat.

Dumbledore looked highly affronted and surprised, and Live grew quickly incensed. She looked about the hall, making sure it was empty as she was about to shake down her Metamorphmagus friend. And then the impossible and most horrific of things happened.

"Hey guys," Kel said as she came about a corner. Live looked to Kel, to Dumbledore, and back again. Kara's mouth hung wide open at the horror of it all.

There was an intake of breath, followed by a loud THUNK.

"Crap," Dumbledore muttered, looking down at Live's fainted body carpeting the hall, and looking to Kel, "We'd better move her…"

"And this Hunter's looking rather peaky herself," Kel remarked.

As a matter of fact, Kara was currently between running screaming down the halls and frozen still in a moment of time. Snape gave enough lectures on time; she knew it was quite possible to stay in her moment of horror forever.

"Oh for shit's sake," Dumbledore said, his countenance melting away to reveal that of one tricky little Gryffindor witch.

"Ke- TWO KELENAS?" Kara squeaked loudly, looking from one to the other.

The one which was previously Dumbledore stood next to the other Kel, who's appearance shifted to be that of a crazy-haired witch they all knew and loved.

"TONKS!" Kara shrieked, ready to go cold turkey on her sugar due to such vivid hallucinations.

"_Professor _Tonks, I am now officially called," the bright witch gleaned.

"Damn, she's not moving unless we wake her up," Kelena said thoughtfully as she looked down at Live, unmoved by Kara's near-death experience.

"Kelena, if ever Live threatened to kill someone, it meant _nothing _until now," Kara spoke with relief and fresh terror. "I mean, impersonating the Headmaster? Are you crazy?"

"The look on your face was worth it," the elder witch declared as she stood over Live and prodded her with her wand.

"I ought to lynch you on her behalf," Kara declared with relief. "But I do give you props on a prank well-played." She sportingly gave Kel a clammy-handed high-five.

"Careful, in the attention of the latest DADA teacher here," Kel jested, rather pleased with her little prank, and glad she hadn't skived off her early morning DADA class. "Hey Live, wakey-wakey." She prodded the Slytherin with her wand, who gave a few twitches in retaliation.

"Boy will she be pissed when she wakes up," Tonks remarked with a smirk. Kara arched a brow, already liking Tonks' presence at Hogwarts even more.

"I know what'll get her up…" Kara said as she leaned down close to her sister. Several students had already passed by, and Tonks gave them a few 'mind-your-own-business' smirks as she supervised the procedures.

Kara leaned down and whispered in Live's ear so quiet that the others couldn't hear it. Consequently, the Slytherin opened her eyes, seized up, _jumped_ up, and made a mad dash to the girls' bathroom for nerve-recovery purposes.

Tonks eyed Kara and looked back at the path her retreating sister had made. "What was it you said to her? That's one hell of a spell."

"Wasn't a spell," Kara said with a smirk. "I told her that George took all her underwear."

"Ah, I see she was one of the victims this morning, too," Tonks remarked with a grin.

Kara gave her a quizzical look. "Victim?"

"You haven't heard? All this talk of underwear and nothing?"

Kara and Kel gave her blank stares.

"Merlin's balls, girls! Come with me!" Tonks grabbed both of them by the wrists and led them quickly through the halls in a flurry of motion until suddenly they were slowed down to almost nothing, the enormity of the crowd blocking any progress they might make further to see what the hubbub was about.

"Look out, move it, Professor coming through, keep moving, get back, outta the way!" Tonks declared with authority, dragging the two girls behind her into the fray. She came to a halt in front of the corridor wall, and Kara frowned.

"What is this?"

"Oh holy bob…" Kel muttered. "Who did this?"

"We can't say, but I have my suspicions," Tonks said with a smirk as they all tilted their heads back to look high upon the wall.

From mid-wall to ceiling, the entire side of the corridor was lined in color-coded picture frames: scarlet, emerald, goldenrod, and violet. Each picture frame was labeled with a name in sparkly white lettering, and inside each frame, like some school-basketball teammates jersey, were countless pairs of underwear, on display, on a velvety background, from some one-hundred girls of the four houses amounting to over one-hundred and fifty pairs of underwear gross unit.

There were all types up there, too. Granny-pannies, chonies, thongs, G-strings, see-through boy-shorts, French crotch-less undies, leather thongs more string than leather, chain-mail G-strings, rainbow-twirl panties, _edible_ underwear (thank you, Miss Haversham), jungle-type loin-cloths, medieval chastity-belts, self-cleaning mood-panties, garters, garter-belts, and a single picture-frame with no panties at all.

"Even without looking at the names, you could tell which one is Live's," Kara snickered as she pointed to the empty one, more impressed by the scene than outraged, giggling with amusement. "_She doesn't believe in panties_," she confided as she stuck out her tongue in unconcerned mirth and looked to Kelena.

"How in the hell did they get six of mine?" Kel shrieked, counting the picture frames with her name on them.

"Overall, I _am _quite impressed with this…what's that say? 'Panty-Major General'? So we were panty-raided. Huh."

"Kara! Crap! There's like, twelve pairs of yours up there!" Kel affirmed with wide-eyes.

"Huh…So that's where my day-by-day underwear went…I was wondering what happened with Thursday…"

"Today is not Thursday!" Kelena shrieked, as if it really mattered.

Kara shrugged, rather non-plussed, and already thinking how she might be able to sell a few heat-changing clothes in a crowd this size. "What do you want with me?" Kara asked Kel as her eyes were still glued to the scene. "My crotch likes to be in future time."

"Shut-up shut-up! That doesn't matter!" Kel said with hysterics, feeling the need of a thousand suns to get her underwear off that wall. She whipped out her wand and pointed it at the wall, realizing after several minutes that the damage had already been done and the magic had hit the fan. "I can't get my panties off!" Kelena wailed. There were several snickers around her, and realizing what she'd said, she frowned and gave a quite good-imitation Slytherin sneer.

"It's okay, Kelena, the teachers are already working on it," Tonks said with a conciliatory pat on the shoulder.

"Joy…" Kel whined.

"Snape says that they were stuck with a sticking solution, and if he makes up a batch to fix that, Filch will have them down in no-time." Tonks smiled, but could not ignore the looks of abject horror on the faces of the students around her, both male and female.

The girls were horrified that their underwear had been even minutely perused and examined by Snape, Slytherin Bat King and miserable git supreme. The boys were horrified that it would be Filch who got to handle such delectable and exotic underwear, that of which they had only ever touched in their dreams (at least, excluding the panty-raiders).

"Professor, _no_!" several girls wailed in Tonks direction at the news.

"Bad idea Professor," was the boys' consensus. "Best leave them up for a bit…Dark magic and all…Shouldn't touch it…especially not Filch…"

Tonks rolled her eyes, gathered up her Metamorphmagus sister-in-arms, and left the crowded corridor with Kara in tow.

"I can't bloody believe it…every house…too coordinated…too perfect…" Kelena muttered.

"Although I must admit it _was _the nicest way I have ever seen my undies on display," Kara said with a smirk. "Very tasteful."

"Something like this happened back before I was in school," Tonks said with a laugh as she decided that was all she needed to see of the framed-panties. The two Gryffindors followed her as she walked. "Stuff legends are made of, really, but it was all hush-hush after the raid…"

"Really?" Kara asked, intrigued.

"Oh yeah…Kids had been talking about it for years before I ever went to Hogwarts. The last time something this coordinated happened, every pair of girl's underwear in the entire school had been stolen and hung all over the Quidditch pitch like a great banner, each for each house…I bet Dumbledore remembers that," she added with a smirk as they climbed stairs.

"Panty-raids that bad here? Maybe Live was right, and I should have went to Muggle-school," Kara said with a laugh. "My poor dear panties…"

"It hasn't been like this in decades, as far as I know. Something had to be done to put a stop to all the panty thefts." She smirked in happy delight. "Ministry got involved and everything…I'm not sure what happened, but they did something big about it…Nice to see someone's not afraid of the old laws," she said with a great laugh, stopping in the corridor to the Gryffindor common room where she'd leave the girls to their own devices.

"What did they do?" Kara asked, eyes wide with hunger for knowledge.

"You should teach History of Magic. We'd learn a lot more," Kelena said to the spunky witch before them.

"Hm, I _can _multi-task," Tonks pondered with a hand to her chin in exaggerated thought.

"What did they _do?"_ Kara repeated, tugging on the professor's robes.

"Oh, I dunno, fine the perpetrators a galleon for each underwear stolen or something in reality I suppose, although the rumors were far worse…and a lot more fun."

"Strike that teaching-suggestion," Kel remarked as they were left in the Hall of Moving Stairs.

Tonks laughed. "I'll see you girls later, eh? Tell your sister no hard feelings," she said with a wink, waving at the blond and brunette she left in her dust.

Kara's eyes got a bit wide. "Live is going to be pissed off."

"I don't want to be there when she finds out."

"Me neither…"

"But we need a Sexpert Guild Field Correspondent…"

"What do we do?"

Both girls looked at the portrait hole of their common room as it swung open for a third year. They had smirks on their faces as they shouted:

"Ginny!"

sSs

"I want…_to die_…" Live muttered from under her pillow that evening in the Slytherin dorms.

"Oh please, you act like it's the end of the world," Vivian deduced as she prodded her friend.

"…some hemlock…maybe a self-killing curse…"

"At least they didn't get any of yours…" Rebecca said, her edible undies now on display for the general public.

"That's even worse…" Live muttered, pulling the pillow down hard on her own face, muffling her whining.

"How so?" Vivian asked. "It wasn't you that started shrieking in the middle of class that your panties were shrinking on your bum." Rebecca laughed and Live's muffled groan was heard through the pillow. "Although really, I don't think I have any memory which I will treasure more than poor Professor Flitwick trying to help free Pansy of that shrinking thong…"

Rebecca shoved her face into the mattress as she laughed so hard no sound could be heard.

"She should have thanked him for that charm, otherwise she mightn't not be able to have children now," she said in a dignified voice. "The thing he ripped off her didn't look like it would fit a cat." Live smirked from under the pillow. "But then again, we should loathe him for allowing her to be breedable."

Live's muffled scoffing-laughs broke through the pillow, and she threw it off, laughing and laying there in remembrance of how Pansy had tried to rip off her own robes to get at them. But with some fast-thinking, Professor Flitwick had freed her from the restraining article with a flick of his wand…and for all the class to see. She was very grateful now for Kara's late-night sale of heat-changing clothing to an unknown buyer…

"That was gross…"

"I won the house pool though," Rebecca said with a laugh.

"What?" the two girls asked with a smirk.

"The house pool from when we bet on who was most likely to come-on to a teacher first. Pansy won me fifty galleons!"

"Eww, Rebecca," Live chuckled.

"I got it on a technicality being as how she basically flashed the entire class," she said, quite pleased with herself. "And I think we're all in agreement that Flitwick got the worst flash of all."

"That's something I gotta share with the girls," Live said with a laugh, leaning over her bed (and Vivian, who happened to be in her way) to dig around in her bed stand table. "They'll love that."

sSs

The loud, high-pitched scream tore through Gryffindor Tower, startling many out of their reverie.

Kelena tore through her belongings with the zeal of a crack ferret trying to find its next fix. Her breath coming in sharp gasps, she threw two drawers' worth of clothes onto her bed, frantically searching through all of the pockets and shuffling through the mess with frightening speed.

"Oh my bob! Oh Merlin, where did I leave it? Gaahh!" Kelena threw a pair of jeans and a couple of shirts to the floor in her haste, quickly giving their floor some new carpeting.

"Merlin's balls, Kelena! Did you want to give me a heart attack?" Kara asked grumpily as she walked into Kelena's dorm, a candy treat clutched in her paw.

"Where is it? Did you take it Kara? THIS ISN'T FUNNY! GIVE IT BACK!" Kelena screeched, her fist clenched in the front of Kara's nightshirt, perilously close to pulling it off altogether.

"Give what back, you creep?! You've already hidden your best books, and I told you that I'd stop groping fireman number one," Kara shrieked back, trying to unclench Kelena's hands from her chest.

"I've lost the single most important thing in my life!" Kelena wailed with her hands on her face. She had been watching too many soaps lately.

"Your books?"

"No!"

"That first-place award for 'Next-to-Godly Cleanliness'? Which, by the way, I think was fixed…"

"No!"

"That how-to book on sensual massage?"

"NO you idiot! My Sexpert License!"

Kara gasped, and then settled down on Kelena's messy bed with her library book. "Oh."

Kara opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out.

"Do you have any idea what could happen if someone got a hold of my Sexpert License? I mean, it says EVERYTHING! Guild meetings, secret codes, and it has those naughty moving pictures me and Live took that one night! Oh, shit! She's gonna be royally pissed!"

"Maybe you left it at the last Guild meeting?"

Kel let out a frustrated shriek and resisted pulling her hair out. "Oh you're no help! I gotta go tell Live!"

Leaving Kara sitting on her bed, Kelena full on sprinted out of her dorm and through Gryffindor Tower. Clad in only a black t-shirt, red short shorts (her underwear had, of course, been lifted that previous night), and knee-high rainbow socks, she was a Technicolor blur to all in the Common Room.

"Wasn't that Kelena?" Seamus asked Dean, looking up from their game of chess.

"Dunno, mate."

"Was she wearing any pants?"

"Didn't look like it to me."

"How close did you look?"

"Not close enough, apparently!"

Kelena burst through the portrait hole to come crashing into Fred, the least of her worries and the last person she was in the mood to see. Although momentarily dazed, she jumped off him and resumed her search for Live, ready to barge right into the Slytherin common room if she had to. She ran quickly away, leaving Fred in her dust as he climbed into the portrait hole and looked to the occupants in the room.

"Was she wearing any pants?"

Kel sprinted like she never had before, which was saying something really as her womanly-body was hardly suitable for running these days. It was just her luck, as she was getting a stitch in her side, that she crashed into Live halfway to the Slytherin Dungeons.

"Live!"

"Kel!"

They looked at each other in fatigued fright:

"I lost my Sexpert License!"

They stared at each other, realization that the same terrible thing had befallen them both.

"I looked in all my clothes"

"It wasn't in my drawer"

"Not even in the 'special' pocket!"

"Or in my bra!"

"I don't understand! We both had them at the last Guild meeting, where the devil should those licenses be?" Live ranted, looking about as if the answer might fall into her lap. It was far too great of a coincidence that both of their licenses were missing, and both were far more than shaken by the lost relics.

"This is bad," Kel remarked.

"Really bad," Live agreed. She gave Kelena a look over, her attention always easily distracted. "What are you wearing?"

"What are _you_ wearing?" Kel asked as she looked her Slytherin sister over. Live smirked. She was wearing blue short-shorts, white not-socks, and a black T-shirt that said 'Kiss me, I'm a pirate'.

Both girls went wide-eyed suddenly.

"Oh shit."

"Do you have your wand?"

"No. Do you have yours?"

"No."

"We need to get back to our rooms…Like, _now_. If we get caught like this…and after the underwear episode…I'm sick of being in the gossip mill…" Live remarked with a defeated shrug.

"Secret passages?"

"Nuh-uh. If we run into Filch….ugh…I do _not _want to run into him in an enclosed dark space looking like this," she motioned to her form, "I'd rather risk the open and have more options to flee and hide."

Kel looked mildly sickened. "Good point."

Live was both frustrated and bothered, and thrust her hand into the air defiantly. "That's it!" she said in threat, "I'm calling an emergency Sexpert Guild meeting! Get the other Gryffindors and meet me in the room of requirement. We're gonna get to the bottom of this right now."

"Alright I'll get everyone together…I want my license and _I want it now_!" Kel huffed once impatiently. "I mean, where the hell could they be?"

Where indeed? Little did they know that the answer was closer to home than they thought. At that very moment both of their licenses were being pored over by the likes of the Gryffindor triple terror; the Panty-Major General and his two associates.

"Come on, now, don't be shy," Fred coaxed the moving picture in the license in his hand.

Lee laughed at his attempts. "I'll tell ya now, mate, picture or not, that girl is smarter than she looks. Too bad, though…They aren't wearing that much from the looks of things…"

Fred gave him a dirty look while George was having similar misfortune with the license in his hand. He sighed and looked to Lee. "Isn't there a way to make their photos come out from behind the frame?"

Even though the cards had printed upon them what Kel termed as 'a veritable cornucopia of secret information', the boys were not interested in anything but their scandalously-clad figures trying to stay hidden behind the frames. Their entire focus, for a good two hours, had been in gawking over the cards, hiding for a bit, and then popping out at them when the small moving pictures thought they weren't there.

The cards themselves had valuable, defined information such as: the roles of the Sexpert, the information she must be knowledgeable in, her full name, her house of origin, her level of sexpertise (the introductory S-level, the longest apprenticeship E-level, and the rarely obtained X-level), and a fully-accessible list of what went on at the meetings (kept only on the Officials' licenses for security reasons, which now proved a mistake). Yet the boys were uninterested in anything at the moment but getting their naughty forms into frame.

Now boys in general, especially that of the Weasley twins and their associates, have rather short attention spans, and are better at multi-tasking several things at once as opposed to, say, paying attention in potions class. But when it comes to the scantily-clad forms of those they'd cured their Sexlexia with, their attention could be brought nowhere else, and for hours they were trying to figure out ways to unlock the 'hidden' secrets of the Sexpert licenses (which did, in fact, have fewer 'hidden' secrets than not).

Lee laughed and angled over Fred's shoulder for a better look at Kelena's figure. The little scantily-clad pictures on the thieved Sexpert licenses let out silent shouts of indignation at the gawking. George grinned and told Live's scanty photo to move into frame.

"George, she wants to kill you. I highly doubt her photo is going to do anything you tell her to," Fred affirmed with a smirk. He caught movement from Kelena's picture as it darted from one side of the frame to the other for safety away from his prying eyes. "Ha! I saw you!"

"Was she wearing garters?" Lee exclaimed with wide, happy eyes, shoving Fred out of the way to get a better look.

All three grinned, tilting their heads to get better looks.

sSs

Kelena waved good-bye to the last member of the Sexpert Guild from the Room of Requirement. Live was ready to kill something.

"That was utterly fruitless," she said unhappily. "Except now we know everyone's still freaked out by the number of panties that were stolen."

"Dude, don't talk about that," Kel said, trying to vanish thoughts that Snape and Filch would be anywhere near her panties. "Be lucky yours aren't up there."

"You don't understand! They aren't up there, but they _are_ missing!" Live said with concern. "My super-secret-super-special-sexpert-spectacular thong is gone!"

"You mean the purple Victoria's Secret one?"

"Yes! That one! It's _goooooooone_!" Live wailed, throwing her arms over her head. "You know it was my favorite!"

Kel shrugged and patted her shoulder. "Let's get back to our dorms. We'll network tomorrow and peg the perpetrator, although I've got my suspicions…"

"WHO?"

"Oh, it doesn't matter anyway."

"Tell me."

"Well, Neville won't look me straight in the face…"

Live smirked. "Well have you looked in a mirror recently?" Kel laughed and smacked her. "Sorry, but you gave me an opening."

"Anyway, I don't think Neville guilty so much as incapable. Probably just because he got a look at girls' thongs. Or Kara spiked his root beer."

"Yeah." Live yawned. "Huh, well damn it all, let's get some sleep and figure things out first thing tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure thing."

They quickly departed from the Room of Requirement, more due to their choice garb than the prospect of getting in trouble, and got back into their dorms to confer with their roommates.

sSs

"And in some provinces they make you wear green bowler hats to deter Jarvey theft…You think Fudge ever stole a Jarvey?" Kara asked from atop Kelena's bed, looking up from her book of Weird Wizarding Regulations and the Wizards Who Warrant Them. She was settling in comfortably in the older girl's bed having just got back from the emergency Guild meeting. Hermione was spell-proofing Kelena's drawers as requested.

"Fudge is just odd. Let's leave it at that," Hermione said, cocking an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

Kara grinned a great toothy smile and chucked the book at Hermione. "Lookit what I found in the library!"

Hermione mumbled the title for a moment, and opened the book to the table of contents. "Wow."

"I know." Kara smirked. "I finally found something worth reading!"

Hermione patted her on the head. "And we're all proud of you, Kara." Kara then tried to bite her, stole back the book, and smiled sweetly as Hermione shrugged and exited Kelena's dorm to go to her own.

She was stopped, however, by a fleshy tower of boy.

"Hi Hermione!" Fred greeted chipperly.

"If you're looking for Kelena, I have no clue where she got to," she lied. Chances were that the Technicolor dream was still in the room of requirement with her fuming friend.

"Oh, I'm not looking for Kelena, I was looking for you," he said with a beseeching grin.

Hermione raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Only when they wanted something did the twins ask her in such a tone of voice and such a sweet smile. Ginny had since perfected it. And no good could come of it. "Whhhhyyyy?"

"Oh, just some help with a potion is all," he said happily.

"Oh!" Hermione was immediately all business. "What's the potion?"

"Oh, it's just that I'm trying to keep a photo centered. It's a picture of- um, a dog, and he keeps running back and forth through frame. I want to keep him from going behind the frame." Fred grinned and Hermione gave him a weird look.

"Fred you _know_ that you're going to have to take a new picture first, right? It's all about the solution you use when you develop it that makes it move right." Hermione was puzzled at the dejected look on Fred's face. "It's not that hard. Just get Colin or Dennis Creevey to take a new picture for you and develop it."

Fred turned and left, shoulders slumped in defeat, waving a dismissive hand behind. "Yeah, thanks Hermione, okay."

Hermione just shrugged and went back to Kelena's dorm to fetch the sugary blond bed-warmer to bed.

sSs

"I just feel sick even knowing that Snape was anywhere _near_ my panties."

"Snape? Filch actually _touched_ them. I want to hurl."

"I think we should burn them."

"My favorite panties! I can't wear them again without knowing where they've been!"

The general tone of the following morning was not one that was favorable. The girls were unhappy because their panties had undergone the teamwork of Snape and Filch; the boys were unhappy because the risqué art gallery was now closed, the exhibit forever taken down.

Live was unhappy as well. Having nightmares of missing underwear and George Weasley hadn't made for a good night's sleep, and the fact that her Sexpert License was still missing was far worse. Then there was the fact of the matter that she was still in the rumor mill from 'accosting' George in the hall, not to mention everything else. So suffice it to say, one could conclude that she would not be happy when a bullet from a blond sugar pistol was fired at her as she walked to the Great Hall for breakfast.

THUNK!

"Hi Live!"

"Ow! Dammit Kara! What the hell?"

"I brought you a muffin!" Kara, hugging Live from behind, shoved a blueberry muffin in the direction of her mouth, who clamped it shut from reflexes that one only gets from having grown up with siblings. "It's your favorite!"

Live shunted her major hold off in a few brusque movements, only to come to a standstill in which Kara was bent at the waist, still hugging Live around her own waist, and brandishing the muffin with a smile.

Live sighed. "What is this?"

"Blueberry!"

"Uh-huh…What did you do to it?"

Kara got off Live's waist once the elder witch took the proffered and truly un-tainted muffin. Kara didn't really have time to bother tainting a muffin right now anyway. She was working on filling Neville's root beer order. "Nothing."

"No, really…what did you do to it?"

"Nothing, it's delicious. Made just the way you like it." Live smirked, knowing what was about to come from her little sister. "Hope you like poison!"

"Ha ha. Really Kara, what did you do to it? I don't have time for this."

"Nothing, it's made just the way you like it-"

"And I like poison, right?" Live smirked as Kara grinned and nodded. Too hungry to bother with banter, Live gobbled at the muffin like there was no tomorrow, drowning her worries in a swirl of muffin and blueberry.

"See? It's yummy!" Kara declared happily. Of course, her happiness had nothing to do with the fact that it was the last blueberry muffin at the Gryffindor table, and that Lavender had been reaching for it. No, nothing to do with that at all. "I could get another I bet," Kara supplied with a devious grin.

Live gave her a purposely messy smile, full-teeth and half-chewed muffin.

"Eww…"

Live then made a kiss-lips towards Kara, who giggled with stupidity at the grossness and took a step back, just in case her sister decided to plant a half-chewed muffin-kiss right on her forehead.

"Oi, Live, handing out kisses are we? Where's the line start? Is there a fee? I'll pay anything!"

Live whirled around to come face-to-taller-face with George, standing there looking well-rested and the very picture of smugness.

"Hosmmuffuhjervyuffyerbum," she said.

"Translation?" George asked, looking to the younger Hunter sister with a smirk.

"She said something along the lines of stuffing a Jarvey up your bum," Kara said thoughtfully. "Might I suggest ferret-boy?"

Live started laughing at this, doubling over as she tried to swallow and not choke on the last bits of muffin in her mouth. Her hair hid her laughter-convulsing features as she put her hands on her knees for balance.

"Is she going to throw up?" George inquired, putting his hand on her convulsing back, not sure if she was laughing or not as she had gone silent due to laughing so hard.

"She's fine," Kara said, giving her a swift smack to the back, and then another to her bum. "For good luck!" she added with a wink, then left about her merry way.

Live, on the other hand, shot straight up, still felt George's hand on her back, saw him grinning at her, and did the only logical thing after having put two-and-two together.

"Ow! Hey! I'm not the bum-smacker!" he said, hand on his face as he followed after her as she was striding away indignantly towards the entrance hall. "Or are you mad for that very reason?" he asked cheekily, catching up to her.

She stopped right there in front of the Great Hall, spun on her heel and faced him. "George Weasley you are absolutely the most idiotic stupid, stupid boy that I have ever--_What are those_?" she stopped, mid-tirade, at the sight of something purple hanging out of George's bag.

Eyes wide, he quickly turned to hide the tell-tale item. "What are what?" he asked with his back turned to her. She tried to get around him, but he kept his back to her trying to conceal the evidence. She grasped him around the waist and snuck her head around to peek.

"Oh. My. _God_." He was able to wiggle out of her grasp in her shock as she gaped at his book bag. He tried to be calm, but now the cat, er, the thong, was out of the bag. "You-you-you _panty-thief_!" she pointed accusingly, eyes wide in indignation. "Merlin's bitch's tits! What are you DOING with my thong?!"

"Uhhh…"

"George Weasley you give that here right now!" Live demanded as she lunged for her most prized underwear. George side-stepped her easily. "George, don't make me ask again…" she threatened quietly, ready to remove her wand from the confines of her robes. She was blushing terribly, getting more and more flushed by the second, and George only grinned.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She took a step towards him, keeping her peripheral vision on his bag. She'd readily tackle him to get back her underwear, in front of the Great Hall or not. Teachers be damned, she wouldn't let George have her super secret thong any longer than he already had.

"George, give it here…"

"Hm…" He considered his options, and decided that having her name on his arse again wasn't much worth it, and she might not cause a scene here (he wasn't really sure) and if she did, he'd be incriminating himself in the panty raid. Decisions, decisions… "Alright Live, hold out your hand and close your eyes."

She thrust out her hand indignantly. "Now, George," she demanded, nowhere near about to close her eyes.

"Close your eyes," he said sweetly.

"Sod you, give me my panties." She frowned at him, still red in the face, and worried that anyone might overhear. "Right now."

"Just close your eyes, and hold out your hand. That's not too hard for you to do, is it?"

She leaned in close to him, whispering so only he would hear. "I don't know how you did it, George, but I know you're the Panty-Major General, so you give me my panties right now or…or I'll tell."

He looked affronted. "Me? The Panty-Major General? I like to think of myself more as the Panty Bandit, or the Panty Thief. 'General'…Honestly, Fred," he muttered to himself. He caught himself too late, however, as Live's eyes went wider, he face redder.

"Fred? You both did this, didn't you?"

"Actually," he said, getting right up close to her to whisper himself, "it was us and about fifty others, give or take…Even from your own house!"

She was getting flustered rather quickly, due to both his words and his proximity, damn him, and put out her hand. "Give me my panties right now," she growled, and scrunched her eyes together impatiently with worry and fret, submitting to his request to close her eyes, and praying she could run as fast as she thought she could back to the dungeons.

He grinned at her reluctant acquiescence, and knew that he must have flustered her bad to have gotten her cooperation. He took the panties out of his bag. "No harm done," he said, placing them in her hand.

And then he kissed her, right in the entrance of the Great Hall.

Her eyes sprang open, liking it, yet damning him, and realizing that several people at the breakfast tables had been watching the conflict from the very beginning and were now snickering to themselves. So, to preserve her honor (or what little she had left, according to the rumor mill) Live smacked him upside the face for the second time that day.

"George Weasley, I swear you'll get yours," Live threatened with a hiss as she leant towards him spitefully. She shook the hand containing her underwear at him, staring him down with more than a blush of frustration. "If you ever do that again--"

She froze, realizing that at some point Snape had swooped down from the teachers table and was currently within hearing range, and basically at their doorstep.

"Miss Hunter, Mr. Weasley," a silky smooth and icy voice belonging to the Bat King inquired.

Live inwardly swore and plastered on a fake smile, quickly shoving her panties into her robes, not as if one could hide such an obtrusive movement from such a man anyway. She only prayed that he didn't know what it was that she had.

George didn't need to fake a grin. He thought the whole situation was rather funny.

"Might I inquire as to the reason why you are blocking the entrance to the dining hall and making a spectacle out of my students?" Snape addressed George directly, fixing him with one of his trademark sneers. Live was very grateful that it was George Snape had fixed his ire on and not her. He deserved what he got, anyway. No one but _no one _steals Live Hunter's panties and gets off scot-free.

"I was just soaking up the atmosphere and visiting with my friend here, Professor," George told the potions professor with a grin. Live could have killed him right there, as his comment brought Snape's attention on her, and although she didn't know how much of their little 'chat' that Snape had seen, she doubted he'd be lenient with either of them if she didn't speak up. Slytherin House or not, when it came to troublemakers, students were ants and Snape held the magnifying glass.

"Miss Hunter," he began coolly. She bit her lip, trying and praying for some brilliant lie to come to mind that would satisfy him as she looked at him with a shamed and helpless expression. However, he beat her to her chance. "You'll come to my office after lunch."

Live was stunned. He must have seen too much. She was gonna get it, no doubt. Knowing Snape, he wouldn't discipline her in front of a Gryffindor for her actions against him. Chances were she'd be scrubbing cauldrons this afternoon for striking George in plain view of audience, instead of in private.

George himself was flabbergasted, and his expression showed so, mouth agape. But he wasn't forgotten…oh no, not by Snape.

"And you, Mr. Weasley, will assist Mr. Filch in scrubbing the walls of the recently vandalized corridor this afternoon-" George was about to protest, or say something nasty, but again, Snape was too quick, and too spiteful "-for causing a safety hazard in the entrance hall with your obtrusiveness. And five points from Gryffindor."

George was making affronted noises as the great bat King strode past them and down the hall. Live suddenly experienced loss of appetite.

"That git!" George exclaimed, looking after the empty hall Snape had left.

"Oh I could die…" Live muttered to herself, and then to George, "George you suck…" She then quickly left his side to spill the news of the panty-abductors to the girls who still had un-returned and missing panties, then to her dorm to replace her thieved property, and take a long, hot, drowning shower.

sSs

"Okay ladies, I've given you lists of possible suspects and their current most probable locations- a personal thanks to Ginny for the info," Kelena said as she organized a mid-afternoon party to retrieve any and all stolen panties. It was a proud moment for Kelena, having gotten girls from all four houses together without a single altercation so far. It was funny what a panty-crisis could do to make people come together…

"A few of you may notice several names on your list. This is due to the possibility that several pairs of your panties were thieved." Kelena looked especially in Kara's direction, who was still missing a good twenty-pairs (however, due to the infrequency with which Kara cleaned her dorm, the real number was probably closer to half). "I suggest you get them back as quickly as possible. Lord only knows how fast a new 'art exhibit'," she used air quotes, "could be put up, and I don't know about any of you, but I do _not_ want my undies to be a feature."

The group of girls chatted amongst themselves in firm agreement, holding their lists in a determined grasp. Kelena looked out at them with waiting.

"Well? What are you waiting for? _Get those panties_!"

sSs

"Okay, it was hard, but I found my undies, even the pair I thought I'd never see again!" Kelena stated happily, dumping her re-thieved underwear onto her bed. "Damn Fred…Glad we got their dorm password out of Lee…"

"It was easy," Kara said, drawing her fingers through her hair. "I told you, if you want information, you come here." She indicated herself with two fingers and a grin. It had been a trying afternoon for all the girls involved, and as evening had rolled along, they were happy to report that most of their problems were solved.

"But," Kel started gravely, "I still haven't found either of our Sexpert Licenses. I feel naked without mine."

"Maybe one of the other boys took it?"

"No, Live said without a doubt that the twins took them…Double damn Fred. I don't know where he hid them, but I couldn't find them anywhere in the room. I even tried reverse enchantments and everything. This is the worst injustice since…since…"

"Since your panties were raided?" Kara supplied.

"Yes, exactly!" Kel spouted. She gave Kara a sideways look. "They took the most of yours, why the hell aren't you upset?"

Kara shrugged. "I just asked for them back and they gave them up, no worries. Although Dean and Seamus did have more than a few tucked away…Between them they had days Friday through Sunday." Kara shook her head in an almost disappointed way. "They didn't get to my special underwear anyway, so it wasn't like it wasn't such a great feat anyway."

"If you're talking about that gray rag of a pair of underwear you keep beneath your mattress…"

Kara frowned in Kelena's direction. "_That _is to hide my sugar stash, thank you very much. I'm _talking_ about our line of trick and experimental underwear."

"Oh." Kelena sat down on the bed. "How're sales doing?"

"I think Neville could keep us in business alone from all the root beer he's ordering."

"I think we should call Root-Beer's Anonymous."

Kara laughed. "He's been sending it by owl to his relatives in other countries. All magic, you know. And then there's his pen-pal in Romania, and then his own healthy addiction…" Kara looked smug, proud of herself.

Kel smiled, and then shook her head as if to clear thoughts. "But what about our Sexpert Licenses? We _need_ them back."

"We'll do another search of their rooms when they think they're in the clear. Those cards'll be safe in your pockets by the end of the week." Kara happily smiled and settled in with her Weird Wizarding Regulations book.

"Well I hope you're right…" Kel sat on her bed next to the book-immersed blond. "Where the hell is Live, anyway? You don't think one of the guys got her, do you?"

"Kitty-Nimbles is smart. Just give her a--" Kara was interrupted by a scratch at the door. She reached in her pocket to retrieve her wand, and magicked the door open. Kitty-Nimbles pranced in in all her cocky glory, and shut the door with a push of her kitty paw. "What did I tell ya?" Kara asked with a grin.

"Do you have any idea what I've been through in the past twelve hours?" Live asked after popping back into human form. She looked more than weary and twice as agitated. "I swear I'm not going to survive this term! I'm going to die within the next week, just you wait and see!"

"What's up?" Kel asked as Live walked across the Gryffindor's dorm and plopped down face-first into the soft, cushiony down of the mattress.

"I swear, you haven't been through hell if you haven't experienced what I have…" she groaned from the mattress. She brought her head up in an abrupt movement, full affront at it's height. "Do you have any idea what Snape said to me today in his office?" she stressed, looking horrified by even re-thinking the events.

"Did he insult our mama?" Kara spouted suddenly, a growing frown on her face. Kel rolled her eyes, and smirked as Live buried her face in the mattress again.

"Nothing like that…" she groaned dismally.

"Oh, okay then." Kara resumed her reading of her book, half-listening to her sister and half-reading about what had been done to prevent Jarvey obscenities.

"Tell us what happened," Kelena urged, prodding the horrified Slytherin with forefinger.

"Okay, I don't really know how else to put this, but after all the damn rumors flying about the castle about me and George--"

"Your show of hallway love!" Kel said with feigned enthusiasm and sweet expression. Live smacked her on the leg.

"Shut up about that or I'll go on about how you and Fred were having--"

"Oookay, okay, continue." She smirked, and Live sighed tragically.

"Well anyways, after all that mess, then damn George went and had my thong this morning, and then he…kissed me, so I smacked him--"

"Live, that's not a way to encourage a boy," Kara chastised from behind her book, a smirk on her face.

"Oh sod you, this is dreadful! I thought people were talking before, but now…I have no clue just how much of that Snape saw this morning--"

"Ewww…"

"--and I tried to hide my thong and all, but man…oh man…" Live draped an arm over her face and groaned terribly. "I went to see Snape in his office and…oh God…after everything that took place at Grimmauld Place, and what he saw there, then everything here…"

Kelena and Kara were both on the edge of their seats, anticipating what had possibly happened.

Live had the most dejected expression on her face, and used air quotes and a voice mimicking her Head of House, " 'As it is my duty to uphold the well-being and integrity of the students of my house…make sure they're well-armed against all life's obstacles…'," Live had a look on her face like she tasted something incredibly rotten. She gave them a traumatized look. "It wasn't actually one, but it was the closest thing to a sex-talk that he'll probably ever attempt."

Kelena and Kara's faces were stunned, and then they both burst out laughing so hard that tears and silence was all that was heard.

"Shut up you guys! It's not funny! I swear I won't ever be able to look that man in the face again!" Live moaned, throwing her head back into the loving safety of the soft comforter.

Kel was laughing so hard that she was down for the count, her body convulsing in laughter. Kara patted her sister on the shoulder as her own laughs died into reckless giggles.

"It's okay, Live…I don't think you'll be getting anymore of those kind of lessons from Snape." She'd tried to say it with a straight face, but she ended up laughing even worse.

"Kelena, if you suffocate yourself I'm not reviving you," Live threatened. Kel calmed down a considerable amount, but one look back at Live's forlorn face and she started up anew. So Live brought out the big guns. "And what, may I ask, was exactly the nature of your little talk with _your_ Head of House, I wonder? Did McGonagall teach you any tricks that you and Fred can do?"

Such a remark immediately served to calm Kelena down, who now looked a bit dejected herself, but it had served it's purpose: the room was once again calm.

"I just have one thing to say to you guys," Kara began, a look of disgust on her face, "Ew."

Kel and Live both smirked. Kel massaged a stitch in her side from such painful laughing. If not for the use of silencing charms, this type of laughter would have surely landed Kelena a permanent suite in St. Mungo's by now.

"This is all so wrong. Don't even think that I'm going to let George get away with any of this," Live swore. "If not for his-his--"

"Tomfoolery?" Kara supplied. Live shot her a dirty look.

"If not for all his _meddling_, none of this would have happened! I'll get him for this…I don't know what yet, but I'll think of something…"

"Maybe spray-paint their asses again?" Kelena suggested with a snicker.

"Too cliché," Kara remarked from behind her reading. "Been done twice already. Malfoy's still a right sight, eh?"

The girls all chuckled. The little git was still getting his all right, Gryffinwhore and all.

"I'll think of something," Live promised. She shook her head with a pitiful look. "I really mean it though, nothing can possibly be worse than receiving the sex-talk from Snape…Even our parents never attempted that!"

"McGonagall was no picnic either, let me tell you," Kelena attested. "They deserve something awful."

"…nothing…," Live continued on. "You haven't seen the pit of despair until you've tried to keep from screaming while getting a sex-talk Snape-style…" Live shuddered.

"Uh-oh," Kara said from behind her book.

"_What?_" Live wailed. "Is there something in there about teacher sex-talks, because you can save the trouble and just shoot me now."

Kara's eyes were wide as she re-read the page of _Weird Wizarding Regulations and the Wizards Who Warrant Them._

"Oh my God…Oh. My. _God_." Kara's mouth was slack-open, her book limply supported by shaky hands. She looked from her Gryffindor mate, to her Slytherin sister, and back to the book. "There's an article in here on panty-raiding…"

"Great, what now? Does it say in there that I have to talk to Dumbledore about the birds and the bees, because I'll do it if you promise to put me out of my misery," Live wailed in promise.

Kara shook her head, mouth agape. "It…It says here…Well, according to Wizarding Proclamation Number three-hundred ninety-two…panty raiding…oh my God…official…because of the raiding…"

"Oh for fuck's sake what is it?" Live shouted impatiently.

"Live…Kel, this goes for you two as well…for all of us…" Kelena got a sick feeling in her stomach. For some reason she didn't think Kara was referring to 'two' as in any one of their pairs of friends… "I…Holy Merlin…"

"WHAT THE HELL IS IT?" Live shouted.

Kara, mouth-agape and eyes wide, looked at her sister with utmost seriousness.

"Live, you're legally married to George."

sSs


	23. A Preventatory Measure

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 23: A Preventatory Measure

sSs

Live blinked, and then digested the information. "What?" she asked quietly.

"It…It says here that…" Kara cleared her throat, more nervous than anything in her entire life. "The…The Magical Mischief and…Marriage Act of 1965..."

"Read. It."

"_In order to prevent the mischief of school law-breakers, the Wizards High Council has instated the following preventatory law, effective immediately this twenty-first day of January in the year of our Lord, nineteen-hundred and sixty-five: Any persons caught breaking school law in which the form of the raiding, pillaging, or otherwise act of thievery of women's undergarments shall hereby forfeit the right of bachelorhood should the lady in question be required to request her undergarments be returned, also inclusive of the invoking of a search of her own will for the thieved attire. Should the making of this thievery be set right before the lady must blushingly be forced to make inquiry as to the whereabouts of her undergarments, the perpetrators shall pay a fine of four and twenty galleons to the Supreme Wizards Circuit of Appropriations for the Betterment of Magical Beings. In the case which a lady has been put through her search and/or request, the forfeit bachelor shall immediately retain all rights as husband, seeing that her undergarments are returned in fine condition, as well as the importing of a replacement. Ceremony only need take place for traditional moral value, as the wedding contract is hereby complete upon the pursuit of stolen undergarments in which the bachelor has failed to properly return them. This contract shall be legally binding with the blessing of our Lord, enforced by the Wizards High Council, in effect this twenty-first day of January, nineteen-hundred and sixty-five."_

The girls were silent, absorbing the information with fear and anxiety.

"So…so it's saying…What's it saying exactly?" Live stuttered, her nerves nearly shot, the evident truth not sinking in.

"You're married."

Live shook her head, mouth wide in disbelief. "No, I'm not married."

"You're married, too," Kara said blandly, looking at Kelena with that same glazed-over expression. Kelena shook her head, mouth open, but no words came out. "I-I'm married, too…Oh my God I'm married to several guys!"

Kelena started hyperventilating; Kara was still, looking over the page a second and third time, and then counting her number of supposed husbands on her fingers, a strange grin on her face. Live remained still, knowing that if she moved even a bit, even breathed, that she'd lose her dinner all over the room. Anxiety and fear mounted with apprehension churned in her stomach, the thought of being tied-down unwittingly her nightmare come true.

"That's not right," Live stated after a moment's thought. "When was that book published? What else does it say? Who the hell writes in bureaucratese these days anyways?" Live wrenched the book from Kara, flipping to the inside cover page and searching through the table of contents with utter disbelief. She read and re-read the horrific page twice over, and shook her head. "No, this can't be right. The Wizards Council isn't stupid enough to do this…" Her voice became shaky, more worried. "How can they possibly enforce a thing like this? There's no way they could even know, right? As long as no one says anything…"

"It's the government….they're everywhere," Kara stated, rather spooked at the close truth of the matter. Hogwarts _did_ have enchantments upon it. And if the Ministry put something like this in effect, and then something happened in the castle, then they would be notified, wouldn't they?

Live laughed a nervous, possibly closer to hysterical, laugh. "Nah-uh, no way. This- this is outdated, out spoken, no way in hell can they enforce this. WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND CAN FORCE YOU TO GET MARRIED?" she shouted quickly. She calmed herself as Kelena began hyperventilating even worse. Kara gave her a discarded bag from her candy-mongering. "We keep it quiet, got it? Tell no one about this. I'll go…I'll go and talk to Tonks about it. She'd know if it was really legal or not, right? I mean, this book is probably fictional…a joke book…" She was grasping at straws.

"She said she knew stuff about it…the last time it happened," Kara agreed of their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Her eyes suddenly widened. "Do you think _this_ is what they did the last time Hogwarts got panty-raided?"

"I'm gonna check this out right now. It can't wait," Live disclosed, getting off the bed and walking towards the door. She was pounced by Kelena, who grabbed her in a hysterical way.

"Are you MAD? You can't just walk out of Gryffindor Tower!" the razzled brunette witch declared. "They'll lynch you in a heart-beat! Then they'll lynch us for harboring a Slytherin!"

Live smirked, either still experiencing extreme shock or true disbelief, and finding such deceit as they were subject to comical. "I'm married to a Gryffindor. At the moment, I'm not too concerned about lynching." Kelena widened her eyes; Kara burst out laughing from the elder witch's bed.

"What in the name of Merlin is so funny?" Kelena burst out.

"You think the Wizards High Council will condone polygamy?" Kara laughed hysterically. "I'm married to like, ten people because of this!" She laughed and laughed, thinking that maybe this 'law' didn't have so many downsides as they thought. "Imagine the household income!"

"Imagine the children," Live said with a smirk, trying to make light of the situation.

Kara's eyes went wide as she momentarily stopped laughing, and then she put a single finger to her lip in what would have been an innocent smile, had she not grinned wickedly.

"Children?" Kel stated with abject horror.

"Uh-oh Kel, we know how you are…Like bunnies and all…" Live said with a grin.

"Oh dear bob…" Kel started seriously. "We _must_ keep this quiet at all costs. I don't want Fred to get any ideas from anywhere and then we find out it's all not legal and all," she said with belief.

"Yeah, yeah," Live said, nodding fervently in agreement. "I bet this whole damn thing was like prohibition or something…There's no doubt in my mind it was struck down…probably years ago! I mean, this book isn't exactly up-to-date."

"Yes," the Gryffindor witches agreed whole-heartedly.

"I'm still going to see Tonks, though, and right now. I'll be back within the hour," Live promised, shifting into her animagus form as Kelena let her out the door, Kitty-Nimbles trotting down the stairs to the Gryffindor common room.

"Dammit Kara," Kel swore suddenly after a moment of pondering.

"What?" the sugary blond asked, still tickled by the fact that she might have a damn lot of husbands, even if it was fake.

"Why in the world did you ever choose _now_ to form an interest in the damn library!"

"Well it doesn't exactly matter if I found it now or not, if it _is _actually real…I mean, the Ministry would know, right?" Kara grinned. "This might prove to be most beneficial," she said with a grin, steepleing her fingers together wickedly. "It says right here in the book that they have to take on 'all rights as husband'," she read.

"That's what I'm _worried_ about," Kelena spat in a decidedly Slytherin manner.

"Well, doesn't that mean that they gotta provide? That means shopping. Loads and loads of shopping!"

Kelena regarded her with a serious expression. "You're warped, you know that?"

Kara only grinned, returning to her book and leaving the elder witch to pace the floor in anxious thought.

sSs

"I couldn't find her anywhere…" Live reported two hours later that night, almost tearfully, to her two fellows entrapped in marriage. "I found Dumbledore though…he said she's out for Order business…or at least, he implied it. And no, there was no way in hell I was bringing this up to _him_!" she declared before they could say it. "I have no clue when she's coming back…"

"Crap," was the general consensus.

"I'm too tired to deal with this right now. _And_ I have potions early tomorrow morning…" Live sighed and made an anguished noise. "I won't be able to look Snape or George in the face tomorrow."

"Well…we'll all just act like nothing's changed, 'kay? Nobody mention a single thing. Kara, you hide that damned book somewhere no one'll look for it," Kelena directed.

"I'll put it with the rag under my mattress!" she declared happily. Live groaned. Kel sighed.

"Just don't tell anyone about any of this until we've thought of something to do," Kelena told them.

"Tonks had better know something helpful…Kara, you're too young to be married," Live scolded, as if the younger witch could really help any of it.

"Or to be a polygamist," Kel added with a smirk.

"The correct term is polyandry, not polygamy, since Kara's- although this hasn't been scientifically proven- a girl." Live smirked with a laugh.

"Live, I'll tell George that you want him!" Kara spat back.

"And then I'll commit sororicide…That _is _the correct term for killing your sister, isn't it?" Live asked Kelena with feigned seriousness.

"Guess we'll find out," she responded with a grin.

"Do I get a say in this?" Kara spouted.

"No," the elder girls said as one, laughing nervously.

Live yawned. "'Kay guys, I'm outtie. It's dreamless sleep potions tonight…"

"Indeed," Kel agreed.

"I gotta talk to Putterly…I'm gonna _force _George to think I don't want him."

"_Think_?" Kel chimed naughtily, an implicating smile on her face as Live realized her slip of tongue. "As in, you'd like to jump his bones but he can't know you want to?"

"Kelena, if ever I've threatened to give you man-parts in your nether-regions, I never meant it more than right now."

Kara bust out laughing, and Kelena shot her a look. "Out, Kara."

"Fine fine, I'll leave you and your bed to yourself," Kara sneered, flouncing out of the room to have Kitty-Nimbles at her heels.

The girls went to bed that night with shot nerves and their one plan of hope. But nothing prepared them for the unseen horrors that would unfold the following morning.

sSs

Everyone was groggy the next morning, regardless of dreamless sleep potions. Never before had any of them wished for a teacher to be back so badly (or to screw the government so thoroughly). But for now, they had to keep quiet, and hopefully everything would turn out alright.

No one was more wistful than Live. As if the events of the past week or so hadn't been enough, now she was supposedly married. And to a Gryffindor at that! Or at least a snake in lion's skin. His Slytherin side was what worried her more than anything else. He could get man-PMS quicker than you could say quidditch. If he found out about this, no doubt he'd ever stop pestering her. The best thing she could do right now was avoid him.

Had she not formulated her plan of avoidance, however, she might have learnt a thing or two from attending breakfast, like the fact that numerous owls had been flying in and out the Great Hall since very early morning, delivering letters of import to their confused patrons.

"This can't be serious," Lee Jordan commented after opening his letter at the Gryffindor table.

"What can't?" George asked sleepily, helping himself to a piece of toast. Right at that moment, a tawny barn owl descended from the air to land in front of George. It nearly dropped his letter in a bowl of oatmeal, and gave an indignant hoot when he shooed it away after saving the document. Lee kept muttering to himself over his letter while George regarded him and opened his own, reading it silently with confusion.

_Dear Mr. George Weasley,_

_In light of recent events of the past day and one-half, the Wizards High Council recognizes your consenting and legally binding union with Miss Live Hunter, enforcing the Magical Mischief and Marriage Act of nineteen hundred and sixty-five due to the recent theft and subsequent retrieval of ladies undergarments. This marriage is absolute and all-inclusive of the benefits of married couples as decreed under section three of the Marriage Equality Act of nineteen hundred and sixty-six, and you and your spouse are thus entitled to all the rights and privileges otherwise granted by the power of the Empire. If you so wish, the Wizards High Council may refer you to a ceremonial service for commemorating your union in an otherwise traditional magical marriage ceremony. The Wizards High Council gives their blessing and wishes you and your wife a long and mischief-free life._

_Caecilius Iucundus, Magical Head of Internally Binding Affairs_

George read and re-read his letter. "Lee?" he posed with confusion.

"Does yours say the same thing?" Lee inquired, plucking George's letter out of his hand. He compared the two, and frowned, utterly confused and bewildered. "They say basically the same thing except for our names…and who we're…_married _to?"

"Is this some type of joke?" He looked around the Great Hall at several others who had received letters, boys and girls alike. "You think they're getting back at us for our panty-raid? Live and the others, I mean. She _did_ write her name on my bum before…Who knows what she's capable of."

"I don't think so, mate," Lee said gravely. "How would they know exactly who's panties that we personally kept? It's too big of a coincidence."

"But this can't be real," George affirmed, holding his letter up to the light as if to inspect it's authenticity.

"It was sealed with the Ministry's own seal…Can they be serious? No way is this real…How would they know? I can't be married! Where was the warning in all of this?" Lee asked with supreme offense.

Just then Seamus Finnegan ran up to the pair, looking utterly bewildered and twice as edgy. "Will you guys look at this and tell me it's not real?" he beseeched of the older boys, thrusting the letter in their direction. Lee took the proffered letter and compared it to his own.

"Wait wait wait, this can't be right," he said looking the documents over. "How can we _both_ be married to Kara?"

"Kara? As in, Live's own sister?" George asked with surprise.

Lee gave him a blank look. "What? She has interesting panties." Seamus nodded in agreement.

"Well someone royally messed up, unless they were automated," George stated, taking his letter back from Lee and re-reading it. He suddenly grinned. "What if these _are_ real?" He smirked as Lee raised an eyebrow.

"They can't possibly be. Who in their right mind would forcibly double-marry someone? The last time I checked the Ministry of Magic wasn't big on promoting polygamy," Lee affirmed. A great horned owl landed at the table in front of Lee, followed by a small screech owl that landed just shy of a bowl of porridge. Lee took the letter from the great horned owl while the screecher pecked at Seamus to take his letter.

"Oh I can't bloody believe this!" Seamus spouted in agitation, grabbing his head with his letter-grasped hands.

"Mine says that at the end of a year all but one bachelor will be released from _our _marriage act," Lee said pensively. "I guess we have to share Kara for a year?"

"This is bloody outrageous!" Seamus declared, his Irish lilt becoming more and more pronounced with his agitation. He did not think this was a funny joke. "The Ministry's gone mental!" He yanked his letter from Lee's hands and marched off, muttering to himself indignantly.

"Still think it's fake?" Lee asked as he prodded George in the side.

"Oh I dunno, mate. I think this might be more fun than we think," he said with a thinking smirk, getting up from the table.

"And where are you going, mate?"

"To research a few things…and find a certain blond…" He smirked and Lee put a hand to his face in exasperation

"Mate, you go to her, and she'll kill you. And if you show her that letter, she'll revive you and kill you again."

"We're going to see her in potions anyway." He grinned wickedly. "Besides, if she decides to kill me, I'll just bring up how you're bound to her sister." Lee's face fell in horror, and George snickered evilly.

Lee frowned, trying to hide a grin due to his growing amusement. "You sure you were sorted right mate? Because you've got Slytherin all over you."

George smiled wickedly and gave his friend a wink. "If all goes according to plan…"

sSs

Live was lurking around the Slytherin dungeons early that morning, trying to locate Putterly, having not found him last night. She was quite panicked with the realization of last night's 'book-session'.

She looked around corners and acted like one trying to avoid the law. Truth was, she wanted to explain none of this to anyone, and her first priority was to see Putterly. She usually saw him at breakfast, but in order to avoid George (she was even considering skiving off potions) she hadn't left their common room for the love of her. So she was frantic to find him. He had been a good instrument in pissing George off, hopefully concluding in the Gryffindor's disinterest in her if she was taken as someone else's, and after the panty-raiding and subsequent consequence, she was going to make sure George realized she was off limits to him.

Seeing a familiar head of hair, Live grabbed and snatched her arms out, yoinking Putterly off his feet and against the wall.

"Geez Live, if you wanted me this bad you only had to ask," he laughed merrily.

She smacked him and said with panic, "I need your help." He raised an eyebrow. "And if you help me, I totally promise I'll let you oogle that wall calendar I have of the Hottest Quidditch Players Uncovered…._Special Edition_…"

He smirked wickedly as he looked down at her, utterly amused. "What do you want me to do?"

"And when I say uncovered, I mean _uncovered_," she said, wanting his full compliance and thus putting the icing on the cake.

He grinned at her in a way that warned her something bad was coming. "Just how uncovered?"

She laughed hard. "Comply and you'll find out."

He smiled and took her hands. "What do I do?"

She smirked and tried to lay the situation on him. She knew she was being sketchy, and a little all-over-the-place with the details, so quite obviously it ensued in a lot of confusion.

"No, Jason, look, you just have to- Don't give me that look! Just _pretend_ that it's all what-what. No matter what, I really need you to do this. Quid pro quo, yeah?"

"I scratch your back, you scratch mine, eh?"

"Exactly! And stop smiling that way...You can act a real creepy git sometimes, you know?"

Live was frustrated beyond belief. For what seemed like days now she'd been confiding and explaining to Putterly that she needed his help further to keep George's interests elsewhere and to get her name out of the bloody impenetrable gaze of the school's gossip focus (she didn't mention the possibility that she and George were married, and that it might stay that way).

So far, the gossip-interest around she and George (not that there _was_ a she and George) was mildly deviated after Malfoy had been turned the Gryffindor Whore, but it wasn't enough. Live wanted her name out of their gossip and back to being the obscure Hunter snake-sister that she was good at (besides, how could one possibly go about being sneaky and stealthy when you were under the focus of a hundred pairs of eyes? Where was the fun in that?) And now, with the possibility of she and George being legally married…

She inwardly sighed in frustration.

And the only way to keep George at bay (or so she figured) was to become the boring, everyday girlfriend that no one but the dullest gossip-circles talked about. She wanted Putterly to pretend to be her boyfriend, perfectly acceptable and an everyday occurrence. Nothing out of the ordinary.

"So what does this entail, exactly?" he asked with raised brow.

"Oh, you don't have to do anything. Just say we're going out and whatnot and stuff like that." He smirked and she clarified, "If you make me out to be a whore, I spill your secret to the school," she threatened.

"Yeah yeah, fine fine fine," he said dismissively without a real care to her threat. He didn't think she would ever actually turn on someone like that anyhow.

"_And_ I'll add that you have a crush on Filch," she added to his flippant dismissal. His eyes widened at that. She gave him a punch in the shoulder to drive it home, and he grasped it with a frown.

"You're the type that beat their boyfriends, aren't you?"

"I'll only have to be that type if you make me," she said with a smirk. "Now go spread it around and all that stuff. Go talk with 'the guys'. I'll go 'gab with the girls'. I think we have, like, ten minutes before class," she said, not enthusiastic in the least. But, as established, Live could lie like a rug, and she could easily manipulate people if it suited her means. She caught sight of her two roommates and took advantage of the situation, knowing them both to be big gossips with public news. "Vivian! Becca! Guess what?"

Putterly watched her flutter away to her friends with her 'news'. He grinned to himself as he watched her rant and rave, feigned enthusiasm as a few other girls joined her circle and looked from her to Putterly, who was reclining on the couch with a smug look, and back again with happy grins to gossip with Live.

He had to hand it to himself. This ploy was working out better than he'd ever thought.

sSs

Live dragged Putterly by the arm into the potions classroom five minutes late.

The room was silent as Snape was currently writing potions instructions on the board. He turned in that intimidating way, and Live muttered her apologies, not able to look him in the face, as Putterly gave an amicable wave and a smile.

"Take your seats," Snape directed acidly. He eyed them as they sat up front in their usual desks, watching them like a hawk ready to swoop down any second. He went back to the instructions, with a few minor verbal directions and a cutting remark aimed at Sandy in the back.

"I am so dead it's not even funny," Live whispered with a sour look as she carefully set her potions ingredients on her desk.

"It's Snape, don't worry," Putterly said consolingly, brushing it off.

She put her forefinger to the bridge of her nose. "If you knew what I did…" she trailed off in a haunted voice. "I can't ever look that man in the eyes again."

Putterly snickered and gave her a side-hug.

"Hey, look at that," Lee said in shock as he nudged George. The fiery-haired young man looked up from his cauldron, determined to do well today for once (and hopefully get on Live's good side, considering what he'd learned from his letter this morning), and was shocked by what he saw.

"Oi, what's that all about, then?!" George spouted not without the least bit of outrage. "Is he _hugging_ her?"

"And looks like it's more than just a 'friendly' hug…" Lee determined, deciding to forget his potion and take a good ol' fashioned zero instead. Today was too strange to pay attention to anything other than what was currently going on, and after the letters and all, this was only getting more and more interesting.

Or in the case of Putterly and his roving hands, _disturbing_…

George made a move to get out of his desk, but Lee stopped him. "And what are you doing?"

"Gonna borrow something…"

"Like a mallet?" Lee fixed him with a discouraging look as his friend looked rather irate. "George, I really don't think that's a good idea."

"What isn't? I need some more…um…moonstone…"

"Sorry to say, mate, but she's obviously comfortable with him, and she'll kick your arse if you do anything."

"She's _my_ wife, not his," George said with a possessive smirk.

"I thought you wanted to get on her good side," Lee said seriously, watching Live go about brewing her potion, and caught Putterly shooting him a scathing, smug look. "Now that was uncalled for."

"I'll be right back," George said, getting up from his seat. Lee didn't stop him this time, deciding that that Putterly git would get what was coming to him.

"And where are you going, Mr. Weasley?" a smooth, yet agitated voice asked from behind the tall Gryffindor.

George turned to face the Bat King of Slytherin. "I was just stretching my legs…Long shanks, you know," he said with a grin.

Snape was not amused with him in the least, and having guessed George's true trajectory, he scowled. If this annoying Gryffindor prat's harassment of his best potions student didn't end, he'd personally see to the twin's preoccupation with scrubbing cauldrons the rest of term. His fascination with the Slytherin was more than unnerving.

"Back to your seat Mr. Weasley. Five points from Gryffindor." He scowled at George in his dour way, but George smirked right back, and went to his seat.

When Snape was good and out of the way, George looked over to Live's desk, only to see her looking right back with a sort of confused yet concerned frown (because Snape was, in all actuality, a horror to deal with for anyone). Then she must've realized she'd been looking at him, because she turned back right quick and went back to her potion.

"At least it was only five points, mate," Lee consoled. He'd lost all interest in his cauldron, and settled on watching the two in the front of the class.

"What's his deal anyway?"

"Snape? Maybe he doesn't get laid enough. Who knows? Do you really need to ask?"

"No, that other bloke." George frowned deeply, ignoring Lee's comment, as Putterly put an unnecessary arm around Live for a moment. "Is there something I've missed recently? What's today's date? Take my temperature." He forced Lee's palm to his forehead and acted as if he'd faint. Lee wrenched it away and smacked him hard in the arm.

Lee looked behind them (really anywhere except George's face, as he made all sorts of weird expressions, and Lee wasn't going to get points taken off for laughing), catching Melinda and her cronies in the back of the room with rather sour expressions on their faces for Slytherins in Snape's class.

"His ex isn't pleased one bit," Lee observed, giving her a stare that caused her to glare quite irately when she caught his eyes. George turned around and stared at her, too. She muttered something under her breath and the vial on George's desk crashed to the floor, drawing Snape's immediate attention.

"Oh bollocks…" George turned from the mess (and the approaching, almost giddy form of Snape) to look back at Melinda with a frown. She glared at him and got up from her chair, their professor's attention now drawn and kept on George.

"Mr. Weasley, is clumsiness a family trait, or-"

"No, sir, it's a personal specialty," George said with a sour grin. Snape frowned, and began to berate George and take another ten points from Gryffindor for "clumsiness and wasting valuable time". So it was no surprise that he didn't notice Melinda sneaking out of class with her belongings. She'd had quite enough of this whole scene, and, shooting Live a death glare the girl herself found impressive, quickly slid out the door just as Snape had finished up with George, issuing the boy a week's detention for further lip and sass on his part. Even though he'd been punished, George determined that it was thoroughly worth it.

"Okay, what the hell was that about?" Live asked Putterly, watching the door of the classroom, still mystified as to what she'd done to merit such a look.

"No idea," Putterly said dismissively as if it was of no interest at all.

"Okay, I'm getting to the bottom of this right now-"

"Wha-?"

"I'm talking fine, right?" she checked, being extra careful.

"Normal as Weasley's idiocy," he said disparagingly. Live shot him a look, and got up to approach Snape, her stomach fluttering with nerves quite terribly, feeling more and more on the verge of a nervous breakdown the closer she got.

"Sir?" she asked from behind him. He turned and gave her a frown.

"Yes, Miss Hunter?"

She couldn't meet his eyes, and only prayed her cheeks weren't flushed from embarrassment. "May I please use the restroom?" she asked timidly.

He regarded her for what seemed like minutes, but was only a few seconds. "You are excused, Miss Hunter."

Live said a prayer to whomever was watching over her and hurried out of the class, determined to find Melinda and see just what the hell her problem was. Gathering her bearings, she chose a direction and walked briskly, listening for any sounds that might be her prey. She found her, quite easily enough, walking in the direction of their dorms.

"Melinda," she called, doing a little half-jog to catch up to her. The girl in question halted and turned, a sour, a most disgruntled look on her face to see the blonde witch dare to talk to her.

"What do you want, Hunter?" she spat her name, making it sound dirty and distasteful.

Live frowned deeply and squinted her eyes in displeasure. "Do you have a problem with me Melinda?" she spat just as venomously, her head cocking to the side with her words. "I mean, what the hell?"

The other witch's nose scrunched as her lip curled. "You're so thick, aren't you?" she said sarcastically, disparagingly. She hated the blonde.

Live frowned, snorting in bewilderment at the other girl. "And you can act a real bitch, can't you?" she said, feeling her body preparing for a fight. She didn't know what large stick had lodged itself up Melinda's ass, but she was going to find out, come hell or high water.

Melinda shook her head irately. "How long have you been planning this, Live? Really? Since summer? Or could you not even wait until the train ride over here?" Live gave her a bewildered look. "It requires real planning to be the whore of Slytherin, you know."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Live asked irritably, ready to bitch-slap this girl back to Merlin. Putterly'd said Melinda had helped him, but man, what a bitch. She didn't think this girl had a scrap of decency in her let alone a streak of tolerance.

"You _are_ thick, aren't you?" Live was thinking up something really nasty to say, either about her mother or her bitchiness, but she continued on before Live's brain could think of an adequate enough reply to burn her with. "Everyone knows about what you and Weasley have been caught doing, and now suddenly you're 'dating' Jason? What kind of whore are you? At least _normal_ girls stick to their own housemates. What next? I've heard even the Hufflepuffs wouldn't stick it to _you_."

"What are you _talking_ about?"

Melinda's cheek raised in a snotty, mean-spirited sneer. "Thick. Stupid and thick. Maybe if you spent a little more time with your legs closed and your ears open, you'd consider the _safety_ there is in staying in your own bed." Live's eyes were wide with shock, thunderstruck. "I hope you and Jason are _veeery_ happy together, you dumb bitch."

She turned away from Live and continued her way down the hall, not without a little quicker spring to her step for all the things she had just said. She may have just told Live off, but the blond witch had a mean streak she very rarely tapped into (one she'd only seen once when Live had threatened her own blood with pure malice, and one that was probably as wicked as that of the Dark Lord's on a good day). So she hurried along, hoping not to get cursed in the back.

Live watched the stupid bitch of a Slytherin go, wondering how she might convince a nest of wolverines to make home in Melinda's bed, and she wandered back to class, taking a few deep breaths before entering and quickly taking a seat at her desk. She had to blink several times to keep the tears from forming in her eyes from both insult and anger.

"Alright?" Putterly asked as she sat down.

"Yeah. She's just a bitch or something…" Live murmured, looking into her cauldron. "Did you add the moonstone for me already?"

"She can be a real bitch. That's why it didn't work out. The whole set-up and everything, I mean. Jealous type. And, you know, 'cause of Malfoy," he added, grabbing a vial off the desk. "Her dad knows his dad. And yes, the moonstone is in there."

Live sighed and filled her own bottle with her potion, putting in the stopper and getting up to leave it on Snape's desk. She plopped back into her seat with an audible THUD, magicking away her mess and gathering her stuff to rest her head on as her mind whirled.

"Done already?" Putterly inquired, looking at her with bewilderment.

She snorted in response, bored (and always just that good in potions) and started an essay on the mixed qualities of moonstone and unicorn blood, not excited to write it in the least, but hardly wanting Snape to swoop down and tell her to work on something. While the look on her face was thoughtful, her thoughts were anything but moonstone and unicorn blood.

Melinda had her puzzled and second-guessing herself and her actions as of late. She suspected something was up, had an idea as to what it might be, and such thoughts only confused her more, making paranoid notions run through her head. Was there some other reason she'd been stuck in the rumor mill? Had she made it worse by asking Putterly to play along? She looked at Putterly, and he smiled, putting an arm around her. She shrugged it off and put her head on the desk in the crook of one arm, thinking, and wishing class would hurry up and end.

She chanced a glance behind her to see what George was doing, and she surprisingly caught him staring into his cauldron with all concentration. She was shocked, to say the least, to see him apparently working so hard, and she stifled a laugh when a big thing of blue smoke hit him square in the face, causing him to gag. Lee didn't even bother hiding his laughs, elbowing George and trying to shove his face into the cauldron. She grinned to herself, and realized too late that George had caught her watching him again. She stuck out her tongue and turned back around, mentally counting the time until class would be over.

The door to the dungeons creaked open, and Live was half-mad, expecting it to be Melinda. Then she was positive that she was going absolutely bonkers, because it wasn't Melinda who crossed the threshold, but Kelena.

"What is it?" Snape glared as he caught sight of the unwarranted Gryffindor in his territory.

Kelena bit her lip, and retrieved a slip of parchment from her robes. "Um, Professor McGonagall wants to see Live Hunter immediately," she said, giving her friend a once over as Snape approached her and took the note, reading it thoroughly and regarding Kelena as he would an easily crushable bug.

"Take your things, Miss Hunter, you will not be returning," he commanded Live. Wide-eyed, she did as she was told, catching George's look of incredulity as she left, closing the door soundly behind her.

"Please tell me McGonagall really called for me…" Live told her Gryffindor friend, who was wide-eyed in sheer terror.

"Oh Holy Mother of Bob, _he knows_!" Kel whispered, fright consuming her features. "I don't know how, but he freakin' knows!"

"Who knows what?" Live asked, suddenly fearful.

Kel grabbed Live and quickly dashed with her to moaning Myrtle's bathroom, knowing it would be the one place they wouldn't be disturbed or caught.

"Who knows what?!" Live demanded, out of breath as they reached the sanctity of the girl's bathroom. "Kelena, spill, man. If Snape finds out that note wasn't legit--"

"Fred."

If Live's eyes got any wider, they would have popped right out of their sockets. She shivered fully, and looked her friend hard in the face. "Fred…_knows_?"

"I don't know how he found out…I kept it quiet, I never told a soul, and I know for a fact that Kara didn't…I put a spell on her for safety precautions," Kel admitted, earning a look of admonition, and then panic. Kel ran her fingers through her coffee-colored hair with frustration. "He ran up to me all excited and swore that we were married, and he kept trying to kiss me, to seal it he said…" She looked down, blushing fiercely. "I only just got away…I told him that the sixth time was the bloody last-"

"Oh-my-friggin'-Bob," Live sputtered, frightened to her heart and back again.

"I don't know how, but he swears we're married…He ambushed me as I was coming down to breakfast…Thank Merlin that Seamus came running in shouting like a madman, or he'd have never let me go."

Live's breathing was coming faster, hitched and terrorized, and suddenly her robes felt too tight at the throat. "How?! How-how-how?!"

"I think we're in deep, deep shit," Kelena said quite seriously. The only reason she wasn't as terror-stricken as her friend was because she'd had the most lovely seven minutes in heaven to calm her down before fright had been able to take full root. There would be time for that later…

"Do you know who he's told? Or who told him?" Live demanded to know, having no doubt that Fred would spill it to George. "Maybe- maybe he doesn't know the circumstances! Maybe he was just trying to razz you!"

"I don't think so…He said it was so official that there was nothing I could do, so just enjoy it…What do you think he meant by _it?_" she asked with flusterment.

"I think we all know…"

"That isn't funny!"

"Who said I'm being funny! Oh dear friggin' holy mother damn crap!" she said with agitation. "I'm going to kill whoever told them, slowly and nicely."

There was a giggle heard from one of the stalls, and Live nearly jumped out of her skin. "Myrtle, that had better be you!"

It was, as a matter of fact, and she came floating over to them, biting her ghostly lip in a smile. "I know who told…" she said in a sing-songy voice, obviously pleased with herself for having a valuable piece of info at her iridescent hands.

"Who, Myrtle?!" Live asked frantically, wondering how she might make them keep quiet, with either money, threats, or lord forbid, _favors_.

"Oh, but it would be so terrible for you to know, so terribly awful," she said sweetly. She seemed positively delighted, and if she wasn't already dead, Live swore she would've killed her. "You would be so very distressed. Oh it is horrid!"

"Who the hell squealed!" Live demanded to know. Myrtle let out a slight sob, the precursor to a bout of tears if they'd ever seen it.

"It was Kara, wasn't it?! Dammit, I knew I should've double-spelled her!"

"Oh shut up Kel! Tell me Myrtle!"

"Why should I?" the ghostly girl laughed, getting enjoyment from being the taunt_er_, instead of the taunt_ee_.

Live pulled out her wand, and said in all conviction, "Because I'll send you to hell if you don't, dammit!"

Myrtle sobbed loudly, pitifully, and it seemed Kelena was sobbing too, except for the fact that her tears were from laughter, her shaking from the violent spasms of silent, hysterical laughs that were hitting her. Live looked away to keep her strength, and stared Myrtle down in no mood to be the good guy.

"_Klaatu Verata Nikto-_"

"Owls! It was the Ministry of Magic!" Myrtle yelled, wailing as she took a flying dive back into her toilet, making each subsequent one shoot water up to the ceiling. Live grabbed Kel and took off like Filch in a corset were after them.

When she let go of her, Kelena was still laughing her ass off, and Live gave her a prelude to her long and ever-binding marriage to Fred, which made her come to her senses.

"Klaatu Verata Nikto? You don't really know how to send a ghost to hell, Live," Kel reprimanded with a smirk.

Live smirked right back. "No one does, so sue me, and Myrtle's certainly never seen the Evil Dead trilogy, so there!" She stuck out her tongue to make a point.

Their moment of mirth quickly ended as the signaling for class to officially end abruptly drew them back to Earth. Kelena looked to Live for some sort of console. None came.

"Ugh…the ministry…_fuckers_."

"The Ministry is in on this? That's it, I'm moving to Canada…"

They caught Kara running up to them before the sounds of numerous students filled the hall. A wild smirk and a happy grin were on her face, and she had in her arms what seemed like a thief's ransom in butterbeer.

"Look what I've got!" she spouted, giving one each to the elder witches.

"Kara, Fred knows," Live said solemnly. "He knows, and the Ministry-"

"Yeah yeah, I know all about that," she said with a grin. "Look at this haul though! Today is going to be a good day!"

Kel's mouth was agape. Live's head was inclined low.

"Did you just hear a word I said?"

"Yeah, sure, Fred knows, Kel's married, everyone knows, ministry, blah-blah-blah…" Kara gave her sister a happy grin, and Live quickly opened her bottle of butterbeer and began chugging. She wished she had something stronger, but this would have to do for now. "Look what Seamus just gave me!" She thrust a pair of neon-pink panties that smelt of strawberry lemonade (either due to the mystery that was Kara…or they were scented) into their faces. Live yoinked it from her hands.

"What do you mean _Seamus?_!" the Slytherin witch demanded. Students began filing past them, but Live's number one concern right now was for the fact as to why Seamus had given her little sister panties.

"Part of the clause or something I guess," she said, taking her new panties back with a grin. "Neville gave me all the butterbeer, too. No reason other than that we bartered, though. Apparently he's been trading butterbeer for root beer at the pubs, though when he had time for that _I_ certainly don't know…Live, I think there's serious business lurking here," she said with a conspiratory grin.

Live shook her head. "Wha-wha-what?!"

"Live," Kel said, trying to get her attention as she rattled on at her sister.

"How can you think of business at a time like this?! I honestly can't-"

"_Live_."

"-believe you and that sugar-rotted brain of yours! Do I need to get a-"

"Live!"

"-muggle-doctor to give you a lobotomy or something to clear your head?!"

"LIVE!"

"WHAT!" she responded to the Gryffindor prodding her (actually, it had gone from prod to stab in about two seconds, but that's semantics).

"George is headed this way."

Live saw George trying to make his way towards them through the sea of students, and for the first time she realized the sense of panic and confusion in the air, and caught bits and pieces of speech referring to the marriage law and gossip of the like. She was gone in less than ten seconds with her sister and Kelena alike, being dragged behind her.

It took George a moment to realize she was no longer there, and the only thought left to him was damn, she moved fast when she wanted to.

sSs

By the time lunch rolled around, Live was ready to commit an act of treason and personally kill every idiot in the Ministry of Magic, starting with the idiot who'd invented the marriage law. She stuck religiously to the Slytherin table, sandwiched between Vivian and Rebecca for safety, staring down in agitation at her food each time George made some form of contact with her, either by the blowing of a kiss or the raising of his eyebrows. She still hadn't talked to him as of yet, although it was made very clear to her that the whole school now knew about this marriage act or whatnot, and several people who were 'married' were quite pleased with it. Live, however, was not.

Tonks was still not back at the castle, doing lord only knows what when she was needed here so badly, and Live was in no way or form talking to any other teacher, lest she receive some type of sex talk from them.

And every damn time she looked behind her, there was George's face, looking right at her. Why the hell had she chosen to sit on the side of the table that was closest to the Gryffindor table?! And why the hell did George have to sit across from her at it?

She turned around and caught him doing it again. The one day she'd chosen to sit on this side had been the wrong freakin' day indeed. George blew another kiss and winked, and she stuck out her tongue and grimaced. He licked his lips and raised his eyebrows as she turned quickly away, knowing her face was flushing. Vivian tried to take her temperature as consequence.

"Mate, if you want to live to see the end of the term, I suggest you don't do that anymore," Lee advised after having caught one of Live's death glares reserved specifically for him.

"What for? She's _my_ wife," he said with a grin. "We're relatives now, me and you," he added, fully taking advantage of the situation and loving every second of it.

"As if I had a choice. Live's been shooting _me _death glares all day. I don't think it's safe for me to be anywhere near Kara at the moment, if I value my life," he told his friend, careful all day to avoid contact with the younger Gryffindor. Law or not, if anyone so much as _tried_ to consummate this skeptical marriage with her sister, Live would personally de-man them, have them singin' alto the rest of their lives.

"Oh, I don't know, I think this might have its perks," Fred said with a wicked grin. "Heh heh, Kelena…"

"Right mate, if you can catch her," George laughed at his twin. "Have you even seen her today?"

"Once or twice," Fred said with a less-enthusiastic tone. His twin grinned, and Lee clasped him on the shoulder sympathetically. "That's alright, I like a challenge." He smirked and his twin laughed. "So how's married life treating you two?"

"Well, the food isn't bad, the house is always clean, and the kids are well behaved," Lee said laughingly.

George huffed, his spirits dampened. "How do you think mum will take this?"

"I don't think we should tell her," Fred said with a grin. "Let's have our fun while it lasts."

George took another look behind him at Live, and caught Putterly squeezing in between Rebecca and Vivian to sit by the blonde, where he put an arm on her shoulder almost consolingly. George felt a surge of possessiveness go through him, and stood up from the table.

"Sit down, mate, it's not a capital offense," Lee said, trying to keep the peace.

"I heard she's dating him," Fred said, half to share the info, half to provoke his brother to action. He could really go for lunch and a good show. Maybe even partake himself if a fight ensued. Heh heh, partake…hmmm…Kelena…

"She can't be bloody dating him. Since when?" George asked, turning in his seat and boring holes into Putterly's back.

"She's two-timing you…Or, _would_ be, if there was a '_you'_," Lee said with mirth, enjoying the look on George's face, and the fact that Fred just spilt his pumpkin juice all over himself in laughter.

George got up from the table with a sure look at his directive. Lee put a hand to his face and groaned, knowing no good would come of this. Fred just watched in amusement, wondering himself where his little 'wife' had gotten to.

George came up right behind him, Vivian giving Live a little poke in the side as she caught him coming, and smirked in enjoyment.

"Hi, George," she greeted a little too sweetly, causing Live to shoot her a look that didn't fail to go unnoticed by George. He simply nodded to Vivian as Live regarded him.

"What's up?" Live asked nonchalantly, trying to keep her voice calm and reserved, as she still hadn't spoken to him about the whole 'marriage' thing at all, but only heard it through the grapevine (read: Vivian and Rebecca).

He grinned at her when she shrugged Putterly's arm off her (really, it was annoying anyway) and raised an eyebrow at him expectantly.

"Might I have a word with you, my sweet?" he asked with that chipper note in his voice.

_No, you may not, _Live thought inwardly. But she wasn't that rude. Oh, she could tell him to shove it, but not in front of these, her housemates. She wasn't that mean to let them think that if it was okay for her, then they could do it. It wasn't Vivian or Becca she was worried about, but Putterly, and perhaps a few of the others sitting near them. It was her privilege and hers alone to tell George to get lost, and she wouldn't have anyone else thinking they had her permission to indulge. She was about to tell him she was busy eating, maybe later, but of course, Jason beat her to it.

"Whatever you want to say can be said here," Putterly said in what would have been a civil tone, had he not sneered after saying it.

George frowned momentarily, but smirked when he looked at Live. "Just wanted to discuss the details of the honeymoon with my new bride," he said as if discussing the weather.

Live choked on her drink; Putterly openly glared at George; Vivian and Rebecca squealed with delight.

"She's not your wife, Weasley. Get lost," Putterly demanded, putting his arm around Live, who shoved it off in attempt to leave the Great Hall; an attempt Vivian wouldn't hear of, shoving her back down in her seat. This was the best in-your-face gossip she'd gotten a hold of in awhile, and she wasn't going to allow her friend to slip away yet again.

Live closed her eyes and repeated 'I am calm, I will not shout, I will handle this fine' like her own personal mantra. Opening her eyes, she still saw the same conflict of interests.

"I'm afraid I'm not leaving before I talk this over with Live. Oh, and would you prefer butterbeer or fire whiskey in the honeymoon suite, my beloved?" he asked with a smirk of entitlement. Vivian sighed dreamily.

"She's not _your_ wife, she's _my_ girlfriend. Get lost."

"She can't be your girlfriend when she's obviously my wife, Putterly," George said, the laughter leaving his voice bit by bit.

Live was beginning to get very uncomfortable. She saw around George that Lee looked worried, and ready to jump in any second; Fred just looked…well…like Fred…except covered in pumpkin juice.

"Why would she want to be your wife? You're nothing but Gryffindor trash, village idiot, and even a disgrace to the house you're in," Putterly snarked to him. George saw a string to pull, and boy did he take the chance, yet it didn't quite work out the way he'd thought.

"So is Live's sister," he said, meaning of their shared house, meaning that Putterly had also just insulted Live's own sister; not the idiot comment, or otherwise…

"My sister is not a disgrace! Nor an idiot!" Live spat at George, her brain starting to fry with all this tension in the air.

George half-grinned at her. "Well, you know how Kara can be sometimes, when she's had too much sugar…" He grinned, but his little attempt at harmless jesting did nothing to make Live, who was at her nerves last end, laugh.

"Yeah? Well your twin's a twat just like _you_!" she said, then added, "And _without_ having sugar!"

George took offense to this, feeling it was rather un-earned, and ignoring Putterly, focused his attention on Live instead. "At least I'm not stupid enough to ever agree to dating _that_." He jerked his thumb to Putterly, who looked right pissed at the comment.

"At least I'm not Weasley scum," Putterly countered. He looked at Live, who was right shocked at that, obviously affronted by his comment about George, and didn't know what to say. So it was no surprise that Putterly didn't see the fist that met with his jaw. Hard. Knocking him to the floor.

"At least I'm not a bloody ugly git with a bruised jaw," George shouted at him. They were starting to draw attention (not that they weren't before) but the only teacher in the room was Professor Flitwick, and he seemed so flustered by such a random act of violence that he fell out of his chair and got caught in his robes.

Putterly muttered something from the floor, rubbing his jaw and staying down (where Rebecca kept him) about blood traitors and bad stock, and George went to lunge at him, but was pulled back by Fred and Lee.

"George you ass!" Live yelled at him- the situation- and overall the damn new term at this bloody institution. If she didn't explode and leave little chunks of Live all over the Great Hall from frustration and perplexment, she would be personally surprised.

"What? What do you mean _me_?!" he countered, still trying to lunge back at Putterly who made a chuckling, hurting noise from the floor.

"Mate, don't even bother, she's a nutter," Fred told him, trying to keep his brother in place.

"What?! Nutter! _George _is the raging psycho!"

"Me?! Well _Live's _a bloody lunatic!" he countered, now trying to get free for different reasons as his ire and frustration for the girl came out.

"George wears his underwear for two days in a row!" Live said accusingly, pointing at him angrily. She didn't have much fodder, but when she'd spiked their shampoo with writing solution, she'd seen a pair of 'Wednesday' boxers. It had not been Wednesday…

"Live doesn't wear any!" George shouted back. If she wanted to play dirty with personal information, then fine, he'd play by her terms. She tried to attack him for that one, but was held back by a grinning Vivian, who was enjoying this far more than she should be.

"George collects pokemon cards!" Live shouted. Several muggle-borns snickered.

Having no clue what pokemon cards were (was she referring to those things his dad kept of muggle culture?) he came up with the first thing that popped into his head. "Live sleeps naked!" he shouted. Several joyous shouts came. Live could have either died or killed him. George was feeling quite the victor at the moment.

Feeling ultimately violated, Live spat out the one thing she knew would get him; something Kitty-Nimbles could personally attest to, and what was ultimately her downfall with the resultant comment. "George slept with a teddy-bear until he was thirteen!"

"Live used to be fat!"

Wide eyed and shocked, Live lunged at him. Vivian, too shocked herself, let Live go, and she ended up knocking him to the floor. Several times Vivian and Lee had tried to stop Live from committing murder, but after having been kicked once, Lee wasn't going to try again (and now he'd probably never have children…)

"George I swear I'll kill you!" Live growled, sounding more like an angry tigress than an intelligible human being.

"This isn't the way I wanted to spend out honeymoon, but if this is what you want," he mustered out, suddenly having to use more strength to keep her from inflicting pain, as his words only seemed to fire her on.

She clawed, pushed, and tried to inflict some sort of pain, but he managed to keep her from it (not without effort, he'd give her that much) until quite suddenly they were frozen in place, Live's hands outstretched to claw George on the face, George's arm shielding her coming blow. Hands tried to stop them, but she easily dissuaded them.

Not knowing what was happening, unable to really understand as sound was muffled and sight became blurry (was this what it was like to be frozen?) Live became highly still in her mind, and then highly panicked when she had no control over her limbs. She was quite frightened, and figured that this was it, and one of them must have finally killed the other.

sSs


	24. The Show Must Go On

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 24: The Show Must Go On

sSs

Revived back to a comprehensive state in the hospital wing, Live was immediately edgy and action-filled, falling off the bed once alert and knocking over a table in her panic and still quite-fresh murderous feelings for George. It took another petrifying curse and several sedatives before she became manageable and was able to simply sit on the bed she'd been assigned to. It was funny though, in the collective mind of the school, that it had taken petrifying spells to put an end to their squabbling. At least in the Great Hall.

Vivian was there, as well as Putterly, who had a small bandage on his face, Lee, and Fred. Rebecca was doing damage control in the Great Hall (read: glorifying Live's name) while still others spread tales of the fight among the prevalent marriage law initiative.

She saw Kara silent and still (probably the only way she was allowed in there) standing behind Lee. Then she noticed McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, and Snape. And utter dread filled her floating, momentarily-soothed mind.

She groaned and received a stern look from Madam Pomfrey, who had been in conversation with a harsh-faced McGonagall. "Honestly, you children are either going to be the death of me or the death of each other," she said with a look to Live.

Live frowned, and made to apologize, eyes turned low, but her mouth was dry and she nearly choked on her own words. Kara sprung up happily and supplied her with water, receiving a death glare from Snape as consolation.

He looked from one Hunter to the other, and gave Live a rather foul look he usually only reserved for Harry.

Live looked at her professor with downcast eyes, noticing the bandage on his hand. Even though she wasn't a genius in math, she could put two-and-two together.

"Sorry I bit you, professor."

"She's not poisonous!" Kara opposed with enthusiastic cheer as consolation.

Snape glared dangerously at Kara. "Hunter!"

"Aah!"

If ever Live had thought she might see Snape roll his eyes, this was the time. But instead, he brought his attention away from her sister and back to Live.

"I do believe, Miss Hunter, that you are aware of the school's policy," he began in that deadly smooth voice of his. Live felt her stomach drop. "As I am also quite assured that you are aware that the honor and pride of Slytherin rests on your shoulders from time to time, as well as other students of Slytherin." He jerked his head in Putterly's direction with disdain. "So it puzzles me as to the fact of how _you_ could be found _muggle_-dueling in plain daylight with one of your classmates." His tone was smooth and inquiring, but she knew better.

In any other scenario, Live would have laughed her head off and giggled like an idiot whenever anyone referred to fighting as 'muggle-dueling'. But this was Snape, and she was in deep shit, not to mention the fact that it had taken several sedatives to keep her nerves from spontaneously combusting, so she was hardly in her right mind, and felt kinda down.

"Weasley started it, sir," Putterly spoke up from behind. Live frowned, still quite disoriented.

Snape turned his attention with hawk-like reflexes to Putterly, and his sharp movements were ever an indication that he was just looking for a reason to dole out detentions and forfeit points. But since McGonagall was there, George was pretty safe… for now…

George made a disgruntled noise, and it was only after a glance that Live realized he was more or less being forcibly shushed by Vivian, who knew better than to draw Snape's attention their way since he'd take out his irritation on his Slytherins. Live half-smirked, knowing Vivian didn't want George to get in any more trouble than they were already in, trying to shut him up and keep _his_ Head of House's attention on the Slytherin bastard that was Putterly. Vivian knew how to play teachers like no one's business, and Live was thankful for it.

"Please elaborate, Mr. Putterly," McGonagall said sternly. There was a strangled sound from behind that only Live seemed to notice, and saw that Kara and Lee were keeping Fred forcibly quiet with hands and arms. He was quite ready to object, but Kara was aware that McGonagall was at least fair, and if the git wanted to dig himself a deeper grave by trying to sound all high and mighty, then all she had to do was keep Fred quiet; Vivian had the George area covered.

"Weasley came over to the Slytherin table harassing my girlfriend here," he said as his entire defense when in fact he had butted into Live's business. Kara gagged as he motioned to her sister as his 'girlfriend'. McGonagall waited for more elaboration, and Snape had his eyes drilled on Putterly in the most aggravated look he'd ever made.

Live groaned, thinking her whole 'plan' had backfired. She didn't want to get George in trouble- she still liked him enough as a friend when he wasn't being an indolent ass- but she just wanted him to be disinterested. And she thought that Jason was taking this entirely too seriously, and after the business with Melinda, well, no wonder the girl was so bitchy, if helping Putterly out had resulted in things like this. Now they were all in trouble….and she would personally kill George for this. No one else would get the pleasure of _that_.

"She's not your girlfriend!" George declared with a muffle as Vivian tried to shut him up. But already reigning down like the plague were Snape and McGonagall's gazes, the former far worse than the latter given the impression he had of George's intentions concerning the Slytherin student. "She's MY wife!"

"No she is not!" Putterly said, taking a step towards George as the aggravated Weasley tried to launch himself from the bed.

At once everyone was talking, Kara trying not so much to shut Fred up as get her hands away from his slimy mouth with shrieks. Vivian was restraining George as best she could, and Lee was exchanging nasty words with Putterly.

"Silence!" Snape said cuttingly, and their noise immediately died, but if glares were words, everyone in the room would be legally deaf.

McGonagall hmphed with agitated disappointment. "Well I don't know what has gotten into you children but it will stop this instant." She heard Madam Pomfrey make a disgusted noise from somewhere about the hospital wing, and gave her a look. She knew the medi-witch didn't like such noise and aggravation in her hospital wing.

"Mr. Jordan, Mr. Weasley, Miss Hunter, Miss Monteclaire, you will all leave at once and return to your common rooms," McGonagall directed. Fred started to protest, and Lee gave him an elbow to the gut. They were getting off scot-free, and should take it. It took a little glaring from McGonagall to get the Gryffindors going, but one look at Snape and Vivian had virtually vanished.

"She's still not your wife…" Putterly muttered defiantly, arms crossed over his chest.

"Yes she is!" George declared adamantly.

"I'm not anybody's anything!" Live declared vehemently, sick and tired of them both.

"See? She doesn't want to be with filth like you, Weasley!"

"I'm not with either of you!" she cried, her panic and agitation rising.

"Can't get any lower than you, Putterly!"

"Quiet, all of you," Snape said, his attention split between the situation before him and the retreating Gryffindors taking their sweet time behind.

George yanked something out of his robes, and anticipating a duel, Snape's wand was at the ready to curse the boy properly into right behavior.

Sadly enough for entertainment value, it was not a duel at hand, but a legal matter…which in many cases, can be far more scary.

"I have the papers right here that say I am!" George declared.

"You carry those around?" Kara asked, her head still peeking in the hospital wing from behind the door. Snape pointed his wand in her direction, and the younger Hunter quickly retreated into the hall as the door was forcibly shut on them.

"Poor Live," Kara said with a little pout.

"Poor Live? This is _her _fault!" Fred said with agitation.

"Why?" Kara asked with genuine curiosity.

"Why is she dating Putterly anyway?" Lee asked, ignoring Kara's question. "It's _that_ git's fault," he pointed out to Fred.

"Ewww…she's not really dating Putterly," Kara said.

"Well he called her his girlfriend. You can't deny that," Fred said, thinking of his own little wife, and wondering where she'd gotten to. His eyes glazed over with naughty thoughts.

"She's doing him a favor. He's not interested in her at all, _believe_ me," Kara confirmed with a covert air. "But if you tell anyone, you'll wish it _was _Live who was mad at you, and not me." Lee fixed her with a little gaze of horror. Fred was lost in his own thoughts. "She's trying to make George not like her," she told Lee.

"And how do you know this?" Lee asked with large perplexed gestures, thinking that Kara might make a good informative wife indeed…if Live didn't kill him first…or Kara's other 'husbands' for that matter…

"We're sisters. She tells me everything." Kara had a chipper smile on her face, and Lee grinned. "I know a lot of things. Like Lee, your addiction to fire imps has got to stop, it's ridiculous."

"Everyone knows that!" Fred declared, brought back to earth by mentioned of candy. "Tell us something we don't know," he said, purposely fishing for any interesting information she might volunteer.

"Fred you once used a batch of fireworks to scare a bunch of third years and claimed the order got lost in the mail!"

Fred looked sheepish, and quieted. Lee glared.

"Was that the time I ordered all those experimental ones and you said the owls must have lost everything?"

Fred stammered and smirked in an innocent way, but they knew better. "I think I left the gas on…" Fred said, giving Lee a grin before dashing down the hall.

He looked behind him, seeing that Lee wasn't even bothering to give chase, and smirked, shouting that Lee was a twat as the other wizard threw a curse his way in retaliation. He dodged it with a smirk and a laugh, continuing down a corridor.

So in having had to leave his incarcerated brother in the hands of the Heads of both Slytherin _and _Gryffindor, Fred decided to dedicate his time to a little sleuth-work to track down Kelena, _his_ little wife to be…or wife that was…

A smirk was on his face, and he started his search with all of Kelena's obvious haunts, starting with the library…

sSs

"Let me see those, Mr. Weasley," Professor McGonagall said with outstretched hand, beckoning for the papers. George thrust them to her with a grin in Live's direction and a superior smirk in Putterly's.

McGonagall's lips puckered into a sour look and she handed the papers to Snape, who perused them quickly with his usual frown.

"It's another set, Severus," McGonagall affirmed with a starchy voice. Snape looked most disgusted and handed the papers back to her. Live's eyes bugged out of her head somewhat. "I didn't think this would happen twice."

"The teachers know about all this?" she exclaimed shakily.

Snape gave her a disapproving frown (either due to her disrespectful outburst or her tragic binding to a Gryffindor), and McGonagall gave her a stern look. "Yes, Miss Hunter, the teachers are aware of the situation."

"But it's not legal, professor," Putterly interrupted with a snarky expectation.

McGonagall turned her attention his way, but it was Snape who replied with a cold tone. "As unfortunate as the situation is, Mr. Putterly, the papers are fully legal and binding as much as any other law that that ministry puts into effect." He sneered disdainfully. "Miss Hunter here is bound to Mr. Weasley-," he abruptly turned to George, "in name only."

If he'd meant it as an insult, George didn't take it. He smirked superiorly in Putterly's direction and raised his chops in a winning grin.

"Isn't there anything that can be done about this?" Live inquired painfully. "What do you mean '_in name_'?"

George still had that ridiculous grin on his face, and McGonagall focused her stern gaze on him as she spoke to Live.

"It means, Miss Hunter, that you are bound legally in name and by name only. As the duties of marriage are rather variable, you are not required by law to do _anything_." She gave George, the grinning idiot, a warning look. "At Hogwarts you can not and will not be forced into anything that would violate your freedoms, _or the castle rules_," she made very clear, "regardless of the permanency it may employ." Live gave a little gasp at the use of 'permanent'. "The Headmaster is firm on that matter, and as Deputy Headmistress I won't allow it," she said, puffing out her chest in indignation at the ministry and their petty laws.

The room was silent for a moment, and the tension was so thick it could have been spread across toast. Live felt at the end of her rope.

"But… we're still married, right?" George inquired cheerily, breaking the silence, the grin never faltering. McGonagall put her fingers to the bridge of her nose in vexation.

"What if I don't _want_ to be married?" Live nearly wailed in injustice. She was grasping at whatever straws she could, but right now the rats were jumping ship and she was sinking without a hope.

"As despicable as the prospect of being bound to Weasley may be, Miss Hunter, you are legally bound by law as his wife," Snape spat with disgust. George sneered right back at him, though he still felt superior in that he was right and Live was _his_ little wifey wife.

Live made a strangled noise of extreme depression as the words sank in that she was stuck with George and could do nothing about it whether she wanted hi-- it, or not.

The disgusted opinion of the idea, in Putterly's view, seemed to apparently be shared by both he and Live, whose outrage was more at the ministry than anything else really. He snorted in pleasure at what he took for her seeming disgust. "_Weasel_…"

George lunged at Putterly and Putterly at George, but Snape had them frozen still before they got an inch out of place.

"That is enough from the both of you!" McGonagall said. "Mr. Weasley, you'll serve one month's detention with Mr. Filch, and twenty points from Gryffindor for your foolish and reprehensible behavior." Putterly, although he was quiet frozen, managed a deep-throated snicker. "And you Mr. Putterly---. As you are in Slytherin house it will be up to Professor Snape to decide your fate." She glared with affront and offense.

Live was silently utilizing every ounce of control she'd ever had not to cry. She wanted out of the wing and outside, spend some time in her animagus form perhaps, WELL away from George and Putterly. The teachers didn't seem too concerned with any of this for the most part, and what was worse, they _acknowledged_ the fact that the 'marriage' was binding and legal. For the countless time this week, she was ready to die from embarrassment and frustration. And the fact that George and Putterly were frozen in fighting stances before her was not helping one bit.

Snape unfroze both boys with glares that equally froze them in place. He turned his glare to Live, who could barely keep his eyes for a moment before bursting into silent tears.

He turned his glare back on Putterly. "Return to your common room immediately Mr. Putterly, until I can decide upon a proper punishment besuiting you." He didn't move as immediately as Snape would have liked, and the Albino Bat gave him a magical prod that got the boy moving with a glare. It got him moving faster, however, as Snape swept right after him intent on figuring an adequate punishment.

McGonagall sighed watching Snape leave. "You children are more troublesome than any I can recall," she stated with acceptance.

George smirked, taking it as a compliment. "Why thank you." He beamed over at Live, but his smile died quickly as he noticed her tear-streaked face, and that she seemed to be crying.

"Mr. Weasley you had best mind yourself," McGonagall started with a weary glance. Her lips were tight in a disapproving grimace. "Honestly, fighting in plain sight?"

George half-heartedly smiled. She surely wasn't hinting that next time he fight in private, but that was the way he took it.

"You're free to go back to your common room, Mr. Weasley." She kept her gaze on him as if it might drive him to go. But he moved not. "Miss Hunter, you stay here until those sedatives wear off, understand? You're in no state to roam." It was a command, not a request, but the first chance she got, she was going to transform into Kitty-Nimbles for awhile and maybe kill a few field mice.

Live nodded in silent agreement, staunching her tears as best she could whilst it not being noticed, and with a last look at the pair, McGonagall took her leave of the hospital wing.

"Live?"

She turned her head away from George and cleared her throat in an effort towards normality. She heard him move about her.

"Live?"

"I don't want to talk to you right now," she said through choked tone, trying to control her voice's hurt pulse.

He frowned and moved closer, feeling responsible. "Come on Live. Please?" She remained silent, trying to stop her tears, and he sat back down on his bed, watching her silently.

She wished he'd go away and give her some privacy, or at least say something else so she might yell at him and _make_ him go away. If she could trust her voice to be up to yelling, that is.

"This isn't a good way to start off a marriage," George murmured listlessly from his seat, watching her.

"Go away."

"I can't," he stated with a half-hearted grin. He felt bad, and wanted to make her feel better. "I'm simply stuck on you."

"I'm not marrying you, okay?" she hissed through angry tears, turning and glaring at him with frustration. He looked the very picture of patience, sitting on the edge of the bed, long legs slightly spread with his hands clasped in his lap, slightly bent over watching her with a slightly hopeful grin.

He watched her for a few moments before she turned her face from him, crying silently and trying to stop it. He didn't like seeing her cry, and frankly didn't know what to do about it. Girls crying always unnerved him. This one especially, who always seemed so rock-solid and sure of herself. "I'm sorry, Live. Please don't cry."

"Go away," she choked out. It was embarrassing enough for her that he knew she was crying, let alone watch her while she cried. And the moment Madam Pomfrey was out of medically-harping sight, she would be taking leave of him.

He frowned slightly, determination his middle name as he watched her with speculation. "What's so bad about marrying me anyway, Live?" She turned her face back to him with a sniffle, hot from her tears and anger. His tone was sincere, his face frank, and he looked as if he had all the time in the world. That mischievous grin was off his face for his seriousness, but that cheeky sparkle was something that would never fully leave his eyes. And looking at him, so sincere and candid with her, only made her more frustrated.

"Just go away, George, please …" she begged, wiping her eyes with her robes and blinking back more tears.

"Not until you tell me why. I'd be a good husband, you know? I'd be good to you, Live," he proposed seriously, trying to figure her out. She looked at him with tension-filled eyes, and he smiled slightly. "And I doubt anyone could ever rock your socks like I could."

She grinned and a little sad laugh broke from her as she frowned at his ridiculousness, and uttered various deities names in vain.

"Come on, Live," he said with more of a smile. She shook her head with melancholy eyes.

"No."

"No? Just no?" he got up from his seat to his feet in incomprehension, puzzlement, and slight agitation. "I mean, come on, think of the wedding gifts!" He smirked, trying to make light of the situation. She wasn't buying.

"This is serious," she tried. She looked him straight in the eyes, mustering her control and gathering her anger. He didn't seem to grasp the gravity of the actual situation. "I am _not_ marrying you, George."

He frowned. "Live, we're married anyway. We're both stuck, so why not enjoy it?"

"That's the problem!" she cried, gaining more control as the real issue sprang forth, and took a deep rehabilitative breath. "Marriage is something two people go willingly into when they're in love and want it! It's agreed to by both people and they both want it and _choose_ it!" She wiped away her tears, getting angrier from her cause (not specifically at him, but at the whole damn problem).

He frowned slightly, and cocked his head as he looked at her. She didn't see this as some kind of game. Maybe he shouldn't take it for that. "_I'm_ willing---"

"And I'm not! I'm too young to be married! I'm not ready for that! And NO ONE is going to force me into it! Not you, not the ministry, and definitely not some damn stupid antiquated law!" Her tears started anew, and she wiped them angrily on her sleeves, swinging her feet over the bed, testing herself if the sedatives and other things had worn off enough to get out.

George frowned. He was way far out of his element, and didn't know the half of what to do. True, he never thought he would get married at such a young age, or then again, be forced into a marriage license, but hey, that's what happens when you panty-raid, and it's what makes life fun. Just another joke on the road of life, right? He was willing to make this whole thing easy, and if he got her as part of the bargain, then hey, all the better. Sure he could tell the ministry to stick it, but then what fun would that be? And she'd grow to love him like everyone else did.

"Live, if you just thought about it--"

"No George! Just no!"

"Why won't you even consider it?" he countered now, his agitation rising. After all, he'd been pretty patient this whole time, but now his reserves were drying up. And it agitated him for another reason as well.

"Because I don't want to be married!" she cried out angrily, getting to her feet.

"I don't mean that! Why won't you even consider _me_?" he shot at her, his anger and frustration coming to a boil as he acknowledged a little niggling feeling he had deep inside. She turned to him with a look on her tear-streaked face. "You would date Putterly over me! What's with that? You don't even--"

"_I did not_! And what I do is none of your business!" she spat venomously, walking away from him with a glare and quickly towards the doors to get out. He shook his head, too angry and confused to allow her to leave, and took two long strides to grab her. She didn't even make it halfway to the doors. "Let go of me!"

He grabbed her to him in a big bear-hug, pining her arms with his own and holding her against him as she struggled, voicing her objection in angry, muffled shrieks as she tried to make him let go and he tried to keep her quiet enough not to attract Madam Pomfrey's attentions. He held her tighter to him, not to hurt her, but to keep her from fighting so. She settled after a moment to catch her angry, hitched breath, but tension filled her body.

Her tears were beginning to stop. She was too perplexed to feel much else. "Let go of me right now or I'll kick your ass …" She felt him shake his head no, and he rested his chin atop her head gently, hugging her to him as he murmured as such. She fought him again to try and get her freedom, but he didn't let her get very far. "I'll hex you into oblivion, I swear …"

"As much as I'd like to hex _you _into oblivion right now, I'd rather you would stop fighting me, Live." She felt his voice rumble through his chest, and for the first moment she realized that his closeness was somehow comforting, even if it was (or wasn't) him she was mad about. She tried for freedom again, but realized he was too strong, and her tears started once more.

She cried freely into his robes, murmuring how she hated everything and everyone and the whole situation, and he held her firmly in comfort, petting her soothingly. And he was doing a good job of it, too. She felt her anger melt away, replaced by an even more terrible anxiety, and his closeness was almost devastatingly lovely. She forgot how it felt when he held her, nicely like back at the Burrow, and how she liked his male scent, and that cocky gleam in his eyes, sometimes even his Slytherin side that both scared and delighted her, and how it felt when he seemed to really care, and how she didn't think she _really_ hated him at all.

She nuzzled her face into his chest, and he loosened his arms from pinning her so and instead pet her hair as she cried quite a bit more. She hugged him back, needing any type of comfort at the moment, and forced herself to calm down, deep breaths in and out as she soaked up his comforting embrace like a sponge.

"Am I such a terrible guy, that you wouldn't even date me?" he asked quietly, seriously, breaking the silence and the cocoon of comfort she'd felt ensconced in. He hadn't moved an inch, but it felt as if walls now separated them once more.

"It would never work, George," she told him sincerely, nearly whispering it and bearing the truth of his pleasant-sounding proposition.

"Why?"

Wh_y? Why indeed? _her mind _and _body both traitorously asked. Her reasons, which seemed so strong and hardy before, now seemed to melt away in the sea that was George. But she reminded herself of the things Melinda had said, the way the school talked and thought about her already…What if she actually _did_ become entangled with a Gryffindor?

"We can't… It wouldn't work, alright? …"

"It would," he countered determinedly, more belief in that statement that he was about to admit.

She shook her head, speaking plainly and truthfully with him for once. "No. We're too different, and for that reason alone, it wouldn't work…just a waste…"

She felt the muscles in his chest contract, and she knew he was looking down at her. She looked up, not wanting to meet his eyes, but did, and saw the seriousness reflected in them at her, and the actual depth of his statement. "If you're talking about our House differences …" He frowned.

"George …"

"That doesn't matter. I graduate this year, and you-- Well hell, Live, since when do you care what people think of you? You walk around like you own Hogwarts, for Godric's sake!" He looked down at her thoughtfully, the painfulness of her own thoughts stabbing at her like white-hot needles.

She put her forehead against his chest, closing her eyes to her thoughts and the world. She knew that the Slytherins would never let her live it down if she and George were ever a _willing_ item, and the fact alone that a Slytherin would ever consider dating a Gryffindor, their biggest rival and official mascot-of-hate, would make any type of relationship they _would _have hold together by barely strings. It had never survived before without ridicule, as far as she knew during her career at Hogwarts, and she wasn't one to fight an already lost war. Slytherins just didn't mix well with the other houses due to bad rumors and reputations. It wasn't worth her time and energy to be disappointed in the end.

"No one would let it be. That's that," she stated, slipping her hands off him and backing away, but her wouldn't let her hands slip from his.

"You're making giants out of pixies, Live," he stated contrarily, trying his best to make her see.

"Just do us both a favor and stop it, George," she told him painfully, putting every ounce of feeling she had left into it.

She took her hands from his and whirled around, quickly exiting the hospital wing a mere moment before he. He was right on her heels, and yet she was gone from sight. He looked up and down the hall, but all he found was Kelena's kitty-cat darting down the corridor.

He stuck his head back into the hospital wing to see Madam Pomfrey giving him a stern look. No doubt she'd been there for it all, but bless her, she hadn't interfered.

George gave her a grin before disappearing out of sight once more, in much need of a good prank to be done.

sSs

Fred was agitated, and coupled with his agitation was the most severe Sexlexia that he'd ever had the pleasure to have known…Or _wished _that he'd known the _pleasure_…

Kelena, the sneaky little witch, had twice managed to get away from his grasp (quite literally) and twice he had lost her soon after.

But nothing could keep the hunter from his prey, and he was scouring the castle looking for her. For what purpose, he wasn't yet sure, but once he found her, he'd figure something out.

For now, he was returning to headquarters (aka the Gryffindor dorms) to reformulate a better plan of attack. If anyone would know what to do, well, he _hoped_ it would be Lee.

And yet the sight he saw upon bursting into his dorm quite bewildered him. There was Lee, and for some reason, there was Kara, and for another, they both looked, for the better part of it, quite disheveled.

A wry grin spread over his face as he caught Lee's suddenly panicked look.

"It's not what you think!" he burst to the grinning twin.

Fred's grin grew in accordance with Lee's wide eyes.

"We were just--talking!" he choked out.

"Is that what they're calling it nowadays?" Fred asked, a look at Kara who seemed utterly nonchalant and unperturbed; rather interested in a butterfly at the window.

"No--! I--! You--! Quit it! Product research!" he declared adamantly. "What do you want?"

"Why I was just feeling a bit in need of some R & R in my very own room," Fred replied innocently. Lee gave him a hard, menacing look that made Fred grin. "I need information."

Kara's ears pricked up slightly.

"And I might be able to forget what I've seen here when next I see Live if you can tell me where to find Kelena." Lee's eyes were wide. He didn't want the angry side of that witch out for him, and he rather liked his bollocks where they were. But the bad part was, he didn't have a clue as to where Kelena was.

"Fred, I don't know--"

"She's hiding in her dorm," Kara stated chipperly. Both boys looked at her, gaping that she'd betray her friend so quickly. Even Fred was surprised (and quite obviously- as a wolfish grin spread to his face- thankful) that she'd so quickly hand her friend over on the proverbial silver platter.

She gave the gaping guys a look that mimicked a shrug. There were too many important things in the works here for Kara to have Fred muss up her plans. "What?"

Lee put a hand to his face in pure agitation and frustration, and Fred happily jaunted out of the room without a second thought at the two, intent on finding Kelena in the happiest of all places: The Boudoir.

sSs


	25. MY JUICE!

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 25: MY JUICE!

sSs

As far as attention spans went, Live was rather scatter-brained, yet always came up with some way to entertain herself regardless of mood. But waiting for a full hour in front of Tonks office in her Kitty-Nimbles skin, batting at dust bunnies kicked up by students and serious thoughts of George flitting about her head, weighed heavily upon her patience. She knew the elder witch had information about the marriage law, which, Live was sure, she was withholding. And since no one else had volunteered any knowledge about the ridiculous law, Live was desperate for her guidance.

Tonks' scent was everywhere, but since she'd spoken with Dumbledore she hadn't seen hide nor hair of the Metamorphmagus in question. It was beginning to drive her mad. Not that striking out at ankles of first years that got too close wasn't fun, but if one more kid tried to grab her by the tail she was going to go kitty-cat crazy.

Sauntering down the hall, Kitty-Nimbles picked up the scent of the woman in question and bounded towards it, intent on answers and any sort of relief that might come from speaking with her or even just seeing her after the mind-numbing demands of the day.

The scent got stronger, and she picked up the smells of lemon, sucrose, and several different kinds of muggle sweets, and wondered what Kara was doing with Tonks, and why she hadn't alerted Live sooner.

But upon rounding a corner, she nearly ran smack dab into Minister Fudge's legs, whom she discovered to be speaking with Dumbledore (apparently he and Kara had similar tastes in candy-addiction dependency), and a man whom appeared to be a lackey to the idiot government official, but carried a scent that was unique to Tonks herself.

"REEEOOWWW!" Kitty-Nimbles shrieked as she tried to stop herself from colliding with Fudge, her claws clicking on the stone as she tried to hold firm. But of course, as luck seemed to have it out for her lately, she collided right into him with a tumble which caused the minister to cry out himself as she twisted in trying to right her disoriented cat self.

She felt herself being picked up by the scruff of her neck-- something not at all pleasant and in her mind ten times as humiliating-- by Minister Fudge.

"Taming lions in your spare time, Dumbledore?" Fudge asked, tone business as opposed to the amused inquiry, as she hissed and spit angrily in her debilitative state. The Minister was not amused by her one bit, yet Dumbledore grinned amiably.

"One of the many companions to our students, Cornelius," Dumbledore said, taking the cat from Fudge and cradling her in the crook of his arm. "Also good for keeping our rat population down, you know," he added in a referent tone that caused the minister's 'lackey' to surreptitiously grin.

"Be that as it may," Fudge said, eyeing the cat that was now being stroked quite happily under the chin, "the law still stands as is, and I'm afraid there's not much I can do for you."

Kitty-Nimbles grew stiff in Dumbledore's grasp as she heard him, and realized just what they were discussing. She squirmed in Dumbledore's arm, trying to get a better view at Fudge in order to decide just what part of his face she'd enjoy detaching first as he was no doubt tangled up in this law-mess.

"Surely there's something, Cornelius. Our laws do not permit marriages of the underage to be performed without the consent of the parents, and many of the children are underage by even muggle standards."

"As you've brought up before," Fudge said, a thinking finger to his chin as he 'pondered' Dumbledore's words in his aristocratic manner. "I'll leave Farrell here to investigate the need apparent of the situation, Dumbledore, and we'll see what we can do, of course."

"Why of course," Dumbledore said with a diplomatic air and smile only characteristic to the candy-loving Headmaster himself.

Fudge nodded at Dumbledore, and then looked to 'Farrell' expectantly.

"I'll see you to your carriage, sir," the young male voice said in a servile manner, following Fudge with a smirk at Dumbledore.

Kitty-Nimbles squirmed in the Headmaster's arm, and he looked down at her so slowly that Live swore he could see right through her animagus disguise. He winked at the cat and let her down, muttering 'shoo' as she quickly darted after Fudge and his imposter in waiting. She followed them as far as the great castle doors, watching from a hiding place as Fudge was seen off, in which she could quickly change from cat to herself to interrogate her dear teacher-in-lackey's-clothing. She needed info, and she needed it badly.

"Hi," she said warmly as the young 'man' approached. Tonks merely smiled and said hi in turn, going on 'his' way. "Hey, I have a few questions for you that need answering," she called.

The young man in question turned with a wayward grin that nearly made Live doubt herself, but she knew her kitty-sense wouldn't let her down, and just had to remind herself that this was Tonks she was talking to, and needed info be it voluntary or forced. And blowing her teacher's cover was a last ditch effort if the woman wouldn't offer her anything.

She approached her teacher-in-men's-clothing and looked about, making sure she didn't appear too suspicious. Although of the few students out and about, they could hardly have cared less.

"Listen, I know who you are," Live said, the young man giving her a wide-eyed look. She grinned, and offered her teacher a knowing smirk. "You know all about this marriage law," she added, looking surreptitiously at her professor. "More than you're letting on, anyways, and I need to know what can be done." The 'man' gave her a look, and Live offered her a note to hide behind with a smirk; a way out of her somewhat accusatory tones. "After all, you seem to be Fudge's right hand man and all."

The dubious person before her lifted an eyebrow, and a slight smile curved 'his' lips. "Right now Fudge is doing the best he can," the clever teacher responded. Live made a disgusted noise.

"Come on, seriously," she said in retort that Fudge was competent. "Is there anything? I need more information. Anything. Please." Live regarded the elder before her. "_Please_."

"We're doing the best we can, but these things take time." 'He' offered her a somewhat sad smile.

"I know." Live half-grinned, but it faded quickly. "Just do what you can, and get back to me, please," she added dejectedly, giving her professor a last-ditch smile before she decided to retire to her thoughts of business and school as a distraction.

sSs

Fred smirked wickedly as he stood outside Kelena's door. Not even a simple distracting charm or forgetful spell of some sort to arm against intruders. But then again, maybe she wasn't in there.

_Or maybe she is_, a wicked voice in his head thought.

He grinned wolfishly and put his ear to the door to listen. He heard nothing, but that was expected. He knocked once, and receiving no sort of answer, quietly opened the door and quickly darted in, shutting it tight behind him.

He surveyed the room. Not quite as he had last seen it. For one, it wasn't quite the dead of night, and the room was quite devoid of the girls, as far as he could tell. Only one of the beds were made, the others looking more lived-in, and there were little piles of rubbish and books littering the ground about the bed he knew to be Kelena's. She wasn't in it, as he had thought, and- quite possibly, even hoped- that she would be hiding under her covers the way Live apparently did. He stepped in front of it and surveyed it, wishing he knew some sort of tracking spell to know just how long ago she'd been here, not that he was exactly done searching the room for her.

He grinned, and stole a glance in the direction of her trunk, wondering if he dared visit the treasure trove of panties once more. One could never know…she was small enough…might be hiding in there…

He moved towards the end of her bed, momentarily distracted by the thought of pillaging for his own private collection, when out of nowhere her trunk bit him.

Fred let out a yowl of surprise and hopped onto the mattress before the trunk could take a more hearty bite out of him.

In the midst of wondering why the bloody hell her trunk was enchanted to bite him (and also pondering the usage of such technology for product testing), he could have sworn he heard a gasp.

"Kelena?" he asked the room, a growing smirk on his face. He sat down upon the bed and carefully inched his way back to the floor, listening intently and avoiding any more possible biting things Kelena might have in her employ.

"Keeeelenaaaa…" he drawled out in a sing-songy whisper. He bent over to look under the bed, but all he found was dust and a few boxes of her things. He also checked the other beds in the room, carefully examined any spaces she was small enough to fit into, and stood hands on hips in the middle of the room, stunned. "Kelena?" he asked the room again. He wondered if that trunk of hers had eaten her. He gave it a kick for good measure and quickly moved away to no further avail.

A smile creeping over his features once more, he decided to wait until she came back, knowing that she couldn't leave her precious books and things up here for too long, and that at some point she'd have to return.

He plopped down upon her bed, resting his head against the back and smirking in positive delight of his own genius. He fixed a pillow behind him, getting comfy, and was startled and positively delighted when he found one of her bras beneath it. He knew she could be a little all-over-the-place, and had heard back during the end of the summer that Live periodically lost her clothes in random places, but it was quite another thing that Kelena followed in this pattern of behavior, not to mention that he had the offending item in his hands.

He grinned quite wickedly, and decided to search her bed for any other interesting items he might find. He got to his knees on the bed and picked through the blankets like a human metal detector, except for the fact that he was trying to detect panties and scanty undergarments…

Fred was most puzzled in lifting the blankets when he found not more panties, but her whole outfit, laid out as if waiting for her, yet beneath the sheets. He quirked an eyebrow looking at it. Spread flat out on the bed was her shirt from the day, complete with gold and scarlet tie, her school skirt, and even her hair tie. Laid out far too completely and perfectly, it seemed weird, even to Fred.

He ran his hands over the softness of the shirt, and frowned in wondering what the world she was about-- even Hermione wasn't this fanatical. But then again, fanaticism could be a very good thing…

Smirking, he went to lift up the skirt to see if he panties were there when an invisible hand stopped him. Materializing out of the bed itself, Kelena's clothes filled themselves out with her body as she was once again whole, in normal form, laying upon the bed with a frowning death glare that would have made Live proud. Fred didn't even bother suppressing the wolfish smirk on his face.

Kelena frowned right into Fred's grinning face, anger replacing the fear that he'd found her. "What are you doing?"

"Looking for you," he said, grin never faltering, his hand slowly moving back towards her skirt. "That was a neat trick. Have any more?"

Her cheeks slightly reddened, and her eyes darted to the opposite side of the room.

"Nah-uh," he said, throwing a leg heavily over both of hers, "Not when I've got you right where I want you."

Her eyes slightly widened, cheeks flushing in excitement. He smirked with a wicked gleam to his eyes as he brought his hand back to her skirt slowly, moving it up her leg, ignoring her own hand which was still at his wrist contrarily. He brought his face mere moments from hers, inhaling her scent as he whispered in her ear.

"You smell sweet…like a pumpkin pasty…"

She let out an indignant noise. "Pumpkin pasty!"

He chuckled at her outburst and looked into her eyes as she frowned at his description. Although it probably didn't help that she'd gotten into Kara's stash of pumpkin pasties earlier…

"I am _not _a pumpkin pasty," she said indignantly.

"Sure you are," he said with a smile as he bent his face close to hers, giving her thigh a squeeze that sent wonderful waves of heat coursing through her. Before she realized it his lips were on hers in a wonderful fiery caress, one hand grazing her thigh as the other tangled itself in her hair. She shuddered at the pleasure of it all and wrapped her arms around his neck for more, entangling her own hands in his unruly hair. It was a long moment before she registered the fact that the kiss had ended and he was looking down at her with an amused look in his smoldering eyes.

"Mmm, no, definitely not a pumpkin pasty," he started as she smirked at him. "Maybe more of an acid pop."

"ACID POP!" she shrieked, about to punch him in the shoulder.

He snickered in obvious delight, catching her hand and bringing it to his smiling lips. "Yes my dear, acid pop."

She frowned at him even as his lips caressed the back of her hand. "I'll show you acid pop," she said moments before she turned the tables on him in a true feat of strength.

A surprised, blinking Fred looked up at her sitting upon him, and smirked wickedly in appreciation of her daring. "Well maybe not an acid pop…" he said with a smirk, quite obviously enjoying himself.

"I thought as much," she said, placated, settling herself quite firmly atop him as his eyes wavered at the pleasurable sensations she caused. He grabbed her arms and pulled her to him with a need that surprised even himself.

He wrapped his arms around her as he brought her lips to his in a searing kiss that rendered them both incapable of speech for many moments. Kelena looked deeply at Fred, his smoldering eyes just as desirous as hers as he took her face in his hands again, hands and lips everywhere.

There were only a few moments when Kelena and Fred were actually capable of registering where their hands were. Fred barely registered the fact that his was up the side of Kelena's skirt and still traveling, nor did she realize that her hands were busy trying to tear off his shirt.

Little did he know, but Fred had finally unleashed something inside Kelena that had snapped her resolve, and currently the impassioned sixth year wanted nothing more than to keep Fred as _her_ prisoner until the term ended or she died from sexlexic dehydration- whichever came first.

Fred's lips were everywhere on her- her face, her neck, and if the damn shirt wasn't woven so tightly, her chest. His kisses blazed fiery trails upon her skin as she claimed his mouth for her own and thus ensued a battle for control of the kiss. Both were panting heavily, neither willing to give in, until Fred took control and switched their places, sitting atop her with a grin before she pulled his lips back to her own. Whether in the name of science, the Guild, or the personal pursuit of happiness, Kelena was certain that they needed to stay like this for many hours at the very least. If Sexlexia was a danger, then not curing it was even worse.

And they were so enthralled in one another that it was no surprise they didn't hear the knock on the door, then the door handle turning, or the wood creaking open…

"Hey Kelena have you seen Gin-- OH DEAR GODRIC NOT AGAIN!" Ron squawked at the sight of Fred and Kelena quite absorbed in one another atop her covers. He made several squeaking noises as his face grew hot as embers, and it was only then that Fred realized that there was someone else in the room.

He turned around to see Ron gaping, and behind him in the hallway was Hermione, frozen-faced and rose red. He frowned at his younger brother. "Oh shove off, Ron! We're married!"

The door was then forcibly shut in their faces with a grin and one flick of wand- not Fred's, but Kelena's.

He turned back to her and smirked down at her smoldering face as she wrapped her arms back around him. "Now where were we?"

sSs

Live was sitting by the lake in the last fading rays of sunlight, idly playing with what seemed to be a bottle of perfume. She was tired, she was bored, and she was frustrated.

Firstly, she was married- either legally or illegally- to George Weasley, and that thought alone did nothing for her nerves, especially when she thought of all the 'fun' they'd had at the Burrow. Not a good precedent for things to come. That is, if she even allowed things to come…Second, however was she supposed to explain this to her parents, and would they drag her and her sister home for their own well-being? And third, she and Kara were supposed to be developing their prank candies and clothing line, and that was clearly getting nowhere as far as she was concerned.

She dragged her fingers through her hair in annoyance, letting the falling strands catch the last of the glimmering light. The water was darkening with the sky, almost in tune with her fading good humor, and the smells of the Earth were all around her anticipating a light rain.

A light crunching sounded behind her, and she looked to see Ginny trudging through the grass with a disgruntled look on her face. She smirked at the redhead who looked quite the picture of frustration.

"What happened?" Live inquired wearily as Ginny was within earshot.

"GAAHH!" the youngest Weasley let out.

"Is that so?" Live asked back as if she'd understood it. Ginny sent her a withering look.

"I swear to you, if Ron so much as ever kisses a girl it will be the death of him!" Live raised an eyebrow in question. "Oh, the twat walked in on Kel and Fred snogging in her bedroom."

Live's eyebrow got higher. "Oh really now? Do tell!"

"Well, he started shrieking and shouting like a little girl or something and ran down the stairs sputtering about owling mum and--"

"Not _Ron_. Kel and Fred."

"Oh. Yeah, I dunno. I guess they like each other now. As far as I see it, she's another girl for the family, after this damn marriage law." Ginny shrugged. She was tired, and after having listened to Ron rant and rave for half an hour, all she wanted was a warm bath and some fire imps. "I feel sorry for whatever girl is forced to marry Ronald…"

"Hm." Live pondered a moment on the new information she'd been handed. This might just work to their advantage… "So it's safe to say that they're close, at least?"

"Ew Live, I don't want to think about-"

"Shut up, Gin. You know what I mean."

Ginny smirked. "Yeah, I guess. As close as a cat and mouse."

Live frowned. "Hmph."

"Exactly." Ginny shrugged and kicked up a tuft of grass that popped itself right back into place. She kicked at it more so in spite.

Live smiled wickedly as she got up from the ground. "I think this gives a perfect opportunity to test out a new line of products I've been working on for our clothing line…as well as figure out just where our Sexpert licenses went…"

Ginny smiled crookedly. "You're not going to hurt them, are you?"

Live smiled back, putting a friendly arm around Ginny and guided them both back towards the castle. "Not if I don't have to."

sSs

"I was framed!"

"Please Mr. Weasley. We'll discuss this in my office after Madam Pomfrey and I see Mr. Putterly to the hospital wing."

"Professor--"

"_I will see you in my office_, Mr. Weasley. That is final." McGonagall gave George a stern look as she followed behind a very agitated Madam Pomfrey.

George muttered to himself about bad timing and idiot boys and glared at the retreating forms of Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall. It wasn't his fault the stupid git was covered in that mess of Godric-only-knows what it was. Although the crowded hall of onlookers knew better, smirking at George for giving the Slytherin jerk what he deserved, others looking with disapproval over the prank that he really hadn't committed.

Putterly was currently covered in what had looked like burns and purple goo of some kind. And boy, the stench it left. Nothing compared to the earlier stink-sap sundae that Putterly had been encased in, but that smell would stick in his mind forever. Like bad cologne and cheese. It was a right good prank, too, when one thought about it. Plenty of publicity, right in the middle of the Entrance Hall which had been completely crowded with students filing in for dinner.

Not as if such a noise wouldn't have gotten everyone's attention when the thing had gone off. You couldn't rightly hear it, but you could feel the vibration right in your chest. Or all over, as George had had close proximity when it had gone off. The whole student body felt it, regardless of how close they'd been. And now Putterly was unconscious, covered in purple goo and burns, and George was receiving looks of praise from his classmates.

Too bad he couldn't take proper credit for it.

"Oh dear Godric what _is_ that smell?" Live declared to Ginny as they entered the castle.

"It's disgusting. That's all it is. Disgusting." Ginny stuck out her tongue and declared "BLAH!" to the general smell, in which she caught sight of her brother, and frowned. "And there's the culprit! I would bet Ron's owl on it!"

George caught sight of Ginny, and then Live, and grinned at the Slytherin witch. She narrowed her eyes and turned away in the direction of the Slytherin dungeons.

"Oi! Wait a minute!" George called, trotting towards them with a frown.

"George did you do this? It's disgusting!" Ginny declared as her brother caught up to them.

"No, I didn't. Live, wait a minute."

"What?" she asked, looking at him impatiently, yet avoiding his eyes.

"Ginny, go play with your dolls or something…" George said offhandedly to the now quite-affronted youngest Weasley.

"I haven't had dolls in years, George! Unlike you, I've grown up."

"Well go play with something!" George snarked impatiently, glaring at her to leave.

"I guess I'll just go see what Seamus is up to, then…." Ginny said with a smirk to Live, who grinned a little back as George's face resembled something of alarm, frustration, impatience, and that annoying frown her brothers got whenever she revealed a new boyfriend.

"Ginny, I'm not in the mood for this. Go find Hermione for me."

"Why? She's probably in the library."

"Stop being a prat and go!"

Ginny snorted at him in derision and left, turning her wand on him as he turned his back. Live let out an amused snicker as George sprouted a curved, purple tail.

"Oh honestly…" he said, trying to get rid of the thing.

"I've gotta go," Live said, turning from him once more.

"Would you hold on a second! Crikey, woman, two-minutes isn't going to kill you." George quickly magicked away his tail with frustration and took Live by the arm.

"George, I'm serious. And it reeks."

He looked around at the remaining gawkers and sneered at them as he led her out of the Entrance Hall and down a corridor. All the while she muttered and complained at him.

"George, I'm already late…"

"Live, I want to talk to you. Seriously for a change."

"I told you, George, I'm not interested," she said in a broody tone, looking away.

"Live," he said, stopping her in the hall. She frowned at him, and he stared at her for a long moment in thought before she became uncomfortable through the silence.

"What? What what what?"

He looked momentarily sad, but any fraction left was replaced by a mocking smirk. "Just admiring your beauty my dear."

She sighed with the hopelessness of him. "I don't wanna do this anymore."

"Do what?" he smirked, but she looked away, eyes downcast, and he sighed. "Oh, come on Live. I'm not asking you for anything crazy or to test out some new Wheezes product- which, by the way, would be doing much better if that sister of yours wasn't trying to steal our business…" She smirked at that. "I want to know what makes you tick."

"The detonator for the bomb that's about to explode you," she responded with a smirk. He gave her a sideways grin and her own faded. "I have some things I need to take care of."

"Like…?"

"Like figuring out the whereabouts of a few items that have gone missing…" She glared at him, and he gave her a sheepish look. Yep, he still had her Sexpert license hidden somewhere. "Bye George."

"Well wait a minute!" he said, grabbing her arm and snatching her back to him. She didn't even fight him, but sent him an icy glare. "Don't I even get a good-bye kiss?"

"If it were poisonous I would bite you!" she declared, pushing against his chest.

He grinned, enjoying her tenacity. It was much preferable to seeing her miserable. "Oh really? Where?"

"Somewhere you won't enjoy!" she spat.

"I find that hard to believe." He grinned and gave her a quick kiss before ducking out of reach of her fists. "I would love to take up this conversation another time, my dearums! But unfortunately you seem to be in a hurry!"

She was in a hurry alright- a hurry to find her wand and curse the daylights out of him.

And knowing what she was groping for within her robes, George took off down the hall, a little more light-hearted, but mind still thinking on ways to get her to see the light of the situation. After all, it was better to make light of the situation than to let it get to them.

And it didn't hurt his ego one bit to have that Slytherin prick Putterly fuming over the fact that George had Live while he didn't.

sSs

Dinner was nothing unusual.

Although there wasn't much which one could call normal lately. Students were both sullen, gleeful, and quite furious over the ministry's decree. And more than one had sworn terrible vengeance, which was not taken lightly by the teachers. And try as he might to explain away worries, Dumbledore was quite lost as to what he could immediately do.

It had already been announced that all of Hogwarts previous rules still prevailed in light of this new decree, and that boys were to stay in their dormitories, just as were the girls (to many moans and laments of quite a few students) and that the Ministry's letters did not take precedence over school policy.

It made a few people happy to hear such news, but as Kara pointed out, it was only a temporary fix (at which point she salaciously winked at Lee, who quickly looked away in fear of having his bludgers cursed off).

Live was trying not to look over at the Gryffindor table while eating her soup. She didn't particularly like the way Kara and Lee were carrying on, whatever it was they were talking about, and George kept looking over at her when he thought she didn't see.

Quite bothered, Live reached for her wand beneath the table and sent a little curse in the direction of the Gryffindor table. Kara jumped, spilling her goblet all over the table with a sorrowful cry of "MY JUUUIICE!"

Live cleared her throat in getting her sister's attention, stared her down. Kara glared in return and whipped a bit of parchment out from her bag, scribbling something before folding it into a paper-airplane and launching it towards Live with rocket force, who snatched it from the air and shoved it into her pocket, too busy to answer Vivian's inquiries about it while she glared at her sister.

Quickly losing interest in the faces Kara was making (with added hand gestures), Live opened the note and read with some slight delight:

_You stupid lobster! You spilt my juice! _(To which effect there was a nasty little mad face)

_Have boosted our business by 100 percent. I'll tell you how later. _

_P.s. You owe me juice._

Live smirked, and gave her sister a toothy grin before letting herself become immersed in her food once more. Any distraction was a good one in her book, and increased profits made her happy.

A large barn owl landed at the Gryffindor table, knocking over someone's goblet ("MY JUUUUICEE!") and dropping a blood-red letter on the table before flying off with an indignant hoot.

"Uh-oh," Lee said with a look at the letter. "Who's that for?" He looked at Fred, and then George. "Better open it now."

George looked at the red letter with dread; Fred took it in his hand. "Howler? Um, here George, you open it."

"Not me, you open it!" The howler started smoking, and Fred ripped it open, trying to decide if he should run it out of the Great Hall rather than risk what it might shriek to the entire hall.

But he didn't think quick-enough.

"FRED AND GEORGE WEASLEY!" the envelope shrieked in Mrs. Weasley's voice. "HOW DARE YOU DO SOMETHING SO IRRESPONSIBLE! I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGRACED! GOING BEHIND YOUR FATHER'S AND MY BACK! NO CEREMONIES OR EVEN A LETTER! WE HAD TO FIND OUT FROM A COWORKER THAT OUR OWN SONS WERE MARRIED! I HAVE A RIGHT MIND TO SEND YOU STRAIGHT HOME! NOT EVEN SO MUCH AS A WARNING--!"

The highly affronted and livid voice of Mrs. Weasley continued to pour from the howler as Fred and George remained stiff and glued to their seats. George's face was as red as his hair; Fred's was growing more blanched by the second. Everyone at the Gryffindor table concluded the same assumption that many of them had experienced firsthand: Fred and George Weasley had also received their letters of marriage, and their parents had just found out the lovely news.

At the Slytherin table, Live was dying a slow and painful death, her good humor well dead, and quickly decided to make her exit of the Great Hall to go crawl in a hole somewhere and die from embarrassment. She flinched as she came near the howling voice of Mrs. Weasley.

"--WITHOUT ANY REGARDS TO THEM WHATSOEVER! IF YOU SO MUCH AS CAUSE A MINOR DISTURBANCE I'M SENDING YOU TO ST. MUNGOS AND THROWING AWAY THE KEY--!" Fred was pale as death, and George had somehow managed to be both flushed and blanched at once. Live quickened her pace as she passed them.

"--ONE MORE TOE OUT OF LINE--!" the voice shrieked as Live quickly strode past, repeating to herself that soon she would be safe in the dungeons, as good as any hole to die.

"Oh, and Live, dear, Welcome to the family," Mrs. Weasley's voice crooned as Live was stopped dead in her tracks behind Fred and George. The howler then burst into flames, the ashes collecting in a pile on the table. Live looked at George and he back at her. His blank expression attested nothing to just how horrific the whole ordeal was, and with a great look of panic, she rushed from the Great Hall and didn't stop until she was safe in her dorm under a pile of blankets.

sSs


	26. True Realizations

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 26: True Realization

sSs

The next day the castle was a buzz with chatter and noise, and for once it was not due to the events of the recent days passed (although that gossip was only put on hold temporarily).

It was a Hogsmeade weekend.

Kara, happy as ever, was eagerly counting every galleon, knut, and sickle that she had in her possession (not to mention what they'd made from recent sales, but of course, she didn't have to share _everything_ about the accounts with her frustrated sister). She pillaged every nook and cranny of her dorm room, Lee's dorm room ("What are you doing?! I'm _dressing_ here!"), the common room, and Hermione's knapsack ( "Kara, I told you, there's no sweets in there.") and searched every pocket of every piece of clothing she had.

Although she only turned up five sickles and a knut, she was much more pleased to find several pieces of muggle chewing gum, some fire imps, a stale chocolate frog who could only try to weakly crawl away, and a variety of candies that had mixed with the taffy in a pocket of her jeans that turned out to be a tasty treat indeed.

She had business to attend to today…mostly that of replenishing her own personal candy stocks, but today she was going to advertise a little…maybe give away pieces of muggle candy and the like with business cards. Or whatever. She'd think up something clever when the time called for it. Although Hermione had been warning her about the trials and chances of business, not including Ministry laws and advisos, Kara was far too in-depth already in her candy-considerations. Even though she knew she should probably let Live know what was going on, or how she was planning to somehow exploit their business for the better, she knew the elder witch had far too much on her plate…and would heavily object to the recent business decision she'd made in relation to their candy monopoly.

In a word, Live would be quite pissed off.

But in consideration of the events of most recent past, Live was actually in happy spirits today. Not only was it a Hogsmeade weekend in which she could finally try out the little potion she'd had a hard-time developing, but she was planning on getting drunk off her ass as soon as possible for as long as time would permit. Especially after having the whole of Hogwarts told of her consequential binding to George last night during dinner in the Great Hall. She was a happy person when drunk- easily said the happiest drunk in the world- and nothing hit the spot like a shot of Ogden's Fire Whiskey after a few bottles of Madam Rosmerta's butterbeer, her stock usually being of finer quality and stronger power.

And anyways, Live was absolutely giddy for the chance to try out her potion on either Fred or George as she could think o no more perfect lab rats. And if it worked- really worked- then she might even have herself a chance at getting a scholarship of some kind for a potions mastery program after graduation.

"Good morning ladies!" she said chipperly to Vivian and Rebecca, coming out of the bathroom with a towel on her head.

"What are you so happy about suddenly?" Vivian inquired while pulling on a stocking. "Prolly cuz I let you sleep in extra late…"

"Yeah, we thought you'd up and did yourself in last night after dinner in the Great Hall. Malfoy even started a rumor that you'd jumped off the astronomy tower after you'd left," Rebecca intoned, smirking as she curled her hair with her wand.

"And of course you were the first to check out the truth of said rumor, weren't you?" Live asked in a sweet voice, turning her smile to a wicked mock-frown as she crossed her arms over her towel-clad chest for emphasis. In all honesty, she was glad her friends hadn't disturbed her peace and solitude beneath the blankets when they'd gotten in last night, and had taken great care so as not to wake her this morning. Lord only knew how a person was after a near mental-breakdown.

Rebecca snorted. "My darling Live, we were positively shaking while attempting to enjoy the last of meals before we came to look after you," Rebecca declared in a tone of false concern. She smirked at Live, who stuck out her tongue.

"Live, we knew you wouldn't go and jump off that tall tower until you'd had at _least_ one tumble between the sheets with George Weasley," Vivian noted as if she were discussing the weather. Live's eyes widened, mouth agape. "You have better sense than to leave this good green earth before enjoying _that_ treat." Vivian winked and licked her lips salaciously as Live's face reddened and she made little noises of shock.

"Guh!" Live sputtered in terrific horror, looking at a pillow and- wishing it would collide with her dear friend Vivian's face- watched as the girl was smacked once by the useful item before it flopped down at Vivian's side.

"Hey!" Vivian shouted, grabbing the pillow and sitting on it before flinging her hair out of her face and fixing it behind her ears. She held a smaller pillow between her legs, ready to launch a counter-attack.

"Actually, that was pretty cool," Rebecca said, smirking as Vivian shot her a look. "What? It _was_."

Live snickered, the red in her face slowly leaving as she giggled. "Piss me off more often, Viv. I like using having to use wandless magic." She smirked at her friend in a dark manner.

"It would figure it works when you're pissed off," Rebecca said with a snort of laughter.

"Oh sod you, Live." Vivian stuck out her tongue and indeed crossed her own arms.

"Ah, Vivvie, I'm sorry!" Live declared, coming up and wrapping her still-wet arms around her friend in a purposely moist hug to further agitate.

"GAH! Get off! _My clothes_--!" Vivian shrieked as they laughed. Rebecca started pelting them with pillows- the muggle way. Live threw the towel from her head in retaliation, the sopping thing catching Rebecca in the face with a thud as the girl screeched. Ten minutes later they were all in a pile giggling and smirking, and talking about all the neat things and purchases they would make in Hogsmeade, the shops just begging their patronage. And the bars. Oh yes, there wasn't a bar Live was going to stay out of today. Even the Hog's Head would see her purchasing a few bottles or so…

"Well as much as I do enjoy sitting here half-naked among my most _dearest_, _devoted_ friends," Live started, putting a disgusting amount of sweetness into those words as Vivian and Rebecca pretended to gag, "I think I'm gonna get dressed and catch up to you losers later." She grinned and quickly darted back into their bathroom for safety as several pillows made it her way, the last one following her into the bathroom as she shrieked for Vivian to call the accursed thing off.

"Think she's had enough?" Vivian asked, an evil grin marring her usually pleasant face as Live screeched for mercy. Rebecca laughed.

"Two more minutes."

sSs

Kara was tapping her foot impatiently while standing in the entryway of the castle. She promised Live she'd wait for her, but if the blond witch didn't make an appearance soon, Kara was going to spay Kitty-Nimbles.

"RARR!" Live shouted as she came up behind her younger sister.

"Dork," Kara remarked, looking at her timepiece. "And just what the hell took you so long?"

"I decided to claw-up a few items in your Gryffindor Dorm on the way out," Live teased with relish. Kara's eyes went wide, and then she frowned at her sister, waiting. "I was having a pillow-fight with the girls."

"Oh, well _that's_ a wonderful excuse!" Kara exclaimed with a big gesture. "And here we are wasting several precious minutes that could be used for doing candy research and acquisition in Hogsmeade!"

Live only smirked, amused. If there was anything Kara actually took seriously in this world, it was candy, and Lord forbid with her sugar-genius and mind, Live was not one to upset her now.

"I promise I'll give you a show like one you've never seen before when we get there. Alright then?" Live gestured with appeasement.

"Spare me your stultifying tales! I want action! I _demand_ action!"

Live raised a brow at Kara, leaning a bit away from her as if she had some sort of disease. "Stultifying, eh? I didn't know you knew that word." Kara furrowed her brow in obvious resentment. "Word-of-the-day Toilet-Paper?"

Kara frowned indignantly, but then shrugged and nodded her head. "But come on, let's give Filch our papers and get out of here already!"

"Not without me!" a shout came from the castle doors. A little tremor went up Live's spine, and she squeezed her eyes together, hoping she'd finally gone crazy. "'allo my gorgeous twinkle-muffin!" George greeted amiably. "Oh, and hello Kara."

"Twinkle-muffin?" Kara cried out, even she taken aback by this weird endearment; one which only George could come up with.

Live already had her hand to her brow, a frustrated growl growing in her throat. "Don't test me, George. Any day but today…" And the day had started out so well; she'd even been quite distracted from the thoughts of last night's embarrassment and from all other confusing thoughts about him.

"You say that so often it's lost all threat," he stated with a haughty smirk.

"Bugger off, George," Live growled, avoiding his eyes.

"Sorry my dear, but I've already resigned myself to the fact that you're stuck with me whether you like it or not, and I've decided to court you in the proper manner of our forefathers…" She met his eyes and looked at him like he was nuts. Quite nuts. He grinned, encouraged. "So how many children do you want?"

She let out an exasperated noise and threw her arms up in sheer inanity, marching away from him to Filch so she could begin her drunken descent into madness.

"Where's your evil twin brother?" Kara asked with a grin, momentarily side-tracked by the thought of having little nieces and nephews running about…not for the child-labor aspects, of course. She didn't think _that_ much like her Slytherin sister…

"Oh, I suspect he and Kelena are off doing the naughty somewhere…" He grinned as Kara gaped. "Ha, Fred's already in Hogsmeade, and Kelena…well I'm not honestly sure, to tell you the truth…Probably off doing the naughty with Fred in Hogsmeade."

"Hmm," Kara thought with a nod of pure understanding, accepting of his answer in entirety. "And now- TO HONEYDUKES!" she commanded. George smirked and followed after her, catching her irate sister looking glances back, slowing her walk as she was waiting for Kara to catch up. And make it quick, please.

"Hold it, there! Just where do you think you're going?" A hard hand clasped itself on George's shoulder, accompanied by an old and forever-agitated voice, and a smell he'd swear was reminiscent of cat.

"Hogsmeade, Mr. Filch," George stated with all the assertion of the Minister of Magic himself.

"Ah, don't think you can pull the wool over my eyes, Weasley," he said, flopping the hand full of permission forms about with authority. "Professor McGonagall says you're stayin' behind on account of puttin' Mr. Putterly in the hospital wing yesterday," he declared, relishing in the chance to make life difficult for yet another Gryffindor, and a Weasley on top of that.

George sighed. He'd been through this already with McGonagall. He'd _found _Putterly covered in goo and burns in the Great Hall. As much as he denied his guilt, and wished he could actually take credit for what had happened to that rueful jerk, he actually had nothing to do with it. Just a case of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. It wasn't his fault the git had more enemies than he did hairs on his head. Hell, maybe the git did it to himself. Putterly was Slytherin, after all, and therefore certifiably nuts. And besides, he might as well smell as bad as he looked.

George smirked in thought. He really wished he could thank the person who'd done it.

"I think Professor McGonagall was mistaken, sir," George said with a genuine grin, smiling into the old frowning face of Filch. The man glowered. "That would be my brother who's go to stay. Ol' George, not me. I'm _Fred_ Weasley. Fred."

"Don't think you can fool me. I've already got your brother's permission form right here."

"But I swear! _I'm_ Fred!" George feigned true outrage. "That crook George took my place! Let me go and fetch him for you!" George tried walking past Filch, who grabbed him by the scruff of his collar.

"Up with you, Weasley. Back to the castle."

George sighed, shrugging. It wasn't worth the fight, but at least he'd confused the old caretaker. He looked back to see Kara waiting with a grin on her face, obviously pleased with the scene he'd created, and Live further down the road frowning, arms crossed as she watched her sister. He waved her off, and headed back towards the castle, hearing Live's holler for her sister to "Hurry the bloody hell up!"

But that was okay. He didn't bear Filch any ill will. As the old saying goes, there's more than way to skin a cat.

sSs

"Oooh! And these! And these! And I must get some of _these_!" Kara shrieked happily, grabbing boxes and baggies off shelves in Honeydukes like it was a seventy-five percent off sale. Live knew the dentist was going to have a positive fit this year.

"Kara, as much as I love candy, I think you're overdo-"

"And these and these and--OH OH! THESE!" she shrieked happily, lifting up a rather large box of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans.

"You haven't got enough for all that. Put it back." Live looked sternly at her sister, albeit she was indeed amused. This candy hysteria had gone straight to her sister's brain, and it had been a long summer without anything from Honeydukes.

Kara smiled at Live, a big, toothy grin, showing off both sets of teeth as she crooked her head to one side. Live's frown turned to a disapproving look, and she turned away from her sister's beseeching display. "No!"

Kara was back in front of her before she could say 'jelly-slug', with that damnable, hopeful grin on her face. "No, Kara. That's not gonna work this time!" In turn, Kara got to her toes and leaned up to her sister's face with that bloody hopeful grin, batting her eyes and staring at her sister lovingly. She knew Live responded very well to appeals of affection.

"Dammit Kara!" Live exclaimed, drawing startled looks from some younger patrons dipping into the Ice Mice. Kara pouted, still batting her eyes, putting on her saddest, most beseeching face, knowing what kind of mark her sister was and just how to manipulate her. Live harrumphed and dipped into her robe pocket, handing her sister a galleon.

Kara grinned successfully and nuzzled her sister. "Thank _yoooooou_," she said sweetly, bouncing away to pick a few more items before getting in the queue to pay.

"I expect change!" Live threatened as Kara smiled. "And a receipt!" Live frowned as Kara grinned more heartily. "Meet me outside when you're done, then."

Gladly relieving herself of the mess of people inside the store, Live leaned against the wall of the shop. It wasn't that she didn't like shopping. Quite the opposite. She was the Queen. But she hated waiting around once she'd gotten what she wanted (for example, the pocket full of chocolate-covered honeycomb and Drooble's Best Blowing Gum). She was goal-oriented, really intended to shop till she dropped.

She didn't even mind giving into Kara. As a matter of fact, she secretly enjoyed it. She loved making those she loved happy. But of course, she had an image to maintain, and if she was to be every inch the Slytherin bad-ass she was made out to be, she'd have to at least act as if she didn't care.

And then as consequence, she had a credit at The Bank of Kara.

"Live! There you are! We've been looking everywhere!" Vivian shouted from across the way.

Live smirked with a look at their laden persons. "Oh, I can tell! Just look at your lack of shopping bags! You must have been too positively worried to get a thing!" she said sarcastically, pointing to her friend's arm, which was quite laden with parcels.

Vivian blushed. "Um…They are…uh….proof! Proof of how many shops I checked for you in!"

"Nice save, Viv," Rebecca said mockingly.

"Thanks." Vivian smiled, taking her sarcastic remark as a compliment as Live grasped them both around the shoulders.

"So?" the blonde said, looking at her friends expectantly.

"Soooo….?" Rebecca responded.

"Well, we gonna get piss-ass drunk or what?" Live questioned cheerily. Her Slytherins in arms grinned. Live looked through the glass of Honeydukes to see if she could spot Kara, and sure enough, the young Gryffindor was already well into a box of Ice Mice.

"Kara!" Live shouted, trying to get her attention over the masses of Hogwarts students within the shop. She waved her arms about to get the girl's attention.

Kara turned and smiled at Live with her chattering teeth. The Slytherin witch made a drinky-drinky motion with her pinky and thumb, and grinned. Kara rolled her eyes and pretended to stumble around drunk in line, mimicking her sloppy-drunk of a sister. It didn't please the seventh years she stumbled into behind her.

"Okay, let's go. Kara can take care of herself." Vivian looked at Live speculatively. Live rolled her eyes. "She doesn't have any more money for candy. But she'll entertain herself. I think she'll be in a sugar coma by the time we have to go back to the castle."

"Sounds good!" Rebecca motioned. "I'm just _dying_ for some of Madam Rosmerta's butterbeer."

"And some Fire Whiskey," Viv intoned.

"I'll buy," Live declared happily. "Girls, I expect to get completely hammered off my ass. So flat out pissed, as a matter of fact, that I probably wouldn't object to either one of you nicking my wallet." They looked at one another guiltily, smug grins on their faces of a fun time last term. "So I think I'll save us all some grief and buy us all rounds…"

Vivian put her hand to Live's forehead. "Are you ill?"

"You're questioning free rounds?" Live scoffed with incredulity.

"She's doing no such thing!" Rebecca declared as she covered Vivian's mouth with both her hands.

Live smirked. "This is going to be an experiment to finally see what my limit is before I lose my drunken mind."

"Gonna try to drink those fellows in the bar under the table?" Rebecca wiggled her eyebrows in a suggestive manner, but Live only laughed.

"For one day, I want to not have the idea of marriage, George, or even my own identity in my head. I really, _really_ want this…Besides, you can place bets on me with the others in the bar. We all know no one can out-drunk me." Live grinned wickedly. "And you could use the funds."

"Well sure!" Vivian agreed emphatically, having freed herself from Rebecca's grasp.

"Yeah, no problem. As long as you buy us Ms. ButterShot butterscotch scotch-shots." Rebecca frowned. "They really ought to change that name. How the hell are the drunks supposed to say that?" The girls grinned.

"Ladies, I will buy you whatever you want. Today is fun-fun time." Live smiled smugly. "But until the time comes to surrender my wallet and livelihood," she gave her friends a look-over, "I have a bit of shopping to do. I need a new quill, more supplies for potions class, a blank book, and a few other things. Office supplies, really."

"We've already been. Becca decided she needed pink-tinted rose-scented parchment so she could send love notes taa fmmphrgguggahhm!" Rebecca clasped a hand over Vivian's mouth.

"We'll see you in the Three Broomsticks, yeah?" the aforementioned girl decided, dragging her friend by the head in the direction of the bar.

"Okay, see you there. Don't get too knackered without me." She waved to the girls, Becca dragging Vivian through the street, chastising her the whole way.

sSs

"That color would look terrible on you."

Live turned around from her examination of a rack of hats, ready to tell off some no-good busybody. And sure enough, she came face-to-face with Ginny. She put her hands on her hips.

"Why, I was gonna buy it for _you_, Ginny darling," Live offered sweetly. Ginny frowned. "What's up, Gin?"

"Coming to see what damage you've wreaked upon my quite-deserving brothers." She said the last part concisely, as if it was a matter of fact.

Live took out a little bottle from her robes which appeared to contain perfume. "Actually, I've been graced to have not seen them. Well, Fred at least."

"Oh, I caught him and Kelena coming back from the shrieking shack. I don't _even_ want to know." Ginny rolled her eyes and Live smirked.

"George is stuck at the castle at least."

"Hello my love!"

She felt arms suddenly go around her waist and embrace her tightly from behind. She turned around with a frown, trying to elbow the offender.

Ginny's eyes were wide. "Well speak of the devil."

"What the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be on restriction at Hogwarts!" Live huffed and tried to wiggle her way out of his grasp, but only managed to face him further. She frowned at his grinning face. "Let me go."

He smirked at her, looking into her eyes and making her nervous. He held her tighter, then released her. "No harm done." He flashed her his most charming grin.

"Do I have to get a restraining order?" she threatened. She didn't wait for his grinning answer. "Wait, I don't have to take this! I'm leaving," she declared in sudden realization, leaving the lovely little clothing store in a blonde flurry.

"Well now where's she going?" he asked, looking at Ginny who only shook her head in exasperation.

"George I wouldn't cross her today. She might-"

"Curse the bollocks off me? Smack me around a bit? Throw a fit?" he supplied, grinning ear to ear.

Ginny thought for a moment while examining a purple-iridescent hat. "She might."

"Well that's too bad. She's gonna have to learn to make this marriage work." George grinned at his little sister. "She's your sister in law, get her used to that."

"I'll do no such thing," Ginny stated, looking at her brother in thought. He was already headed out the door. "George!"

"Yes my dear little sister?"

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

He smirked, and was after Live in a literal flash, catching sight of her and apparating through the massive crowd of people. Otherwise she might've actually had a chance to get away.

"'allo!"

"AH!" Live shrieked, dropping her bags of supplies and watching a pheasant-feather quill and several bottles drop to the ground with loud clinks. She was thankful she'd paid the extra two knuts for non-breakable glass.

"Oops! My fault!" George affirmed, bending to pick up the items and scoop them into her paper satchels.

"I got it," she said, bending over and taking the satchels from his hand. He grinned, and she crossed her arms indignantly. "What?"

He grinned with a mischievous glint in his eye. "What do you mean 'what'? Can't I just enjoy time with my little wife?"

She huffed and threw her arms into the air, walking away from him as he trotted up to her side. "I am NOT your wife George!"

"Mum seems to think so…" he replied, causing her face to go instantly red at the memory of the Howler in the Great Hall. He smiled, and tried to take her bag for her. "What? I'm not trying to knick your- essence of dryad?" he read, picking out a bottle and furrowing his brow. "What in the world do you need dryad essence for?"

"It's for my wand," she said with annoyance, taking the bottle.

He quirked an eyebrow at her. "_Dryad _essence? You should be polishing that thing with a wand care kit. Dragon oil, or Bootman's Best Polish. That's what Ron uses on his broom at least. Keeps the wood in good condition."

"It's a trick I learned," she explained, happy to actually have an intelligent conversation with him that turned away from the unpleasantries between them. She took out her wand to show him, and let him examine it's sheen as she explained. "I have to turn that stuff into an oil of course, but it keeps my wand in extra good shape and at maximum power. See how shiny it is? Might even make it more powerful." She shrugged, not really sure if the latter was true, but _she_ thought so.

"Mind making me some of that? Never can have a too-powerful wand. Not that mine isn't already _ver_y powerful." He smirked and wiggled his eyebrows in a shameless manner. She only rolled her eyes at his weak innuendo, taking her wand and re-pocketing it.

"George, I highly doubt your wand is as minutely powerful as you claim it to be." She raised an eyebrow, teasing him, and the affronted look on his face showed her that it did not go wasted. She smirked. "Besides, it would only work on specific wands. Mine has essence of dryad hair in it, so it's really very wonderful. They must be compatible."

"Ah." He grinned. He was quite positive that this was the longest they'd gone on with a normal conversation. He simply couldn't allow it any more. "And what else have you got in there? Naughty lingerie? Scented candles? Bubble bath?" he asked without having to feign excitement, peering into her bags.

She spritzed him in response with her little perfume bottle, getting him square in the chest, covering the front of his robe. "Oh, you know, the usual. Mace, pepper-spray, you know, whatever it is we girls are buying these days for incorrigible boys." She smiled at him prettily, and he sniffed the front of his robe experimentally.

"I'd take that stuff back, Live. Not only is it scentless, but my eyes are perfectly fine," he said with a smug grin, hands on hips as if in triumph, blinking to prove it.

She smirked right back at him, taking a step towards him. "Oh, it wasn't really pepper spray. It was crotch-reducer!" she sang, spritzing his trousers as he jumped back.

"AH! Woman! If that stuff works, so help me Godric--!" he threatened, looking at the front of his pants ruefully. She only giggled. This was the most fun she'd had with George in a while.

He tugged his pants away from his waist to peer in as she gasped in shocked delight. He took this quite seriously.

"Well there's no shrinkage," he reported, peering about in thorough inspection down his pants. "It doesn't work."

She laughed with true mirth. "Ha, guess you can't shrink what's already damnably small."

He gave her a truly offended frown, and she couldn't help but try to wipe the grin off her own face. He looked again in his trousers with extra speculation, seeming as if he might tell her off, but grinned at her instead.

"I can prove you wrong, care to take a peek?" he asked audaciously, a wolfish smirk on his face. She looked scandalized. He smirked and removed his hands from his pants, rescinding the offer for which she was grateful. "You'll be thankful some day that you didn't do any damage," he told her with an inside grin, inspecting the front of his trousers, "but now it looks like I've gone and wet myself."

Live was beside herself with laughter, and had to put her bags down to cover her loud guffaws. George, although not quite amused with his damp crotch-area, was quite pleased to see her laughing. It was a sight he'd gone without for a while, and it made him happy to see her happy, even if it was at his expense.

"Yes yes, very amusing," he stated, watching her holding her side and wiping tears from her eyes, only to giggle more at viewing him and replaying his words in her head.

"Wait- wait!" she snickered, motioning him away from her. "I can't look at you. Just- stay there!" she laughed, turning away from him in sheer delight, letting go in a stream of laughter all the frustration and anxiety that had been building up in her since the train ride to Hogwarts.

She peered behind her to see him with an exasperated look on his face, a gleam to his eyes that showed he thought it was just as funny, and then the damp spot on his crotch.

She busted up once again, having to lean against a wall, holding herself laughing, to keep from falling over. She couldn't wait to tell Vivian and Rebecca.

"You know, people _do_ die from laughing," George commented, standing next to her as she giggled and snickered away, trying to control it. "Mum told us about a man in St. Mungos that read the funniest joke in the world and died laughing. He was only thirty-seven."

Live snickered even more, random images floating through her mind of a deadly joke. She let out a loud peal of boisterous laughter, laughing even more. George patted her on the back as if she had the hiccups. Ha, as if it would really help after that disappointed look on his face after seeing the spot.

More laughter.

"Come on, laughing at a man's crotch? You should be ashamed of yourself, Live," he chastised with a grin on his face as she began to snicker even worse. "It terrible, even for you."

"Ha-I'm okay….hee hee hee! I swear!" she snickered to herself, trying to catch a large breath (which incidentally only gave fuel to her fire) yet still attempting to calm herself down. Several giggles released from her as she stood upright against the building, still laughing when she looked him in the face.

He stood very near to her, right in front of her, and put his hands on her shoulders. "And are we quite recovered?" She giggled in response, eyes darting back to his pants, and then began laughing some more. He sighed, knowing a cure to her giggles, and a bonus for him. "If you don't stop laughing about my crotch I'm going to have to take you back to the castle, show you just how much man I am, strip you and love you till graduation. _Your_ graduation."

Her giggles started to subside, and her face turned a shade of pink as he looked her deep in the eyes, more serious than playful, stroking the side of her face with his thumb. She half-smiled, a million and one ideas and smart-ass remarks running wild through her mind- like just how true the stripping part might be if her potion actually worked…And just how rewarding it might actually be to let him carry out with his threat. She was so utterly confused where he was considered.

He cupped the side of her face and kissed her, pressing his lips to hers gently before she could think of a smart remark. She was surprised by the sudden flame he ignited in her by that touch, and by how much her traitorous lips had actually missed his own, happy and compliant with his mouth. He massaged her lips open with his own, snaking an arm around her waist and pulling her closer to him, tasting her as she sighed and wrapped her own arms around him, completely lost in the moment. She wrapped a leg around his own, pulling him closer to her, wanting all and none of him at the same time.

He whispered to her, sweet things, things he surprised himself in actually meaning, promised her he'd give her the world. And he meant it. Lord only knew Lee was right. He wasn't just trying to constantly tease and bother her. He _did_ flat-out fancy her. He fancied the daylights out of her. And he was sure she fancied him as well. She just didn't know it yet. Why, the whole 'problem' that had occurred with the panty-raid could indeed be just the thing she needed to wake up and smell the butterbeer.

And then he made the mistake of mentioning the issue out loud.

She was jarred from her sensual musings; her senses far overloaded with him, but suddenly tamed as if he'd poured on frigid water.

He looked at her blankly, realizing his error, and she frowned at him, mixed feelings running through her that she didn't like.

"Hey young man, take it out of the street and back to the inn!" an old wizard barked from beneath his heavy coat, walking with help of cane. George just grinned at the old man's suggestion; Live turned the shade of his flaming hair in embarrassment.

"Let me go," she told him calmly, disentangling herself from him in turn.

"Live, come on, don't be like that." His brow was furrowed, obviously upset at himself that he'd ruined the moment. Damn it. If he could only make her see reason.

"Don't be like what?" she asked in venomous tone, keeping her voice only loud enough for his ears. "I'm not some whore you can hook up with whenever you feel like it."

One, she was embarrassed to her toes. Two, she was hurt. She didn't know quite why, but she was. She felt like she was _becoming _the vicious rumors that had been spread about her. And she didn't like the fact that he had to have brought up the whole dumb marriage issue that flat-out bothered her. Three, she was frustrated with the whole situation. And four, her very serious consideration of consolidating herself with a nunnery quite upset her indeed.

"For the love of Godric, Live, you know I don't think that," he stated firmly, still holding her in his arms and looking down at her in hopes that she'd see his truthfulness.

"You can't force me into marriage like some concubine. I will not be your wife, George." She said the words purposefully, meaning to hurt him, drive him from her. And they did hurt him, she could see it in his eyes. But he used that, and smirked at her smugly, regardless of however upset she had really made him. He was more determined than he'd ever been.

"So you're saying my kisses repulse you, then?" he asked, smiling mischievously, but needing her negation of the statement more than he realized. "I'd give you the world, Live."

"I don't want to play around anymore, George. I'm tired already. I'm going to go clinically insane." She wasn't smiling when she said it, and he knew she meant it. There wasn't yet a person who could break her, but driving her insane was another issue entirely.

He moved his head closer to hers, and she shied away, expecting him to kiss her, he realized. It hurt his pride that she did that, as well as something else inside. Well, just a bit. He put his forehead against her own, but she wouldn't meet his eyes. "Look at me, Live." She met his gaze briefly, then held his determined eyes as he stared into her own cold green ones, seeing his reflection. He cocked his head just slightly, touching his nose to hers in an affectionate manner. He realized he'd been going about this all wrong since day one. And it was time he actually took the proper steps. He took it as a good sign that she was at least not fighting him, and he seemed to have her attention.

"Be my girlfriend, Live."

She immediately frowned in slight confusion, her anger ebbing and dying. "What?"

"I'm not telling you that you are my wife, and I'm not asking you to be my wife. I want you as my girlfriend, my friend before anything." He held her gaze intensely, watching her train of thought from the window of her eyes as she clearly tried to break down what he'd said. He knew he'd suddenly confused her. Hell, she confused him all the more. But he knew, or better yet finally realized, that he had to at least give her a choice in the matter. That's what the ministry had never done, and that's what he realized he'd never done, and it wasn't at all fair to her. Even if she chose the opposite, it wouldn't deter him in his affections for her.

"George…we've been over this," she started, looking about in thought, grasping at threads, then meeting his eyes yet again in utmost seriousness. "It's not a good idea."

"Surely you don't think I'm ugly?" he jested, grinning as she half-smiled at his statement. "I'm obviously so good looking that the almighty powers decided I should have a double, after all…"

"_George_," she warned in disagreement with his ugly-theory, nearly amused by his words. But she'd readily cut out her own tongue before telling him how attractive she actually found him. It wasn't that she didn't like him. It was just all too hard and too much effort. It was the fact that she'd been betrayed and hurt by the ones she'd trusted more times than she cared to count, and she didn't want to take a chance that it would happen again, and to her heart. And besides, who in Slytherin wouldn't look down upon her happy joining with a Gryffindor? Who wouldn't try to break them up? She was trying to save them from what would be a very mean situation indeed.

George had a look of deep thought on his face, but then sighed. "Then it must be I'm a terrible kisser…although I know at least one happy lady who's likely to agree with me." He winked conspicuously.

"_Who_?" she demanded suddenly without thinking, roused from her thoughts with sudden jealousy.

He raised his eyebrows in genuine shock at her reaction, and saw the realization on her face that he meant her, and her face turned red. She looked at him like he was an idiot, although she certainly felt one herself.

"_George_," she warned. "Stop while you're ahead."

He smirked, a sly glint coming to his eye. "Make me," he taunted, looking her in the eyes with a smile. She shoved at him with a frowning grin, but he didn't budge. "Gonna have to do better than that to get rid of me, my dear."

She reached inside her robes and retrieved her wand. She smiled a close-mouthed smile, looking at him wickedly.

"Well that's not fair," he stated, although he grinned in amusement. "Gonna curse the bollocks off me?" he ventured wickedly.

"It just so happens I know a spell-- _castra_--" she started.

He quickly apparated around the corner, peeking his head around to look at her as she'd gone silent, not taking any chances with his most prized possession. When he saw her, she was grinning ear-to-ear, more pleased than he thought he'd ever seen her. Maybe he was making a mistake. Her mood swings seemed worse than his.

"Missing something?" she questioned, pure, unadulterated mirth in her voice as she held up his school robes in her hand. He frowned and walked around the corner, taking them from her. She looked at his pants expectedly, but slightly frowned.

"How in the--?" He looked at her for an explanation, then looked sheepish. "That's what happens when you apparate when scared…er, taken off your guard," he explained away, although she was quite beside herself with joy. Her potion worked! Although he took it quite another way…

"This excited just by my robe-stripping? Boy are we in for some fun…" he assured her with a smug grin as he put his arms through his robes and put them back on. She frowned, and aimed her wand at him. "What? Want me to keep going?" he looked absolutely thrilled, a look of pure mischief on his face.

She smirked. "And get you arrested for public nudity?" she questioned, but didn't provide herself an answer. Right now, she wasn't sure what the hell she wanted.

"How about private nudity?" he wiggled his eyebrows and winked at her, half-serious and half-playing. She frowned and pointed her wand at him, opening her mouth to curse him with jelly-legs as he quickly apparated out of her way yet again, playing right into her hand.

She openly gaped and gasped when he re-appeared in the middle of the street, not only robe-less, but pant-less, the two offending items within her reach, lying at her feet. She picked them up as she heard his screech of outrage, and looked up in time to see him fumbling around in shock at being stuck in his skivvies, locking eyes on her and apparating with a pop away from the prying eyes of snickering, shocked classmates. He was right back to her, grabbing his robes and pants and quickly covering his red Gryffindor boxers, while grumbling and muttering quite angrily. She snickered, and it caught his attention.

"You're responsible for this, aren't you?" he asked indignantly, approaching her and brandishing his pants-clenched fist at her, the rest of him hiding beneath his robes. She only barely tried to contain her sheer joy.

Not only did her potion keep his robes and pants from apparating, but the robes didn't apparate twice! Although she didn't know what it meant, especially since his pants had apparated _with _him the first time, she did know that her potion had seriously, really, truly worked!

She giggled and bounced happily, grinning full-faced at him.

"How'd you do it?!" he demanded quite heatedly, glaring at passer-bys who had seen the little scene and were now watching him with a piqued interest. He openly growled at them, and they continued on their way.

"I didn't do a thing!" she declared. "I cast no spell, I didn't do anything! Must be your faulty apparating skills." She said this all through a most happily-high pitched tone, pure amusement gushing from her words even though she was trying to hide it.

"I know you did it!" George declared, coming closer to her, trying to be menacing. And if she wasn't so pleased with herself, she would have seen he was quite serious, and that she'd once again awakened what she deemed as his Slytherin side.

But for now, she was on an endorphin-high.

She grabbed him by the shoulders excitedly. "It worked!" she shrieked, jumping up and down while grabbing him, unable to contain herself any longer. "It worked! It actually worked!" She was clearly freaking him out, and slightly angering him as he was one-hundred percent sure she was responsible for his involuntary display of his house-spirit boxers. "Ohmigod it actually worked!" She grasped his head with her hands and kissed him square on the lips she was so excited. She kissed him heatedly, wantonly even, fervent in her sheer excitement and zealous joy. She let him go and grinned right into his face as he looked at her like she was crazy.

She bolted down the street, forgetting her packages and shrieking "It worked!" to the whole world as she went straight for her friends to spill her news.

George just gaped, completely dumbfounded by her behavior (although one could say he was more than pleased that she'd kissed him for once), and quickly pulled his legs through his pants and grabbed her packages. He caught sight of her and apparated a little in front of her to catch her. He noticed he was absent both his pants and robes, and screeched once more, dropping her parcels (she'd find them, or trip on them in her happy mad-dash) and apparated back to where he'd been, finding both his pants and robes lying there on the ground. He covered himself quickly, still hearing her echoed shrieks of "It WORKED!" as he pulled on his pants with a frown.

He immediately thought that maybe he should've stayed in the castle today…

sSs

"I'm such a genius!" Live declared a little too loudly in the Three Broomsticks. She'd confided everything to Vivian and Rebecca as soon as she'd entered, and from then on every Slytherin in the place had been supplying round after round on account of the great prank Live had done on one of Gryffindor's star pranksters.

She was quite drunk, on both victory in her potion, and the never-ending supply of booze. Although she was still beating many of the patrons at their own games, and Becca had already made a hefty profit of her friend's alcohol tolerance.

"Oh yeah? I'll bet _I_ can recite the whooooole alphabet backwards," one particular drunkard challenged.

Live was very drunk, but not that drunk. "Okay, but I shall do it upside down!" she declared, hanging herself off her chair in a sloppy manner. "Upsy-daisy!" she said happily, and belted off the entire alphabet backwards, while the guy in question only got to "Z, Y, X, W, V, W, Q…"

"I'm gonna buy you a nice hat," Becca declared after counting her money.

"Rebecca…?" Live questioned in a purposely-loud whisper.

"What?" Becca asked back.

"Guess what? I _LOVE _you! So much!" Live declared, throwing her arms around her friend and grinning.

"No, I love _YOU_!" Becca said back.

"_I_ love SCOTCH!" Vivian declared quite affirmatively as they all giggled. She stole the drink of the guy next to her, some Slytherin seventh year, drinking it down as he frowned and then smiled, ordering another round as he gave her a wink.

Live smiled smugly. "Good thing no teachers in here yet," she said, nodding her head decidedly.

Vivian gasped. "Live! Live! There's a teacher!" she said in a worried, child-like voice. She pointed at the doorway as a man all in black came in, followed by a woman with a stern face and another large man in buckskin.

Live put a hand over her mouth. "Ohmigosh! It's Professor Snape! And Prossfer-Professor McDonagald! And Hagrid!" Live said sloppily, giggling at her own mistakes. She knew she was really wasted.

"Okay, just act like you're not drunk," Vivian said stately, and the table of Slytherins all sat straight and quiet. Then they started grinning, and one by one they broke into snickers.

"Shh!" Live said, putting a finger to Becca's mouth, and covering that of the guy her friend was next to. "Shh!" They only laughed more. "We gotta get out of here! Let's go hide! Follow me!" she whispered loudly, getting up from the table (fumbling, more like it) and concentrating as hard as she could, walking straight towards the professors and out the door, even nodding her head in polite acknowledgement, though she knew she was weaving, at least a little bit, and she found the whole situation ridiculously hilarious.

When she got outside, she grinned and bust into little peals of laughter, rushing towards the Hog's Head inn, taking a quick shortcut down an alleyway, loving the feeling of running while drunk. She felt light, fast, and positively happy. She didn't stop until she got to the inn door, and then she realized none of the others had followed her.

She frowned and went inside anyway, ordering herself up a double Fire Whiskey and butterbeer to chase it. She grinned as she saw familiar faces which raised their glasses to her in obvious reverence, grinning and making light jokes of George Weasley's less-than-proper streaking.

She caught sight of Putterly, frowned, and then grinned as he came over to her, covered in small bandages. "What the hell happened to you, Jason?" she giggled as she looked him over. She picked up his wrist with pointer finger and thumb, and let his arm fall back to his side. "Get in a fight with a blast-ended skrewt?"

"Didn't you hear? Weasley did it," he said with dangerous undertone, taking a seat next to her. "Although I hear you got him back." He grinned a lovely smile and patted her on the back.

"Ha, damn right!" she agreed, swallowing down her shot and taking a swig of butterbeer as thoughts of a pant-less George caroused through her mind. "He didn't really, though, I think," she told Putterly with a serious expression, only to laugh yet again. "Hmm, maybe ferret boy did it? Maybe Melinda told him to. Where is he, by the way? Ferret boy! Yoo-hoo?" she hollered a bit loudly, but attempted to keep her voice low.

"Prolly off nicking things and doing various idiot damage," Putterly said, rubbing at one of his bandages.

"What did he do to you anyway?" Live asked, watching him rub his arm with interest.

"_Weasley _lit me on fire and covered me in that stinging, smelly goo," he said bluntly.

Live frowned. "George wouldn't--"

"Oh, he did. And Malfoy, well, he's just always a little prick, isn't he?" He took a sip from his mug.

"What a prat," Live agreed, downing her bottle and ordering up another.

"So where is everyone? Vivian, Rebecca?"

"Oh, we were all at the Three Broomsticks, but then three professors came in, and then we had to sneak out cuz I didn't want our Head of House to know we were drunk and get in trouble, and then they didn't follow me…I think maybe they're gonna be in trouble, but they'll come here," she finished with a worried frown, then smirked to herself as the barkeep brought her another butterbeer. "I love this stuff!"

"Ah, Snape's here then?"

"Oh yeah. Snape, McDonagold, and Hagrid." She smiled, pleased with her information. "You know, Madam Pompfree could fix your burns. And Mr. Shampoo can fix the smell," she said with a grin, running her hand through his hair as she giggled and chuckled. He smirked wickedly at her drunken behavior.

"Where is everyone else? Pucey and Rutherford and McVaken? Where are your friends at Jason?" she questioned with furrowed brow in drunken contemplation, swaying on her chair.

He shrugged and sighed. "Pucey got hurt during quidditch practice, Rutherford is studying, and McVaken…actually, I have no clue where he is…" He smirked sadly, and she pouted.

"Aw, poor poor Jason," she said, patting his head and giving him a great big hug so that she almost fell off her bar stool. She grinned and he held her up more steadily. "That's okay, we'll find him." She grinned greatly and patted him once more, to which he winced. "I'm sorry, that was your owie, huh?"

"Ha, I'm burnt everywhere." He grinned a wicked smile, and she smacked him, grinning herself as he cried out for his burns.

"Ass," she muttered with a smile, downing the rest of her butterbeer. "Tell me a story, Jason."

He chuckled to himself. "Once upon a time there were two Slytherins-"

"Can I be one of them?" she questioned quickly.

"And their names were Jason and Live, and they tried really hard to pass potions class, but they eventually failed and decided to open up a broom shop instead. The End," he said with a smirk. She was grinning ear to ear in drunken amusement.

"We _should_ open up a broom shop," she said after much drunken deliberation. "Except I don't know anything about brooms, and you can't fly worth a damn," she said through giggles.

He chuckled. "Ah, so full of dreams," he said, and kissed her on the cheek.

She frowned and looked at him speculatively. "Jason," she said contritely, looking around just in case of eaves droppers, whispering loudly into his ear, "I told you I'm not helping you with this anymore. I'm not gonna act like your girlfriend, and you're not gonna be mine either."

"Good for me I'm not interested in being your girlfriend," he said with a smirk, playing with her drunken word-structure. He took advantage of the fact that she was so close, and kissed her ear.

She stiffened in his grasp, and backed away, or at least as far as she could get while he was holding her, to look at him. "Jason, you dork. I don't like you that way. And _you_ like _fellows_," she corrected for him, poking him in the chest for emphasis as she stood up to her proper height; he was still sitting on his stool, arms around her waist.

He shook his head. "I like _you_ that way, Live," he said, bringing her closer to him, placing a hand behind her neck and kissing her on the lips. She moved away from him immediately, freeing herself from his arms as he stood off the stool. She smacked him in the face and then wiped the back of her hand across her lips.

"Just who do you think you are?" she demanded, glaring at him. "You are never, _ever_ to kiss me again!" she affirmed, turning from him and walking to the entrance to go and gush to her friends. She felt him grab her wrist, and turned to see him looking at her with a pleading face.

"I'm sorry, Live. Don't leave, please?" he asked, tone repentant and remorseful. "I'm…I'm very confused." She shook his hand off hers. She didn't care if she was making a scene. Part of her wanted to make a huge, noisy, conspicuous scene, but she fought the impulse…only a little, as she was so shocked at him. She _would_ be the one to cause others to switch sexual-preference.

"You can't just take, Jason. Not with me. I don't know if I want to be your friend anymore if you're gonna be like this," she stated with a glower, the most logical thing in her head.

He shrugged, and she walked out the door back into the cool evening air.

She was right angry. She was angry that she was drunk while angry, when she was usually the happiest drunk on Earth. And after Putterly'd kissed her…well, she wasn't sure what she thought of him anymore, wondering if perhaps he was bi, and that was just as bad in Malfoy's book, so she couldn't still say anything much. Adding another notch to the 'I-hate-men' column of her mind, Live walked briskly with anger. And just wait until she told Vivian. Oh, that girl would start some nasty rumor on her behalf, that was to be sure.

She kicked at a stone, wishing good evening to an older couple who had wished her a good evening herself. She hoped she hadn't offended them, and although she thought she was walking straight, she knew better than to trust her own drunken judgment, or her rather-blurring vision.

Sighing, she turned the corner into her alley shortcut and walked down it at a slightly quicker pace, agitated and fuming. And the more angry she became, the more angry it made her. She wanted to be happy-drunk again, or angry-sober. This drunken anger did not suit her, and it also made her unhappy. She considered finding George.

She heard a noise behind her, and looked over her shoulder to see a large, bear-like animal staring at her from the other end of the alley. She blinked, swearing it was the first time she'd ever hallucinated while under the influence, and rubbed her eyes once. But it was still there, and growling. She took a step back, and it took a step forward, eyes glowing red and narrowing on her form. She felt dizzy, drawn in by the eyes, and it took a step closer, but she didn't move away.

Her mind raced. This animal wasn't natural, to be sure. She wasn't clear in her mind, but it seemed to shift before her eyes, as if it wasn't really made of substance. But she couldn't dismiss the possibility that her intoxication had something to do with it- although her tolerance was stuff legends were made of.

It stepped closer, growling a low, deep noise, and she found her hand going slowly for her wand within her robes, but all the while she was captivated by the hypnotic glow of the eyes.

Clasping her hand around her wand, she removed it from her cloak to point it at the being. It growled angrily, deeper, and she swore she could feel the reverberation in her bones. It was as if someone else had a handle upon her wand as she suddenly released the pressure of her hand, letting it drop to the ground with a clatter. The creature immediately bore down upon her, and with a shriek of terror she awoke as if from a trance, running the opposite way out of the alley and down the street, hearing the heavy padding of large paws upon the ground, feeling it in her very skin.

She ran past shops and people who remarked on her rudeness as she looked behind her to still see it chasing after her. Why didn't anyone else see it?

She was scared, wandless, drunk, and out of breath, but she still heard the creature, whatever it was, right behind her.

With an "Oof!" she landed into a hard chest, nearly falling to the ground, and met eyes with a frowning George Weasley.

"There you are! Do you know just how damn long it took me to figure out a way to make these not apparate?" George questioned irately as he motioned to his clothes. He held her as he frowned, watching her pant heavily, nervously looking behind her with searching eyes, trying to both get away from him and closer at the same time. "What did you do? The aurors after you or what?"

"There's something big chasing me!" she shrieked, grasping him around the neck of his shirt, wide-eyed and shaking, breathing heavy. "It's big and huge and I think it must've followed me from your house!" she shrieked, not in her right mind in the first place, and scared to boot.

George gave her a speculative look. He could smell the alcohol on her breath, but her terror seemed genuine, and she looked like she knew what she was talking about. He noticed they were receiving several strange looks from passer-bys, and directed her by the arm into a smaller broom-supplies shop, all the while she kept looking over her shoulder and keeping a tight grip on his arm.

He took her chin in his hand and moved it side to side, inspecting her. For what, he wasn't sure, but he knew that's what his mum did whenever they'd been upset as children.

"Calm down, take a deep breath. Now what's wrong? What's chasing you?" he asked, looking out the less-than-busy shop door himself. She was making him very paranoid, and the fact that she was shaking shook him up himself. He wrapped his arms around her as she took deep breaths to calm herself.

"There's something big and shadowy with glowing eyes chasing me!" she shrieked once more in a panicked, hysterical voice.

He frowned as he looked her over. "You reek of butterbeer and whiskey, Live." She frowned at him in disappointment, all ready to fight his statement. He put a finger to her lips. "I'm not saying you didn't see anything, but are you _sure_ something's chasing you?"

She whined his name, burying her head in his chest in fright. He patted her flank comfortingly, looking down at her with contemplation. "I know I've had a lot to drink, but I've never hallucinated before! George, it made me drop my wand!" she cried, beyond freaked out. "Those glowing red eyes! It's out there!"

He looked outside. "I don't see anything," he told her. She looked up, shook her head as it was nowhere to be seen.

"It followed me! No one saw it but me!" she insisted, pulling on his robes.

He chewed on his lip in thought, furrowed brow as he gazed into her frightened eyes. "Can you see it now?" She shook her head dismally. "Where did you lose your wand?"

"I want to get Professor Snape," she told him, thinking as the shock melted through her drunken haze.

"_What_?" George was taken utterly aback.

"He's in the Three Broomsticks with McDonagal and Hagrid. I have to tell them about this. They'll know what to do!"

"I don't think so, Live," he said, holding her steadily in his arms. "Maybe after you've sobered up a bit…"

"Yes…" she agreed, then suddenly her face grew sad. "My wand, George!" she wailed, clinging to him, the floodgates suddenly opening to her tears as the fear caught up with her.

"Let's go get your wand, then we can talk," George offered, holding her flat against his chest while petting her hair soothingly. He moved her back outside in three steps before she starting wiggling in panic, only to look around and gape, dumbfounded.

Nothing but wind, patrons with many shopping bags, happy students pranking one another with Zonko's products, and little crowds of students huddled around store fronts peering at the latest fashions and products. She frowned in question.

"It was right…behind me," she insisted, still not letting go of him, arms snug about his waist. She looked up at him with a somber expression. "It was something like at your house, George. I swear I'm not making it up."

He quirked an eyebrow. "Like what?" He thought a moment, comprehension dawning on his face. "Those creatures at the house?" She nodded. He took his wand out, and untangled her arms from his waist, clasping her hand in his. "Show me where you saw it."

Reluctantly, she lead him half ways to the Hog's Head all the way up to the alley, and he made her walk down it with him to show her nothing was there, retrieving her wand from the ground where it lay quite dirty and cold. He cleaned it with his robe, and handed it back to her.

"Can you handle that thing?" he asked in reference to her drunken state.

"I'm not as drunk as you think I am," she stated flatly, turning her wand over in her hands and pocketing it safely next to her little anti-apparation spray. She still held a somber look on her face in deep thought, the alcohol's affect on her mind waning, while her body was still under it's influence.

George held out his hand and she took it absentmindedly. He grinned half-heartedly.

"I'm not making it up, George. There was something after me," she pleaded.

"I believe you," he said with a nod, leading her out of the alley and back into the street with firm yet gentle grasp on her hand. "We'll go back to Hogwarts, send out a few owls," he told her in confidential whisper.

She sighed in deep thought, nodding, and glad to be with him of all people, knowing that he believed her words. She felt sick, being as how she had anger and fear vibes running through her and messing with her usual slap-happy drunken state. She hoped sobriety would come sooner than later, and that she could get to the bottom of this.

"I want my sister and everyone else back to the castle," she told him with deep-rooted concern, watching her feet as they walked back towards the Three Broomsticks. "I don't think they're safe here right now. I want to know they're okay."

He grunted in agreement, squeezing her hand encouragingly. "I'll grab Ginny and have her round everyone up. Ron, too. Hopefully he won't wet himself when I tell him, but it will be alright. We won't take any chances," he told her with a grin, gazing at her with deep eyes. "I promise."

She half-smiled back at him, still shaken, the image of the creature ever-present in her mind. "I want to go back to the castle, George," she told him. "I need to lie down."

He nodded, agreeing that it was the best course of action. "I'll make you one of my sobering tonics. You'll feel better in no time." She made a little noise of agreement, waiting outside the Three Broomsticks for fresh air where he found his little sister, informing her to round up the troops and meet at Super-Secret Headquarters number one (read: his dorm) for battle-plans and refreshments. She frowned at him, but did as she was told once given an abridged version of what had happened according to Live.

He looked through the window and gave Live a thumbs-up, to which she smiled. He came back outside and took her hand once more, smiling as he looked into her eyes, running his thumb over the back of her palm in a circular motion. "We have Ginny, now. She'll make quick work of everyone, and we can get to the bottom of this." He grinned, hoping it made her feel somewhat better.

"Thank you," she said, squeezing his hand in appreciation. He only smiled, squeezing her hand back.

"Let's get you that tonic," he voiced, smirking as he entwined his fingers with hers, leading them back towards Hogwarts, and back towards safe ground.

sSs


	27. A Kiss is never just a Kiss

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 27: A Kiss is never just a Kiss.

sSs

Live was doing her best to walk straight and focus as they were making their way into the castle. She was very disturbed by what she had seen, walking with her wand out by her side right up to the point of entering the castle, and therefore safety. George was doing his best to keep Live in high spirits while offering his assistance to keep her drunken body steady, even though her mind was rather sharp, her tongue sharper still. She even managed to creatively tell off a group of third year Slytherins who were- in her opinion- giving them snarky looks. Although George was quite positive one couldn't fit three rolls of parchment and a quill up there, regardless of how threatening she made it sound…

They took the most direct route to the Gryffindor tower, George's arm around Live's waist the entire time for balance, as she considered the ramifications of that red-eyed creature, and it being so near to Hogwarts. And then there was the constant feeling of threat in her mind of something else entirely. She hadn't seen any wizards up to mischief, and the thought that some new danger was out there unnerved her to her core. She wanted to research what she could, grab Hermione and hustle up Kel for extra arms, and figure out what the hell it was that she'd actually seen.

Nothing of this kind had been at the Burrow. She'd seen things that breathed fire while in her cat-skin, and had even run over a creature with glowing eyes in the Weasley's shed, but nothing without shape and indefinite form, and nothing that only _she _could see chasing her through a crowded street. Maybe she was, indeed, finally losing her mind.

She tripped a little over her own feet, too deep in thought to have paid much attention to focus, and George grabbed and steadied her, stopping and looking her in the eyes as if gauging her inebriation level. She frowned with self-loathing. She didn't want to be drunk anymore. Not only did she stumble more often than usual (she'd proved on many occasions to be quite the klutz) but she couldn't think as deeply as usual, and that blow to her thinking-capabilities upset her.

"I'm alright," she told George after a moment, a half-smile on her face. "Just a little more klutzy than usual."

He grinned. "I'd testify to that," he declared, and she frowned while smirking at him, giving him a friendly punch on the shoulder.

"Shove it, George."

"Where would you like me to shove it?" he asked with an amused grin, a playful light in his eyes as he watched her thinking.

"Same place as the parchment and quill," she told him snarkily, trying not to grin at her own cleverness, and act mad at him instead. But his dumb grin only made her grin back, so she gave him a playful shove as a substitute.

He didn't go anywhere so much as she did. She would have had better luck shoving a rock away than him, given her impaired ability to keep her balance. He grabbed her to stop her from stumbling to the floor, and more or less to stop her from clueing-in those around them that she was wicked inebriated. No need for even _more_ rumors to circulate about the castle.

He pulled her back against him and put his arm back around her waist, resuming where they'd left off in their journey to the tower. She smirked at him, then looked away, instead focusing on the people around them…Were there supposed to be this many people while a majority was at Hogsmeade? And just what in the hell were they looking at?

"You know, I think I quite like you when you're drunk," George started as they were climbing a stairwell. He grinned as he heard her indignant squawk. He gave her a pat on her flank. "No, it's quite true. You're more yourself when you're like this."

She stopped at the top of the stairwell, putting her hands on hips. "And just what do you mean by that, George Weasley?" she demanded, quirking an eyebrow in resentment, although more intrigued by his explanation than at rebuking him.

He smiled and took his place again at her side, herding her back on track as she glowered at him. "What I mean, is that you're not quite the spiteful thing," he said with a laugh, realizing the irony after her indignant display. She made another noise of bitter offense, and then proceeded to snarl at a little brown-haired Slytherin boy who had pointed in their direction and elbowed his mates with a smirk. She whispered a curse and grasped her wand as the boy stuck out his tongue, and then couldn't get it back in. She smirked and stuck out her own.

She turned back to George, frowning. "You think I'm spiteful then?" she accused, looking back at George with fire in her eyes. While she realized her words contradicted her just actions, she still wanted an honest answer (if not his own personal contradiction of her statement). And moreover, she realized she valued his opinion. She waited, watching the side-long smirk that grew on his face, no doubt amused by her actions and then contrary words.

"You sure can be," he said with a laugh as she elbowed him hard. He ran a hand through his fiery hair, grinning. "What? Don't tell me you're not." She frowned and stopped, glaring at him. He only grinned wider. "And what did that kid do?" he asked, motioning to the boy who was trying to figure out a way to get his tongue back in his mouth. "Not that it's not a creative curse, of course."

"Doesn't matter. I'll curse who I want when I want," she told him indignantly as if it were her birthright.

"And if that _isn't _spite, then I'm Cornelius Fudge," he stated with quirked brow, shoving his hands in his robes as he rocked on his heels, watching her with amused interest.

Live smirked at her handiwork and the tongue-stuck boy, and then looked back to George, frowning at him. "He was pointing at us and laughing to his mates," she huffed out in explanation, crossing her arms over her chest and glowering at him in indignation. "I don't like that." George looked down at her with genuine surprise, and his grin broke into a charm-the-pants-off-you smile, eyes positively aglow with mischievous gleam.

She turned away from him, looking back at the kid, who was now near to tears. She huffed and whispered the counter curse, letting the little bastard have some relief. He was Slytherin, after all, and he'd done his time for his crime, and hopefully learned his lesson. And she _did _feel bad for making him cry, if not guilty. But Lord only knew that some of them had to be put into line early, otherwise you ended up with a rat-ferret bastard like Malfoy.

Live turned her attention back to the tall redhead at her side as the boy left his mates to recompose himself. She frowned in seeing George looking her over in thought, speculation obvious in his focus. She looked right back at him, and immediately put her hands on her hips, agitated with his silence and waiting to see if he thought she was really _truly _spiteful or not. His lips slightly curved into a grin as he pondered her in his thoughts, miles away from reality and the fact that she was becoming pissed off with his stillness.

She frowned heavily, brows down in upset. "Well fuck you, George Weasley," she said with every ounce of spite she could manage, feelings hurt and magnified by the alcohol as well as the fact that she took his silence to mean that he really thought she was a deep-down malicious person. She turned on heel from him and marched away, tears springing to her eyes, as she was suddenly caught around the waist. Ready to seriously slap him- good and hard- Live raised her hand, only to have him catch it, her drunk body still a bit too slow and his reflexes too good as he moved them both out of the way of passer-bys from the middle of the hall.

He turned her around, smiling at her and lightly laughing, if not a bit confused, and embraced her tightly, good and hard. He released her a bit so he could look at her, and his smile flickered as he saw her eyes swimming.

Looking away, she tried to hide it. She hated crying and everything that went with it, and crying while drunk just upset her more, and she even knew, logically, that she wouldn't be so upset if she were sober. Trying to blink away the tears but keep a steady gaze on him, Live glared at George. A look of bewilderment passed on his face, and he smiled solemnly in realization, looking her in the eyes. He'd hurt her feelings by not answering. He knew that by looking at her and seeing pure defiance in her eyes.

"You're a good person, Live," he told her suddenly with true fervor, placing a palm on her cheek so she'd look at him instead of trying to turn away. "You have a good heart, and that in itself makes me absolutely mental for you, if you haven't noticed." She snorted in disbelief of his words, trying to look away, but he wouldn't let her, looking straight into her deep green eyes in trying to speak to her soul and really have her listen…even if she didn't want to hear what he said. "I fancy you, Live, and I _know_ you fancy me, otherwise I don't think you'd have cared a damn about that little git back there and what he thinks of seeing us together," he told her with a nod of his head in said direction. "You can play Slytherin Snake Queen all you want, but I know that there's at least one of us willing to show our true colors, and when you're as drunk as you are right now, I can see right through your façades and masks, Live. Giving in isn't as hard as you think it is."

She felt cold disbelief inside, and her expression betrayed as much to him. She couldn't very well gauge her reactions and mask her feelings with being as drunk as she had allowed her body to become. It would have frustrated her had she realized it. But her mind…what did her mind have to think about all this?

She felt paranoid, afraid, and suspicious. What did he have to gain in playing with her, lying to her? What could he possibly do with this kind of information? Would he use it against her? But why? And what if he _was_ serious? Did she _want_ serious? She thought she rather liked him. What the hell did she want, anyway?

Her mind still wasn't sobered, and she couldn't think as profoundly as she'd like. She couldn't even mull it over as properly as she might usually be able to, and it only frustrated her and added to her confusion. She didn't have the slightest damn idea what to say, and Merlin's balls, the way George was looking at her…

He craned his neck to see her proper, and he pet her hair and held her tighter with one arm as he kissed her forehead and damp eyes. He kissed each damp cheek as well, and put his forehead to her own in comfort, gazing at her as if seeing her inner turmoil on the surface. She didn't fight him at all, and didn't make any sort of attempt to stop him, as if she didn't even care anymore and conceded defeat. She looked back at him with those eyes- such sad, confused, distrusting eyes- and blinked once, looking away somberly. He himself was confused as all hell, but he knew nothing of what could possibly be going on inside her head. He reminded himself as much that she'd been attacked in that alley near the Hog's Head, and was still in a drunk state-of-person, more than likely confused off her ass if not still frightened from her ordeal. He knew it wasn't fair of him to bring all this up in such a state of mind, and he also knew that she felt something for him- whether it be spite or friendship or whatever. He knew that there was something there.

"It's alright, Live," he told her as she finally met his eyes, everything and nothing in her own. George stroked her hair as he looked at her. "You don't have to say anything…" He smiled at her, trying to make her smile too. "But now let's get you all good and sobered, alright? No more of this mushy, girly stuff." He smirked as she let out a half-hearted laugh, and embraced her once more before letting her go, continuing with her to Gryffindor tower.

sSs

Leaving her safe and dandy underneath a pile of pillows, George finally snuck away from Live's dorm in the Slytherin dungeons.

He'd outright refused to let her go back to her common room alone after he'd retrieved the bottle of sobering solution from Lee's trunk (although she assured him she could still kick anyone's ass even if she were five times more drunk). But then _she_ had refused to enter the Gryffindor common room where George wanted to keep an eye on her from his dorm. Live didn't trust for those in Gryffindor tower to put up with her presence there, and George didn't trust just leaving Live to the Slytherins. Period. Not even with one of their own, and especially not when drunk.

It wasn't as if different houses couldn't go into each other's common rooms, of course. Parvati and her sister Padma went in and out of Ravenclaw and Gryffindor so often no one even noticed anymore. But Live didn't want to face a possible Gryffindor lynch-mob, and George himself would sooner let her alone to a den of _real _vipers in her current state other than the figurative ones in her own House.

So he'd done the one thing he'd deemed most logical:

He reluctantly had her wait outside while he nicked Harry's invisibility cloak from the boy's trunk, grabbed a bag of prank items and dung bombs from his own personal stash, and then insisted that he escort Live to the dungeons where he could see her off safely and she could get some rest. No matter that she wasn't aware of his plan in any more detail than the escort to the Slytherin entry. That part wasn't necessary for her anyways, as he was quite certain she wouldn't approve of him following her in at any point. Besides, he already knew where her dorm was from the Panty-Raid. All he needed was the latest password, and he'd follow her in on his own.

Although he said his good-bye to his darling twinkle-muffin ("Shove it, George."), he secretly listened nearby as she spoke the password. He snuck into the Slytherin common room not moments later.

Smirking, he watched her tell off and flip-off a group of students who had remarked on her less-than-tidy appearance, and followed her through a stone hall of silver and emerald tapestries and up a raised dais where she tapped her wand on her door, then slipped inside. He had one moment before she'd nearly snapped it shut on him, but he slipped through with a thanks to whoever was watching out for him (some God who favored Pranksters, no doubt) and wrapped Harry's invisibility cloak tighter around himself.

He watched her as she examined the bottle he'd given her, shrugging off her shoes for fluffy pink slippers. She disappeared from the room for a moment and came back with a glass of water, eyeing the blue-colored elixir in the bottle suspiciously. She sat on her bed, which was still mussed up from her morning's pillow-fight, and rubbed her eyes, taking the bottle and looking down upon its contents.

He moved a bit closer, wondering if she actually thought he was trying to poison her or something, when she suddenly stiffened, turning her head quickly in his direction in sensing his presence. He held his breath as she remained perfectly still, eyes scanning the area slower than they would if she were sober, sweeping low in examination, and listening. She stood and removed her wand from her robes, holding that in one hand, and then the little glass bottle she'd sprayed him with earlier, in the other.

He had to wonder just _how_ she was going to curse him when she discovered him. Oh, he knew she was going to curse the living daylights out of him after she found out he was there watching her, there was no question about it. He couldn't hide from her in her own room for long. He only wondered just what curses and hexes she'd subject him to, and how much of him she'd leave to send back to his family. Hopefully enough at least to fit in a little box…

Turning away from him, she set her wand on her bedside table and moved across the room. He literally gasped with relief, having held his breath for quite some time in true mortal fear. He caught himself as she turned once more, looking about suspiciously before going to her dresser and opening the second drawer- her _panty_ drawer, he knew as a matter of fact- and depositing the glass spray bottle within, covering it under clothing.

Returning to her bed, she sighed heavily and opened the bottle George had given her, gulping it down and chasing it with a glass of water. Then she made the most disgusted, revolting face she could possibly muster as the taste hit her like an oncoming train.

It took all his willpower and one hand clamped over his mouth not to laugh as she made several noises of pure disgust and cursed quite floridly to herself, shuddering in revulsion. He knew that face. He'd made the same face when he first took it…One had to endure and taste the delights of stinging rot-taste if you needed sobriety and needed it fast. And she had wanted it, and now was paying the kamikaze taste-bud price.

She flopped right down onto her bed, still making disgusted noises, and buried herself beneath a mound of pillows in a turtle-like fashion, throwing them over herself haphazardly with her arms until all light was blocked out and she could rest peacefully.

George found himself quite amused by her, as well as with the state of her dorm- clothes on the floor and on top of the dark emerald bed curtains, trunks open, her roommates' beds forsaken by the castle house-elves. He could only wonder what kind of crazy crap they got up to. He himself was surprised that him, Fred, and Lee still _had _a dorm to call their own after all the experiments, prohibited potions, and joke items they'd invented within their years at Hogwarts. There were at least three spots in their walls that they'd had to rebuild, and by moving their beds around the room they'd hidden several scorch-marks and stains from authoritative view.

Looking at Live's dorm, all he saw was clothes, shoes, and books upon mounds of books. She was evidently just as much the scholar as Hermione. He moved closer and cocked his head sideways to view some of the titles. _Every Witch Way: A sensual guide; Grab 'em by the Bludgers: An illustrated handbook; Tease 'em, Please 'em, Make 'em Scream: a professional guidebook by Madame Honeycut_. George blinked in disbelief. He couldn't believe his eyes. He smirked. Jackpot!

But where did she get those, anyway? He hadn't seen them when he'd raided her panty-drawer. But then again, it had been quite dark…No way were those in the library! Or perhaps _that _was the kind of literature they kept in the Restricted Section…Either way, he was never going to underestimate books again. This simply _had_ to be the reason Hermione spent hours upon hours in the library…And Merlin's beard, the things she must know!

George found himself more and more intrigued with the mysteries of his sleeping beauty, and cautiously approached her bedside where he'd originally found that sacred relic called a Sexpert License. Who knew what else she had there? More naughty moving-pictures of herself, perhaps? A grin spread over his face as he searched, but came up empty-handed. Darn. Oh well, he could always ask her about Madame Honeycut later...

He stood up and looked at her form, unmoving in restful sleep, and grinned, deciding to delve a little deeper and learn a little more about the lady he so fancied- and loved to tease. And that curiosity in itself demanded he look through her underwear drawer, as one couldn't possibly learn anything about a person as well as they could by looking at their underwear…and, you know, to just see if she had anything new and interesting since the last time he'd been there.

He grinned right up to his hair in creeping across the room, slowly opening the second drawer and smirking in delight at the soft purples, pinks, and reds staring him in the face. He picked up a black-and-red bra and nearly snickered in delight- he couldn't help himself. He was a man, after all, and as red-blooded as any of the rest of them, if not more. He fancied himself so manly, in fact, that his manliness couldn't possibly be contained within himself and thus made an appearance outside in the form of his quite-manly red-blooded red man-hair. Yes. He concluded that was a right proper deduction indeed. And such thinking was the reason many called him and his twin nut cases.

Beside himself with glee, he went through her panty drawer like a kid at Christmas, discovering and glaring at the little perfume bottle she'd spritzed his crotch with as he held that in one hand, a soft black thong in the other. He grinned wickedly, putting two and two together, stealing the rest of her panties and hiding them in the bottom of her trunk. He sprayed the black thong with the contents of the bottle and put both items neatly back into her dresser drawer. Looking over his shoulder to make sure she hadn't roused, he smiled in wicked thought. He then snuck away from her room at last, blowing a kiss she wouldn't have seen even if she'd been awake, as he left.

He remained in the Slytherin dungeons for several more minutes before making a fast escape. He was a genius when it came to timing a perfect prank, and that subtle science gave him exactly twenty-seconds before fifteen dung bombs exploded themselves all over Putterly's dorm, and several skunk-mortars went off in Malfoy's own bed. He knew that the group of kids sitting in the common room had heard his footsteps and must have even seen his feet as he sprinted from the room, but with two sudden explosions heard down the hall, they all but forgot his presence and immediately went to investigate.

He smiled to himself, quite pleased, and walked down the corridor to Gryffindor Tower as if nothing had happened. He would share his little triumph with everyone when he got back to Super-Secret Headquarters, and they were gathered from Hogsmeade.

sSs

"Tell me what it is or I'm telling Live what I saw you two doing!" Ginny threatened Kara, brandishing a fist for emphasis while waiting for her brother to show his face. Lee paled at Ginny's statement.

"Ginny, stop being a prat," Fred told his younger sister as he whispered something in Kel's ear as they sat on his bed. She turned red, and Ginny turned her attention on him.

"And you, Fred Weasley! Just be glad I don't owl mum about what I caught you two doing this afternoon!"

Kel turned red, Fred just shrugged. "Nothing different than what Kara and Lee were doing, I'm sure," he said with a wicked grin in his roommate's direction.

"Shut up Fred! I told you we weren't _doing _anything!" Lee declared adamantly, looking at Ginny pleadingly. _He_ was the one training to be a healer, and if Live cursed him beyond recognition, then who would be the one to fix him?

She crossed her arms defiantly, looking at Kara who had a pleased smirk on her face. "Kara, if you don't tell me-"

"Don't tell you what?" Hermione asked as she entered the dorm with Harry and Ron. Ginny huffed in relief.

"Where have you been? Do you know just how hard it is to be you? I don't know how you can scold people while keeping your head!" Ginny told Hermione adamantly.

"She usually loses it," Ron told his sister. Harry laughed as Hermione elbowed the red-head.

"I wouldn't talk about losing _your _cool, Ronald," Ginny scolded. Then a most frightened look became her face as she pointed behind Ron shouting "SPIDERS!"

"WHERE?" he shrieked, turning about and batting at himself just in case.

Hermione grinned as Harry calmed Ron down, who looked about ready to strangle his sister. "It's best to learn to cope, Gin." She smiled, then turned to Kara instinctively.

"What?" the sugar-pistol asked absent-mindedly, grinning at Hermione with contentment.

"You did something," Hermione stated with a knowing look. Kara only raised her hands skyward with what she thought was a cute little grin. Hermione properly knew it as a way to cover guilt, and correctly turned to Lee.

"What?" he echoed with guiltily tone, shoving the blonde Gryffindor next to him to get her attention and hopefully for her to draw Hermione's away from him.

"Oh, you'll know soon enough 'Mione," Kara promised with a smug grin.

"Dammit Kara-" Ginny started as George burst into the room, his face matching his hair from his sprinting, a great grin upon his face.

"George, where have you been?" Lee demanded. "Is that _clapping_?" he asked, the noise sounding from the open door originating from the Gryffindor common room.

George grinned like the cat that got the canary. "It's not clapping, it's applause," he affirmed, most pleased with himself.

"And may we inquire as to why?" Hermione gave him a shaming look. It only added to his apparent delight.

"Why yes, you may. Even as we speak, the Slytherin dorms of that rat Putterly and our dearest ferret Malfoy are being pelted and plastered with dung bombs and skunk-mortars as rotten as my cauldron could cook up. Really nasty home-made ones, too," he informed with quickened breath and wicked delight. Everyone gaped at him, and he grinned. "What?"

"Is _that_ why you dragged us out of Hogsmeade?" Hermione demanded. "To perform some foolish prank?"

"Wicked! But why didn't you let me help?" Fred inquired, looking at his twin with slighted admiration. Kelena smacked him.

"How did you pull that off? There aren't any secret passages into the Slytherin dungeons," Ron pointed out, dead curious (if not a bit jealous) of George's successful prank.

George plucked Harry's invisibility robe out of his own and chucked it at the boy in question. Harry was momentarily confused, but then widely grinned in approval. "Right on, mate."

"You know, Live's gonna be wicked pissed if she has to deal with more smells in her commons," Kara pointed out, twirling her wand in her fingers. "She says bathing doesn't even help anymore."

"Which means she'll probably hex the hell out of you for ruining water for her," Ginny pointed out matter-of-factly and without worry for her brother's well-being. George knew better. But at least Malfoy was gonna smell like the skunk everyone knew him to be.

The grin on George's face faded as he took on a more serious look. "Actually, that's the reason you're all here. She wanted me to gather all of you. Hogsmeade isn't safe." Confused faces gazed around one another, and Kara looked to Hermione for some explanation, worry on her face. Kitty-Nimbles hadn't made an appearance at this little junction, and Live wouldn't have missed it if she could help it.

"She isn't hurt, is she?" Kara asked with eager tone, locking eyes with George for a truthful answer. He grinned at her reassuringly.

"No, she isn't hurt. Just really drunk." He chuckled and Kara rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, frowning at George. "Sleeping it off, more likely."

Hermione, Ginny, and Kelena gave George death-glares. If looks could kill, George would be a burning pile of Gryffindor ash.

"And just _why_ were you in the Slytherin dungeons in the first place, then, George?" Hermione pried, hands on hips with narrowed eyes, studying his face. "What were you up to?"

He looked taken aback. "My dear, I am shocked!" he told her as he placed a hand on his chest in a foppish display of scandalization. "To think you would even think such a thing!"

"And just what would that thing _be_?" Hermione demanded to know, stepping closer to him in intimidation. And although George outweighed her by at least fifty pounds if not more, and was at least two feet taller, Hermione's focus and dead-pan expression was indeed altogether intimidating.

George crossed his arms. "I saw her to her dorm. End of story," he said with a nod of his head. Kara pointed her wand in his direction, his robes suddenly taking a violent shade of Gryffindor House-flame in cold fire.

"If I find out you did anything…"

He rolled his eyes at the accusation. "Could we get back on track, please? Something attacked her."

The room went silent, glares turned to expressions of deep concern and worry, and Kara banished the flame of his robes. George was allowed to finally tell them what Live had said happened, and what she had seen in that alleyway not an hour ago.

sSs

Live awoke feeling incredibly groggy, a sensation of disgust causing her to shudder, and it was not due to the lingering taste of George's nasty potion.

She brushed off the feeling, climbing from beneath her mound of covers and pillows, shedding her clothes along the way like a snakeskin as she entered their bathroom and turned on the shower until the room was blanketed in steam.

Twenty minutes later she emerged, somewhat refreshed, but feeling absolutely dreadful.

Boy was she going to tell off Vivian and Rebecca when next she saw them! If those bloody friends of hers would've followed her to the Hog's Head like she'd told them--

She stopped, rubbing her temples and sitting down on her bed. What she needed to do was talk to Hermione, maybe Ginny. Her mind was freaking out, all over the place with frustration, and the only remedy she ever had for things that bothered her was to go to sleep and hope it was gone by the time she woke up. But she knew it wouldn't be that simple this time. This was bigger, everything. What she had seen, what she felt…She just didn't know anymore. And it wasn't all just considering what she'd seen in Hogsmeade. Being sober wasn't helping her sort things out any more easily than when she wasn't.

She did know one thing though. Now that she was sober, she wanted to return to Hogsmeade and look over that alley for herself, just to be sure. She knew that they hadn't found anything when she was with George, but she wanted to know positively, for her own peace of mind. Besides, she was at full potency now. Her wand was waiting for her to give it a dryad-oil bath, and she was pissed as all hell towards the frustrations in her mind. This was at least one thing that she could take some control of, and damn anyone who stood in her way.

She dressed quickly in fresh clothes and exited her dorm after sealing it with the usual charm. She strode off the dais with purpose, progressing down the hall past several others whom she ignored, and nearly mowed down Putterly as he came to face. She didn't even stop to look at him, purposely evading him.

"Live!"

She acted as if she didn't hear him, making her gait even more purposeful and focused. She felt a hand grab her forearm, and she spun on her heel to look him in the face.

"What?" She was greeted by a most foul stench, and grimaced in reaction.

"Look, Live, I'm sorry for what happened back in Hogsmeade," Putterly told her, obviously sobered himself. She just looked right back at him, shaking his hand off her arm. He sulked. "I was really quite drunk, I didn't know what I was doing. I'm very sorry."

"It's fine," she said with an annoyed sigh, wanting to leave him for her own purposes. Although it was anything _but _fine, she had business to attend to. She hated hindrances more than anything else. "It's fine, just- You reek."

He rolled his eyes. "What else is new?"

She barely even shrugged in response, turning and leaving him to his wonder-smell and any other people he might make uncomfortable today. She shivered in thought, and left the dungeons with speed in her steps. She didn't know for exactly how long she'd been asleep, but she was quite sure that the students' time in Hogsmeade was about at an end, if it hadn't already.

sSs

"Mr. Weasley?" A first year Gryffindor approached Fred as he entered the common room, looking about for the 'red haired idiot' he had been asked to fetch. The little group was sitting by the fire chatting and watching Ron and Harry play a game of exploding snap. Hermione was reading a book on the _Origins of Magick: volumme ten_. Ginny was playing with Kara's hair, and George was throwing fizzing whizbees into the fire.

"'Allo Thomas!" Fred greeted the little sandy-haired boy. "Did our new shipment get in?"

"There's a Slytherin outside looking for you, and she said if I didn't find you in two minutes she'd curse my ears off my head!" he swore with wide eyes.

Fred grinned and chucked a crumbled up sheet of parchment at George. His twin looked up. "I think this one's for you, mate."

The first year Thomas looked from one twin to the other, watching them with quiet desperation. It made George grin. He hopped up, dusting himself off.

"Hey, if that's Live why didn't she just--" Kelena clasped a hand over Kara's mouth as Ginny gave her hair a little tug. What Kara had meant to say was why Live didn't just come in as Kitty-Nimbles and see them? Kara jumped up, shrugging off Kelena's hand, which was now quite covered in sticky saliva and goo from whatever Kara had been eating. "Make Live get her ass in here!" Kara demanded as George was hopping through the portrait hole.

"I think you'd wake up with a dead snake in your bed if you did that, George," Ginny told him, realizing that if Live didn't want to come in as Kitty-Nimbles, then she must have had a good reason. And besides, while they didn't have a problem with having a Slytherin in their commons, others might, and moreover, the blonde Slytherin would let them in on whatever she was doing later.

"If I find one there it's 'cause you put it there," George shot back with a grin, taking his leave of them as Kara's high-pitched voice began making petty-arguments, and Ron got exploded by a particularly vicious snap. He grinned as he hopped down into the hall, seeing Live playing with her wand impatiently as she leaned against a wall.

"Now if there was ever a person that would call on me from the Gryffindor commons, you're the _last_ I would ever expect to see out here, my lovely lady." He grinned and she huffed in response, linking her arm with his and leading him down the hall with a quick "Come on".

"If you wanted me this bad all you had to do was say something," he told her with a sly grin of amusement.

"Shut up, I need your help," she told him quickly, ignoring his comment and ignoring the bait. "I want to get back to that alley in Hogsmeade."

He stopped, causing her to yank him- which actually yanked her as he went nowhere in his superior weight- and she turned to look at him impatiently.

"You want to go _back_ there?" He gave her a strange look, quirking an eyebrow straight to his hair.

She looked at him seriously, as if it were a redundant question. "Yes-"

"_Why_?" he shot quickly, honestly curious, unable to wrap his mind around her reasoning.

"Firstly, I need to know just what the hell it was I saw, and if we missed anything in that alley."

"Did that sobering solution work or not?" he asked, putting a hand to her forehead. She stood there letting out an exasperated huff, taking this treatment with a frown beneath his hand.

"_George_…" she said sourly.

"I'll kick Lee's arse if he switched out potions on me again," George said in memory of a case of swelling solution he'd ingested instead of sobering solution. He grinned in thought. Lee had paid for that little prank dearly. The poor boy hadn't been able to sit for a week after that.

Live forcefully removed George's hand from her forehead, holding it between her own and giving him a glare. "For one thing, I'm completely sober and back in my right mind. And for another, I'm at full potency and anything that so much as crosses me will have it's brains cursed out its ass. And again, I need to get down there before conditions change and any evidence of whatever that thing was disappears. And it'll be dark soon and Filch won't let us out anymore, so-- _What are you grinning at_?" she asked mid-oration, unable to ignore his grinning any longer and slightly pissed-off in taking it to mean he wasn't taking her seriously.

His grin turned smug, and a mischievous sparkle entered his eyes.

"What?"

"You've just been holding my hand is all. Quite enjoyable, actually. Nice when you're distracted like this." He gave her palm a squeeze with a smug, pleased grin.

Her eyes darted to his hand, and back to his face as a strange mixture of thoughts crossed her own and color stole to her cheeks. She settled for a deep frown and threw up her arms in exasperation, letting his hand go, and striding away from him while huffing and extricating her wand from her robes in ire.

"George Weasley, you freaky perv! I'll do it myself then!" she hollered, not looking back and not knowing (and not wanting to know, according to that grin) what kinds of thoughts might have been passing through his horny boy-mind.

She heard intense laughter following her, and moments later he was by her side panting with laughter, and wrapped an arm about her shoulders as he continued chuckling. She glared at him.

He wiped a tear from his eye as he regarded her scowl with a laugh. "Come on, I'm not letting you go back there alone, especially since you're so obviously mental-" she let out an indignant noise, "and can become prey to the other freaky pervs out there." He grinned as she forced back a smile in hearing him use her own words against her.

Although he had no doubt that she could hold her own magic with any random wizard in Hogsmeade, he didn't think she should go it alone. The fact that she came to him for assistance told him she didn't want to be alone at it anyways, and then he took into consideration how frightened she'd been when she'd run into him the first time. He didn't like seeing her like that, and if she lost her nerves, she was as unskilled as any first year. At least when she was angry, she was focused.

He grinned smugly. He could keep her well-focused.

"If there's any perv freakier than you, I'm just going to join an all-muggle convent now."

"Oh believe me, no one will ever be as freaky as me," he told her with a wolfish smirk. She frowned with a look of disbelief, not sure if she hoped he was kidding or not.

sSs

"But there's got to be something. It was standing right here! Even those things at your house left evidence." Live shined the light from her wand-end up and down the alley walls, looking for something out of the ordinary as George examined the ground.

"Nothing's showing up. Maybe your potion is dodgy," he said of the bottle she'd been spritzing the alleyway with.

"I don't think so," she replied, still scanning with her wand. She'd cooked up something similar to the workings of a muggle black light that detected body fluids. Her potion worked under the same principle, but the light of her wand detected magical residue, and not bodily residue. She smirked in thought of her own cleverness.

George got up and brushed himself off. "Well if there's anything here, _I_ can't see it, Live."

"I'm not crazy, George," she stated.

"I know," he replied, shrugging. "I just can't find anything."

"Well, like a hundred people didn't even see it, and it was right behind me. What the hell am I supposed to think about that? Maybe I am crazy, I dunno," she offered offhandedly with a shrug.

He exhaled deeply, running a hand through his fiery hair. Maybe she was right before, and they should go see a professor about it. Definitely Tonks. Maybe owl Sirius again to see what he thought of it all. Harry was still waiting for his reply and advice since they'd all ended up legally married. George was certain Sirius was having a great laugh at their expense.

"I don't think we're gonna find anything here tonight," he told her, eyes skyward in surveillance. A little displeased look took her face as she stared off in thought. He approached her and put an arm around her waist. "Let's get out of here. We can come back tomorrow or something when it's lighter." She sighed with disappointment, putting her forehead against his chest for now in temporary defeat. She closed both eyes in thought, and he patted the back of her hair, laying his cheek atop her head with a slight smile. She was allowing him to get closer, and truly it pleased him to no end.

"Wanna get a butterbeer before we leave?" she asked, craving it's rich sweetness.

He smiled. "Sure."

She sighed again, fully disappointed and pondering the thought that her potion might have indeed failed her. She lifted her head from his chest, removing herself from his warmth as she surveyed the alley once more. Nothing. Absolutely nothing at all.

She felt his hand close around her own as he looked at her expectantly. She nodded a few times in thought. "Yeah, let's go, then."

He smiled and pulled her closer to him as they walked the long stretch out that would lead them to the Three Broomsticks. "There's nothing for it, anyway. We'll let Sirius know, and Tonks. They should have some idea what's going on," he told her.

Nodding, she looked back over her shoulder into the alley with further disappointment, then back forward as she lowered her head in self-scolding about her potions techniques. Then she did a double-take, and put her hand to George's arm to stop him. "What's that?" she asked, turning him.

There was a sudden light glowing where they had been previously, little glowing streams like snail-trails about the alley brightest where they had been and fading in brilliance to a faint glimmer where they now stood. The luminescence potion was working! Live smiled in triumph.

"You see it?" she asked excitedly, her eyes darting about the many magical residue trails. There was a great smile on her face and her happiness was positively radiating off her.

"I see it," he agreed, thinking the sight before him quite pretty indeed, and not just the alleyway lights…

"Oh I knew it!" she said, clapping her hands together excitedly. She looked to George for his approval. He grinned widely.

"Very nice," he told her. Live approached her work happily, trotting a little ways down the alley. The lights grew brighter suddenly, the white glimmer becoming more intense even as she stopped in her trail.

"It's very bright here," she told George as she was crouched over in examination, and even as she said it the faint glow nearest him became brighter and more intense, bleeding towards him like a stain.

"Is it supposed to do this?" he asked, approaching her while sidestepping the streams.

"Well I'm pretty sure I--." She stopped, seizing up in a stiff way which George had seen her do when she'd sensed him in her room. She slowly raised her head, seeing eyes at the end of the alley as the glowing got brighter. "…Geor…" she squeaked in seeing those same red eyes of earlier. She felt him standing directly behind her, and slowly stood using his body as leverage as she felt him help her bit by bit.

She saw it- and she knew George could see it too. The black shiftless thing at the end of the alley with red eyes, something without form but made of shadows and burning red orbs. A well of fear sprung forth as she realized she was being entranced by those eyes. She went for her wand, and the thing let out that deep growl she could feel to her very heart.

She pressed herself back against George's body in stiff fear, and he wrapped an arm about her middle, his own wand in his other hand. He felt like he couldn't move. A part of him screamed to move away from there, but another subdued that feeling; a feeling of lethargy and spellbinding entrancement that he almost didn't want to fight. His wand arm lowered, and Live gasped as the thing growled again. She squeezed the hand George had around her, and he snapped out of it.

George could feel Live's heartbeat in his own chest, and even his breath was now coming in short gasps.

"_dispergere!"_ he cast as a bolt of red light emitted from the end of his wand.

He hit the creature. He _knew_ he did. The creature should've evaporated like so much steam. But either his spell had no effect, or it went right through it. Either way, it angered the shadowy form.

"_volarte infernus!_" A violent beam of orange light shot out from Live's wand, hitting the creature directly, but nothing in their favor happened.

It bore down upon them without warning. Live only had time enough to gulp in shocked surprise before she and George began to run like Voldemort himself was on their heels.

They sprinted down the alley and out into the street, their running making echoey footfalls. Live pushed herself hard, hearing the same heavy padding of shadowy feet pursuing them that she had heard hours before. She looked back and shrieked as George grabbed her arm.

"Don't look back!" he shouted, nearly colliding with an old witch who dropped her shopping parcels in surprise. The witch cursed at them angrily, and suddenly George felt his legs lock as he came colliding with the ground, hard. He cursed vividly, knowing it was a leg-locker curse, and couldn't for the life of him remember the simple counter-curse.

Live stopped and grabbed him under the arms quickly as the creature was not ten feet away from them. She knew they weren't quick enough. In panic, her only thought was to put up a shielding spell, which grew around them as quickly as the beast bore down upon them.

The shadowy form went right through her silvery spell even as it was erected around them, and she held George tightly, knowing that whatever was going to happen was going to now.

She gasped as they were suddenly sitting upon the floor of a stock-room of some kind. Her breathing was quick, and her hands were dug into George's robes as she didn't yet relinquish her fearful grip.

She murmured something unintelligible in confusion as George hissed in pain, and she was suddenly alert once more, removing her hands from his flesh.

"Sorry," she murmured, heartily massaging the spots she had dug into in fear. She angled her head around his own to look at his face. "Are you alright?"

He grunted, trying to get into a better sitting position. "I think I'd like to have you digging into my flesh for reasons other than fear."

She rolled her eyes with an open-mouthed smile. He was perfectly himself, and she was very thankful he'd had the wits to apparate them out of there in time. "You're fine," she said dismissively to herself, trying to sit up and bring him with her.

"Uh-uh," he alerted her of trying to lift him. "Leg-locker curse." She let him go and stood in front of him, pointing her wand at his legs as her mind cleared and her heart-rate slowed. "Don't curse a man-down," he said, grasping her leg with an insistent, half-joking smile. She only smirked, but performed the counter-curse.

She held out her hand to him to help him up. "Where are we anyway?" she asked, pulling him stiffly to his feet. She smiled and walked away to look at the shelves of rather familiar merchandise, most in plain-colored packaging for storage, but shaped in a very memorable way. It wasn't so dark that she couldn't see, but the place had a definite lack of lighting.

George grimaced as he stood himself against a crate. "We're in Honeydukes' stock room," he told her with a slight hiss.

"Honeydukes?" She knew she recognized these things! They just didn't have the sparkle and shine of the finished product. She turned to George, grinning, but it faded as she saw the look of pain on his face. "What's wrong?"

"My leg," he said, pulling up the hem of his robes and grabbing his pants cuff so he could look at it.

"Let me see," she said with a look of concern, getting to her knees and pulling up the hem as he winced. Her expression of speculation drained from her face as she very gingerly touched his ankle. He hissed at the pain.

"What's wrong with it? It's busted, isn't it?" he jested, wishing that it were anything so simple as a broken ankle, but knowing it wasn't.

She looked up at him with mouth slightly agape, trying to give him a good answer, but her eyes went back to his ankle. "It's blackened. Completely black, like charcoal," she whispered, pulling his pant cuff up for further examination. The rest of him was okay, but his ankle looked terrible. She gently caressed her hand over the injured flesh. It still felt like skin, but it was blacker than pitch. She looked back up at his face, trying to say something, but being utterly speechless.

He grinned a side-grin. "It touched me before we apparated." She frowned in concern. "But we'll be fine now."

"I'm sure Madam Pomfrey can fix this," Live told him speculatively as she gently examined it with worry.

He snorted. "I'll see what _Lee _can do. Don't want to go around sharing of our little vacations to Hogsmeade. Unless you _want_ detention." He grinned and winked at her, anything but detention on his mind.

"You _need_ to see a healer, George. I don't think this is something Lee can fix," she told him in concerned examination. She took out her wand, thinking of a pain-relieving spell her mother had helped teach her to cast. She was no mediwitch, but she knew enough of healing to be of some help. "Is your whole foot like this?"

"Want to take a peek?" he said with a rather salacious tone, smirking at her with a wicked grin that took her by surprise.

Although he amused her, she was minorly annoyed that he thought his leg was of no importance, and cast her spell with a little more gravity. "I'm serious George," she said, finishing and standing up with hands on hips.

"So am I," he said matter-of-factly with a wolfish grin. He tried to stand, and she helped him as best she could, glowering, but he seemed in no pain…And then he pinched her bum.

She let out a little shriek of surprise, and then gave him a glare, not letting go of him for fear he might fall, but pissed off just the same. Her eyes went wide suddenly, and it dawned on her that something wasn't quite where it should be.

"Everything alright, my darling sweetness?" His tone was a little too knowing, his smile a little too smug. She gave him a death glare above all.

"Perfect," she told him through barely suppressed ire.

He grabbed her bum full on so that she was startled, and she spun herself away from him, leaving his fool ass to fall to the floor as she hissed his name at him. He only stood there with hands on hips, obviously feeling no pain in his ankle. Whatever she'd done, she did it well.

"Now just for my own curiosity's sake, as well as my belief that such information is essential to my healing process, do tell me, are you wearing the black panties today, or none at all?" Nothing could describe the sheer delight he felt in seeing the look on her face. This was the moment he lived for- sweet revenge upon the woman who'd made him practically streak through town. And the horror upon her face…Oh, he wished he had a camera. "Or should I rather ask, _were_ you wearing the black panties today?"

She stood there with hands over her gaping mouth, staring at him with wide eyes. He approached her while she was still shocked, and grinned, standing in front of her with one of his most charming smiles.

"Missing something?" he asked in the same sing-song tone she'd used that very afternoon. He heard her gasp at him beneath her hands, knowing her technology had been used against her. Then she exchanged her shock for a deep glare.

"George Weasley!" He only grinned in the purest delight she'd ever seen.

Now it made sense. She hadn't mistakenly moved her panties from her dresser drawer while drunk, and she _had_ felt eyes on her while in her dorm. And then the reek in the Slytherin dungeons….Oh, she wanted to kill him.

She raised her wand hand, but he grabbed it, and she acted to give him a right good black eye with the other, but he grabbed that hand as well. She called him all sorts of idiot and swore promises of pain, but they fell upon deaf ears. He pulled her toward him as she cursed his name, almost willing to strike out at his injured leg in her fury (but even _she _wasn't that low-down). He suddenly kissed her at the crook of her neck, surprising her to stillness, gently working his way up until the tension left her arms which he'd been holding. Sudden little tremors of delight traveled up and down her spine, depositing themselves in her already butterfly-filled stomach, both exciting and frightening her, and her heart began to flutter once more.

She pulled him closer to her, trailing an arm up his back to curl her hand around his neck. The other hand she slid around his middle, pulling him as close as she could get him, wanting his strong body against hers. His arms were wrapped around her waist in keeping her very close to him, never wanting to let her go.

She moved so that his lips left her neck, and she sought them with wanting, needing to feel them upon her own and know that it was her that he wanted. She slid her hand from his middle up his chest, feeling fine, quidditch-toned muscles beneath his clothing as she moved her hand all the way to his head, threading her fingers through his fiery red hair as she pulled his face to her own for a kiss.

His lips welcomed her own grandly, and he took his time kissing her back, not wanting it to be as hurried as their lip-locking usually was. He knew she'd probably want to kick his arse when they were either done or interrupted, and he wanted to delay that moment for as long as possible. He needed her to realize how very right it was when they were together, how it felt when they were in each other's arms, and how much he fancied her. She had yet to realize that she enjoyed being with him just as much as he did her.

He kissed her sweetly on both sides of her lips, purposely neglecting a whole kiss, and when he finally did kiss her lips in their entirety it was that much more intense. She hugged him closer to her, returning his kisses fervently and loving being near to him unlike anything else.

She was so confused. She loved every sensation, every touch he bestowed her, his warmth, his scent, and just him. She even liked his teasing as she knew it was never really meant to be unkind, even though he had a sometimes dangerous sense of humor indeed (setting loose a swarm of doxys in a first year dormitory to try out a new and improved doxy antidote had resulted in a doxy infestation in the Gryffindor commons, and multiple cases of doxy bites. It was legend to hear of.)

And hell, he was damn good-looking too. She had to admit it, Mrs. Weasley produced very handsome sons indeed.

But it was the whole forced marriage thing. She saw it as the taking away of her personal freedoms, and something she couldn't get out of. George thought it was some kind of game, but she took marriage very seriously indeed. The fact that the Ministry of Magic would even employ such a thing as punishment angered her to the core.

And even through all his jokes, insinuations, and pouncing her every chance she gave him, George was being very good about the whole thing. Maybe she was overreacting a bit. She wasn't sure. She needed time to really think about this, and now was _not _the time. She wished she had a holiday to mull things over.

Live nuzzled George closely, not only wanting his affection, but needing it more than she even realized. She did enjoy being literally close to him. She didn't get this close with anyone in any way, shape, or form, and it _was_ nice to just let go and let her feelings take her where they may. She wanted his affection. And letting go of that tight control scared her the most. But she loved this. It felt like fireworks whenever he kissed her, and she enjoyed it far more than she wanted to admit.

George ran his fingers through her long, soft hair, and she uttered a gentle moan that made him grin. He was taking his time to place kisses everywhere about her face, and she giggled in response. Becoming quite a bit more bold, he slid his hand within her robes, down to place his hand on her skirt, and come to rest on her bum. He gave her a squeeze that made her jump and shriek. He chuckled, and so did she.

"Don't do that," she giggled with a grin, her hand reaching behind her as she threaded her fingers through his quite wicked hand resting upon her bum.

"Do this?" he asked with a mischievous grin, grabbing her again as she jumped and wriggled within his embrace.

She frowned at him, although it was lighthearted. "Dammit George," she said softly as he gave her a smug smile and a wink.

"You know you like it," he retorted to purposely rile her, giving her a softer squeeze, moving his hand lower almost past her hemline as her eyes widened. She grasped his hand with agape mouth, looking at him with daring.

"Oh, so that's your little plan is it?" she said quickly with feigned anger and a wry grin. He waggled his eyebrows at her, and she tried to suppress her smirk as his hand came dangerously close to the bare flesh of her thigh.

"Well, that's only _part_ of it," he told her with a smug grin, winking one eye with what she saw for unmistakable lust. Or was that herself mirrored back at him?

She smirked back at him wickedly, and arched herself into him, deciding to play with him a little. "And what, might I ask, is the other part?" She gave him an innocent look while exploring with her hands beneath his robes and the clothes therein, nothing innocent whatsoever about her actions.

He gulped. He actually gulped. She could have laughed out loud at the look on his face if she wasn't enjoying him so.

She brought her cheek next to his and kissed the side of his face while her hands found their way beneath his shirt. She might've died right there from pleasure overload at the feel of his warm skin, and from the look on his face he was quite in the same boat.

"Well?" she whispered with a smile, trying not to tease him too bad, but just enough. And she was quite teasing herself too, come to think of it.

"Huh?" he asked blankly, his mind completely focused on the feel of her hands upon his skin, his own hands slowly clamping down on various parts of her that made her quite ticklish. And he had a right firm grip on her bum, too.

She smiled smugly and brought the whole of herself against him, gyrating her hips against his own in exquisite torture which nearly brought him to his knees. He suddenly seized her lips with his own, holding her form to his as she grasped him tight herself. He massaged her lips open with his own, plundering her mouth with his tongue as she sighed and moaned with sheer ecstasy.

She was peeling his robes off him without even realizing what she was doing, her hands tangling themselves in his hair upon pure instinct. Her own robes were already on the floor amid his in a lovely contrast of golds and greens. His hands were quick upon her, as if they wanted to be everywhere at once, and she was peeling off his shirt even as his own hands decided upon unbuttoning her blouse. Never did their lips lose contact with one another- unless to remove a piece of clothing, and then sometimes for the shared giggles and snickers that broke forth.

George was kissing her all about the neck and shoulders as they both stood there, quite shirtless, holding onto one another for dear desirous life. She threw her head back so he could have better access to her neck, mutual moans and giggles every few moments. She absolutely loved the feel of him; his quidditch-buffed biceps, strong pecs, the thundering heart that beat beneath them, and the promise of delicious abs…she was positively delirious with the sheer maleness of him.

And his touch upon her…He was positively beside himself with joy. She was so soft everywhere (he made sure to confirm that personally), and she smelt so good it was driving him wild. And lord on high, her breasts! Just the sight of them nearly sent him into a spasmodic fit of desirous delirium. And she was wearing that lacy black and red bra he'd only ever seen in her drawers…It made his eyes roll into the back of his head in pleasure overload. He thought he would surely faint from sexlexic shock at any moment.

She threaded her fingers through his hair and pulled his face better to hers for a fiery kiss, wrapping her leg around him for closer contact. He moaned with the pleasure of it all and kissed his way down her neck to her collar as she leaned herself into his touch, keeping their hot flesh close against each other. He kissed down her collar to the rise of her breast, wanting to devour her very being as she whimpered at his touch, entangling her fingers in his lengthy red hair.

It was the loud thumping of footsteps that wrenched them from their revelry, and cursing the day itself, they scampered behind some crates as one of the old wizard shopkeepers came into the room. Live nearly had a heart attack as she realized their robes and shed shirts were in plain view, and she pointed her wand with a whispered "_accio_", the clothing flying right at them as they crouched out of sight.

"Good day today, eh?" the old wizard shouted in the opposite direction to his mate.

"Very good day," George whispered to Live, who giggled and clamped a hand over his mouth to silence him.

"Always do great business with the school year. Maybe a half-off sale now and again would bring in more tourist business during the summer, eh?" a younger voice chimed in.

George removed Live's hand from his mouth. "Our clothes would testify to that," he whispered in her ear. She nearly bust up, clamping a hand over her own mouth as he wrapped an arm about her waist, nibbling on her neck. It both surprised and shocked her, her face going crimson as her stomach dropped.

"I suppose so, lad," the old wizard agreed, moving about in the room. "I'm done here. You want to lock up the back, and I'll get the front?"

Live felt George move behind her, and she clamped a hand over his smiling mouth to stop him before he began.

"Alright. See you bright and early tomorrow then?"

"How about we go for a drink?" the older wizard asked his young companion. "I could do with some of Old Ogden's Fire Whiskey to warm up these old bones."

"Great!" The younger one sounded quite enthusiastic. "Meet you outside in ten."

The retreating footsteps signified the younger wizard's departure, and slower, age-weary steps indicated the older wizard was finished with his stockroom business. There was the shutting of a door and the turning of a lock, and then it went silent once again.

Live turned her head to George, smirking, as he kissed her palm before removing it from his face.

"Oh I could kick your ass," she said with relief and an amused smirk as he cocked his head to one side, pulling her back to him.

"Probably…but I don't think you'd stand a chance without that wand and sassy mouth of yours," he said with a wide grin.

"Sod you," she replied with a smile. She knocked him over, as he'd been squatting behind her, and then pushed him to his back as she straddled his waist, tucking her skirt between her legs.

She didn't say anything else, and he had no chance to reply as she claimed his mouth with her own passionately, bending over him as he grinned against her, quite pleased by this turn of events. His hands were hell-bent on discovering all the hidden secrets of her breasts, and her own hands were busy burning the memory of every ridge of his muscles into her mind. Their breathing was quick, heart rates fast, and their kisses became fiery in passion.

Yet through this crazy haze and the fulfilling of secret desires, Live held herself back. She didn't know what was going through his mind exactly (well, she had a good idea), but she did know that her damn sense of morals was getting in the way. And the further it went, the louder they rang in her ears.

As George's hand crept up her thigh and under her skirt, she stopped him (even though her body screamed in disappointment), entwining her fingers with his own in the breaking of a kiss that left them both gasping for air.

She shook her head, resting her forehead against his own as he stared up into the deep green of her eyes with his own heavily dilated orbs. She was panting, the same as he, but she looked at him with unsure thoughts.

"I can't do this, George," she sighed softly, looking into his eyes with furrowed brow. "Not like this."

"Then how would you like it?" he asked with a grin. An almost panicked, upset look crossed her face, and he took her head between his palms, his expression immediately changing. "You don't _ever_ have to do anything you don't want to," he told her quite seriously, all tone of joking gone from his voice. She smiled at him in thought, and kissed his lips good and long, running her fingers softly through his hair as their breathing returned to a more normal state.

Breaking the kiss, they regarded one another for a short while, looking into each other's eyes and smirking, the occasional giggle as he kissed her nose.

"I think we'd better get back…" she said softly, careful of the way she got off him, not about to be unduly flashing him her naughty bits. "Is your leg alright to walk?"

He sat up, unable to keep his eyes off her lovely breasts as she covered them up with a smirk.

"Huh? Oh, oh yeah, it's great," he told her, looking back to her face with an impish grin. "Whatever you did, it doesn't hurt a bit."

"Good," she told him, standing and quickly buttoning up her blouse in turning away from him. For all her big talk and all the books she read, Live was very shy around men, especially those she might have feelings for. She'd never kissed anyone else as she did George, and was certainly never kissed back in such a manner. For all her knowledge, she'd never actually _done_ anything. She spent too much time in the lab and not enough time in the field, as they'd say in Sexpertese. And she didn't want George to watch her as she buttoned herself up, her face nearly scarlet in the awkwardness she was sure only she really felt.

George pulled his shirt on messily, enjoying watching her form even from behind, and not knowing when he might ever get another chance to do so. A grin stole his face, and he came up behind her, molding her back to him as she gave a little start and an amused noise escaped her throat. He kissed her neck, causing her to giggle and nearly abandon her task. His own fingers snaked around to her blouse buttons and started undoing them in a playful manner as she laughed and batted his hands away, trying to redo them.

"Stop it," she giggled, turning in his arms, blouse only half-buttoned, and standing on tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck. He angled his head down at her, surveying the lovely view.

"Do you know just how delicious you look right now?" he asked with a wolfish grin, causing her to giggle even more. Her hair was completely mussed up (in a specific style the Sexpert Guild members referred to as 'sex-hair'), her shirt was half-unbuttoned from the top down, and she was quite certain she was sweaty. At least, she felt very hot and bothered.

"Oh really?" she asked in an inquisitive tone. He leaned down closer to her, and she kissed him, the sensation causing her heart to flutter. She ground her hips into his, laughing as he groaned in obvious pleasure. She then disentangled herself from him with a naughty grin. "Okay, we really need to go back now."

"You're such a bloody tease," he told her with mournful smirk, grabbing up his robes in the crook of his arm. She grinned wickedly and walked around a crate, putting it between them as she bent over it, setting her elbows upon it and resting her face and her hands.

"A tease, you say?" she inquired with a grin, puffing out her chest and making sure he got a good eyeful of her breasts. And as that was where his attentions laid, she was sure she'd his her mark.

"A wicked tease," he added, watching her with ever-dilating eyes. She licked her lips nice and slowly, watching as his eyes followed the movement, his body responding to her every teasing motion.

"Wicked _fun _maybe," she retorted with a smirk, leaning over even more, popping open another button or two.

"Oh to hell with this," George said dismissively, tossing his robes aside as he circled around the crate to capture her.

She giggled and ran the opposite way, keeping it between them. "And can I help you with something?" she inquired as he followed after her, then stopped as the crate was fully separating them.

"Yes, you can stand bloody still," he told her, running around one way as she shrieked in giddiness.

He stopped again, his longer gait no match for her quicker turns. "Now why would I do that?" she asked with a great grin, pursing her lips in amusement.

"Simple," he stated casually as if mulling over a math problem. "You stand still, I grab you, I take you back to my dormitory, and I shag you silly until time for graduation."

Her mouth was agape in amused shock, and even more possibly excitement that he might try to carry out such a promise. He then made a quick movement feigning one way, but changed direction too quickly for her, causing her to shriek and giggle madly as he gathered her up in his arms.

His eyes were deep as he looked down at her smiling face, and he grinned as he kissed her deep and thoroughly, leaving her breathless and silly. "I think….you need to cool off George Weasley," she told him in tones that spoke the very opposite.

He looked heavenward in thought as if pondering her suggestion, then back to her with his reply. "Nah, I don't think that's the most wise of courses."

She snickered, and he let her put her hands to his face as she grabbed him for a forceful kiss, ending it with a big smooching sound. "I'm sorry," she said as he looked at her strangely.

"Sorry for what?"

A wide smirk covered her face as she jumped away from him, and a second later he was completely drenched in cold water.

"AH! OOOH! Oooooh! Ah!" George cried, looking at her like she was crazy, but slight respect for her creativity to suddenly cool him off. He wasn't even mad. He was just impressed that she'd pulled off a spell with unspoken magic. That was hard to do, and not easily mastered.

"Live," he started in a serious tone, and her smile slightly faltered, wondering if she might have angered him. "I'll give you a two minute head-start back to Hogwarts, but after that, you're mine." She stared at him with a half-grin, wondering if he was serious. He raised his brows at her imploringly. "Time is ticking. You're only delaying the two-hundred more days or so of shagging left til graduation…six hundred until yours," he told her matter-of-factly, big drips rolling off his clothes to the floor. She grinned and snickered, and he took a quick step towards her that got her running from the room full-speed, unlocking the door with a simple "_alohomora_."

She raced out of the stockroom to find herself in the Honeydukes basement. She'd been there only once before on a secret sneak out with Kara, but knew the passage back to Hogwarts was somewhere within.

She quickly flung open the secret doorway below and hopped through, lighting up her wand so she could sprint through without tripping. She had no doubt George would make good on his statement, and part of her was dying to know if he would, even hoping. Her body certainly knew where her desires lay.

She mentally smacked herself and sprinted while giggling, at least halfway there by now at the speeds she was going.

Her breath came quicker as she sprinted along, and she saw a light source up ahead, and stopped, putting out her own wand light and ready to smack George if he'd cheated and apparated into the tunnel.

But then the vibrations entered deep into her heart. And the one light became two. Two red, glowing lights.

Her heartbeat raced as she turned and ran full speed back towards Honeydukes, fear rising wholly in her heart as she heard and felt it closing in on her. She fired off one spell, a poor version of the disarming charm, right before she felt the thing's icy stab upon her, feeling it pass right through her very being before she hit the ground and rolled to land on her back, consciousness fading with the pain as the last thing she saw was glowing red eyes bearing down upon her.

sSs


	28. Magical Me

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 28: Magical Me

sSs

George was fully grinning as he cast a warming spell all over himself. Live was quite the clever witch, he had to give her that. And moreover, their departing from one another wasn't exactly what he'd call unpleasant. He was sure she fancied him, just as much as he did her, but certainly not there, and certainly not under those circumstances. She deserved a feather bed and soft candlelight, goodies and pillows and all that stuff girls liked.

And he'd be more than happy to give it to her, along with everything else in the world.

He grinned smugly, and dried his clothes off as well as the water surrounding him on the floor. He wasn't about to tip off the Honeydukes' owners that there was a secret passage they weren't aware of…How else would he conduct his secret trips to Hogsmeade?

He figured it was at least two minutes passed, and hurried out of the stockroom annex to the rest of the basement to find the trapdoor open. With a grin, he hopped in and shut it, blocking out what little light there was, and lighting up his own wand with a little "_lumos_".

A wicked idea passed through his head, and he put out his wand, thinking to get the drop on her from behind. She didn't know this passage half as well as he did, and he could easily navigate it blindfolded and backwards. Why bother prematurely announcing his presence?

He let his eyes become adjusted to the darkness, able to make out the walls of the passage as he trotted his way quickly through in long strides, almost hoping for her sake that she _did_ already find her way out, as this wasn't exactly a time for him to test his self-restraint. And the way she reacted to him coupled with his own certainty that she _did _fancy him but just didn't want to admit it, well, he wasn't sure she would be able to contain herself either.

He chuckled out loud at his musings, and found a small dot of light up ahead that caused him to grin. He slowed his pace, watching the light move about, and he grinned, figuring she must have lost her nerve and was trying to figure out what to do next. Wouldn't be a first with her…He slowly approached the light, keeping his footsteps quiet as he went down the tunnel, but he nearly tripped as something obstructed his path.

He caught himself just as he was about to fall, standing with a start as he lit his own wand up to view the obstruction.

He paled the moment he saw her foot as his wand light illuminated the rest of her body. She was lying on the ground completely motionless, eyes open staring at the ceiling, as he immediately dropped to his knees.

"I swear if you're playing some kind of prank," he told her as he shook her shoulder with one hand, every intention to really go Slytherin-side on her ass if she was playing in any way cognizant they had in the last days of summer…

Her eyes didn't move, nor did she in any kind of reaction to him. She lay there, short breath coming in the form of labored wheezing, eyes heavenward and unseeing. Her wand lay a few inches from her right hand, her left sprawled to the side of her. There was dirt on her as if she'd taken a tumble, and a sudden fear took the very heart of him.

"Live, you answer me right now!" he demanded as he shook her once more. The light sound of her struggling for breath was the only response he got, her chest barely moving as she wheezed, lifeless eyes staring up at him, unblinking. Panic took him as he forgot everything else and moved to lift her from the floor, putting his wand down. The light extinguished, but that didn't matter. He could get them out of there in pure darkness, in the middle of the night, with a hundred Dementors on his tail if he had to.

She was completely limp as he wrested her upper body from the floor, holding her to his chest, when a strange reverberation sounded in his very ribs, hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. He looked forward to see the light he had originally mistaken for Live as it turned into two deep red orbs, and then he heard growling.

He groped for his wand next to him, holding Live tight against his body. In anger he fired off one spell after another down the tunnel, each colliding with the thing to no avail, illuminating the creature in front in a brilliant flash. It barreled towards him as he gripped Live tighter to his chest, angry spell after spell flying from his wand tip in fury.

It was almost upon him as he fired off everything he knew and could recollect, nothing doing even the smallest amount of damage, recalling every memorable spell he could think of, including a scouring charm he had learned from his mum, in a seemingly never-ending chain of spells that spewed forth from his wand.

"_Scourgify! Glacius mediare! Expelliarmus! Expecto Patronum!"_

A white orb of light shot from the end of George's wand and took the form of a lion as the creature was forced back, fighting George's patronus with audible snarls. He gripped Live's limp form to him protectively, watching as the great silvery lion fought back the shadowy creature with the red eyes. The mighty lion's paw came down with force against the shiftless thing which sent the creature fleeing the other way. The patronus chased after it right through the ceiling of the tunnel, and once again George was left in darkness and desperation.

A quick lumos had him examining Live's face for his own piece of mind, but she was as limp and lifeless as a rag doll. Possibly even worse. He hefted her up into his arms, pocketing their wands, and ran full speed down the tunnel towards Hogwarts, never missing a step. At the end of the tunnel, out of breath and full of determination, he didn't even bother with being secretive about entering the castle, but rather burst out of seemingly nowhere, frightening a gaggle of Ravenclaws on their way to the Great Hall for dinner.

He sped down the corridors and hallways as fast as he could possibly go, headed for the hospital wing with nothing on his mind but revivifying Live's still form as he crashed into many shoulders in his speed, even knocking some students down in his worry and fear. He burst through the hospital wing doors, startling both Madam Pomfrey and a third year Hufflepuff, both of them jumping in reaction.

"Wha-what is the meaning of this Weasley?" Madam Pomfrey stuttered in shock in seeing a limp student in his arms.

"p--Help…!" George stuttered out in turn, his mouth dehydrated from breathing heavily, nearly gagging from his dry throat. Madam Pomfrey quickly ushered him to put Live down on a bed as she made little noises of fret. George laid Live down on the bed, her arm flopping over the side as she lay there limply, still struggling for small breath, unmoving eyes staring upwards but ultimately unseeing.

A helping hand was pushing a glass of water into George's face, who took it and gulped it down, nodding to the little Hufflepuff who was sticking around to lend a helping hand.

"Miss Hunter?" Madam Pomfrey addressed Live, looking the blonde witch over with a deeply concerned frown.

Live's eyes stared upward, but she wasn't in them. Any form of consciousness was completely gone from them, her chest labored with the task of breathing, the noise of air coming in whined wheezes struggling to leave and re-enter her lungs. She was still as death, paler than usual, her body in some form of obvious shock. Madam Pomfrey was immediately cautious with handling this patient. Being in Magical shock was ten times as great as what muggles referred to as being in shock, the latter afflicting wizards and witches as well as their non-magic counterparts. It was Magical shock one could quickly die from, and something that muggles and squibs alone were immune to.

"What happened here, Mr. Weasley?" Madam Pomfrey interrogated him with scrutiny before meticulously checking Live for signs, those not apparent to what she might be afflicted with. It wasn't the work of a spell, that much she could tell and feel. This was the result of an attack of some sort. Magical shock induced by a magical creature. Was she afflicted with Bogart Burgle? But no, there weren't any overgrown over-magicked bogarts being kept about the castle…Dumbledore wouldn't allow that. "What attacked her?"

The question worried George, making his already rapid heart beat fly faster. Madam Pomfrey certainly didn't recognize it for anything familiar, and she was a highly-trained highly-experienced mediwitch. She began to examine Live more closely, waiting for George to answer her, and ordered the little Hufflepuff standing by to lend his assistance and fetch Professor Tonks immediately from the Great Hall.

Madam Pomfrey was working quickly, her wand already out and doing what little she could without causing further damage. Since she didn't know what had attacked this student, and also didn't know the results of such an attack prior to Live's shock, she couldn't very well do much magic on the girl without possibly incurring some harsh side-effects. A healer didn't just perform magic without caution and without knowing what ailed the afflicted. Mixing spells and magic was dangerous. Many a wizard and witch died every year from the mistakes of fresh, over-zealous healers who made simple mistakes without diagnoses first. Sometimes in fervor to help, even the most minor pain-relieving spell caused irreparable damage.

"Answer me quickly, Weasley!" Madam Pomfrey demanded in worry, needing to further examine Live. "And turn your face."

George caught enough breath to be of some use, but was surprised by her words. "What?"

"Turn your face away and tell me what she was attacked by! What induced this?" she repeated. Too wrought with anxiety to ask questions, George did as he was told and began describing what they had seen, and how he had found Live with the creature once more near by. He omitted the fact that they had been in the secret tunnel when he'd found her, but told about the alleyway all too clearly. Three times this thing had attacked them.

The noise of Live's wheezing and the rustling of Madam Pomfrey's robes was driving George insane, and he turned back to look at her, seeing that the mediwitch was examining Live's shirtless ribcage and monitoring the beating of her heart with a simple aural spell. She was trying to preserve Live's modesty. "Is she going to be alright?"

"I don't know, Weasley," Madam Pomfrey replied gravely, serious uncertainty in her voice, too focused now in concentration in listening to Live's body to even care that he saw the Slytherin in open blouse. It would have made George grin, but he was too upset to even do so, and Madam Pomfrey too focused in her ministrations. "What are these bruises from?"

George half-heartedly grinned, noticing the several purpling bruises on her neck and chest. "Um…I did that…" Madam Pomfrey gave him a shocked look of degradation, taking his meaning the violent way. "They're actually just…hickeys…"

She huffed with exasperation, going back to her task and ignoring the chastised idiot standing close by.

She listened carefully to what Live's body was telling her- a skill it took many years of work for a healer to hone. She could sense the low energy running through the girl, the absence of much magical power which had been forcefully ripped from her, her physical body struggling as much as her magical and mental one to survive this state. And she could hear, just barely, the inclining tone of Live's body's draining…the girl would expire very soon if they didn't do something quick.

"Fetch the Headmaster and Professor Snape at once!" she ordered George with sharp movements and even sharper tongue. He gave her one unquestioning look before bolting from the wing, dead set on carrying out her request.

He was out of breath when he ran straight into Lee, who'd been searching _him_ out. The boys both landed on the floor with the force of their collision.

"Merlin's balls, George! I've been looking everywhere for you!" Lee said exasperatedly as he stood and pulled the red-faced twin off the floor. Worry was writ on Lee's face as he observed George.

"Help me…Snape…Hospital…Dumble…dore…" George panted out.

"Snape's in the Great Hall, mate," Lee remarked in correction, looking George over appraisingly. "And I haven't seen Dumbledore…Are you alright?"

George gulped air and grabbed Lee by the shoulder. "Get Snape now! Hospital!" he spat, shoving Lee back in the direction of the Great Hall as George took off in the direction of Dumbledore's office, hoping that was where the man would be.

Lee watched as George took out a piece of parchment from his robes and stuck his wand at it, muttering and panting about Dumbledore as he surveyed it and hurriedly shoved it back in his pockets and sped away.

The thought crossed his mind that this was some sort of prank George was pulling to get him back for something, as if not sitting for a week solid had been good enough revenge.

But no, something about George's manner didn't seem quite right, and Lee hurried along back to the Great Hall, finding it full of loud, gossiping voices as it hadn't been quite a few moments ago. He caught snippets of what people were gossiping about, Live and George's names showing up quite a few times, as he trotted up to the teachers' table and approached Snape as respectfully as he could.

"Professor Snape?" Lee addressed, interrupting the man's meal, who glowered up at him from his goblet.

"What is it?" the git Head of Slytherin snarked at him.

"You're wanted in the hospital wing," he told him as the dour potion's master eyed him with suspicion.

"Do you have a note, Mr. Jordan?" the bat king asked, purposely trying to make Lee's life harder.

"No, sir," he replied, but was interrupted before he could plead his case.

"Then I shall present myself at my first convenience," Snape said dismissively, going back to his dinner.

Lee frowned. It wasn't going the way he'd hoped. Oh, he had planned on Snape being difficult, but the desperation in George's eyes- his rushing- was testament to the fact that Lee couldn't allow Snape to make it there whenever it bloody well pleased him.

"Professor, you're needed _now_," Lee stressed, locking eyes with the intimidating Head of Slytherin. Snape glared at him.

"You may take your leave, Mr. Jordan," Snape told him in that silky smooth voice, every intention of threat in his icy tones.

"Someone needs you and it's going to be your fault if it gets worse!" Lee spat with a heavy glare himself. While he wasn't exactly sure if this was true, he hoped it was at least close enough to the mark that Snape wouldn't punish him…But then again, the way George was reacting, and the gossip…He hoped no one was seriously injured.

Snape pulled himself to his full height with smooth precision, towering above Lee on the raised dais. He leaned over the edge of the table and his dinner, scrutinizing Lee with his dark eyes. "I assure you, Jordan, if this is some manner of prank, you will be spending your afternoons and evenings scrubbing cauldrons for the rest of the term." Each word was exact, and Lee had no doubt the great bloody git meant them. But Snape strode off the dais with precise movements to slither off where he was needed, striding past Lee with an utterance: "Ten points from Gryffindor."

Lee stood there with a disgusted frown as he watched the bat king of Slytherin stride out of the hall. He then noticed that his little conversation had caught the eye of many who should have been busy eating their food. Eyeing him and his business with more than a little interest, they quickly added more gossip to the hubbub of the dining hall.

He looked about him staunchly and held his head high as he decided to leave the gossiping idiots and find out what the hell George was up to.

"I heard that he killed her!"

"Wouldn't be the first Gryffindor-on-Slytherin hate crime," someone remarked with a grin.

"No, that's not what happened. I heard he kidnapped her from the Slytherin dorms, let loose a hundred pixies, and took her as his bride! To consummate their marriage-contract whether she wants to or not."

"How romantic," one girl commented dreamily.

"Oh please, you've heard how she hates even the thought of being married to him! Enough times she's tried to _kill _him. He must have went ahead and killed _her _when she tried to poison him, and now he's trying to dispose of the body!"

"Ah."

"Yeah, I see. That makes worlds more of sense," someone said, nodding their head.

"That's rubbish," Lee remarked to the chattering Ravenclaw who was too keen on gossiping with her fellows; a few Hufflepuffs, and even a Slytherin or two. "Mind your mouths," he warned, and finished his journey from the hall. Lord only knew what rumors would be circulating the castle by tomorrow morning. He just hoped he wouldn't be in many of them.

"Lee! LEEEEE!" a too-high pitched, hyper-active voice sounded. He turned, coming face to face with Kara. She approached him with hands on hips and frown on her face. "Lee, have you seen George or my sister?" Kara asked accusingly. "I've been hearing that Live killed George, and vice versa…We need to hide his body. So we need to find her, quick."

Lee's eyes widened a little at her presumption. "Why?" he asked quickly as if he had something to hide. Which he didn't…but she made him feel guilty with that tone. She hooked her hand into the collar of his robes and pulled him along, walking him as if on a lead. This in turn caused him to walk bent over as he was quite taller than her. "Where are we going? Would you let me go?"

"Until you tell me the whereabouts of my sister the body-killer I don't think I'm going to let you go. Besides, I need you for testing." She smirked over her shoulder at him. He immediately stopped, and she gave a little tug as if wondering why he was stuck.

"George is running around the castle like a madman," Lee volunteered as he wrenched her grip from the collar of his robes. Kara was the most determined fifth year he knew. "_Alive_," he added as an afterthought.

"What?" She frowned.

"As in your sister didn't kill him…yet," Lee said.

"No, dingus, the first part. What's George doing? Did she curse him then?"

"I'm not sure what's going on, but he made me fetch Snape," he said, fixing his collar and purposely not being clear in his words. He didn't want to give her any impressions when he himself didn't even know what was properly going on, and to worry Kara was not on his list of high priorities.

"And where's Live?" she inquired, looking at him with uncertainty.

"I don't know. I was on my way there right now," he replied, looking at her with indecision.

"Where?"

"The hospital."

Kara frowned heavily, and once more grabbed Lee's currently fixed collar. "Let's go.

sSs

"And what are the bruises from?" Tonks inquired with anxiety.

"Weasley…," Madam Pomfrey said without meaning to roll her eyes. "But her symptoms…I fear the worst. Do you know what has attacked her?"

Tonks regarded the blonde witch before her, lack of vitality and color in the still body, her slow breathing. She felt like she was already mourning inside at the dead look in Live's eyes. She squeezed her own eyes shut, and then properly buttoned up Live's blouse after hearing the girl's heart well enough for herself, knowing that she was indeed slipping away. She closed Live's eyes, appalled that they had been left open even though she knew the blonde witch sometimes slept like that in happier times…silly girl…

"And you're positive she wasn't given a Dementor's kiss?" Tonks asked quietly, looking at Madam Pomfrey expectantly. "This screams Dementor…there's nothing else I've ever read about to cause this reaction…"

"Weasley never said it was a Dementor. The children know what those look like, and what they are capable of."

"But he used a patronus to scare it off…That's an incredibly specific spell," she remarked, a tight knot in her throat. She prayed it hadn't come to a Dementor. Just looking at Live in this state was unbearable, but a Dementor's kiss…The young girl hadn't even had her stab at life yet. No, it had to be something else. "There are shadow creatures who react to only the patronus…Lethifold, for one, but she's still here. A Lethifold doesn't leave any bodies, and it is not native to this land. There's the possibility of a vampire, but she isn't missing any blood and vampires are mostly susceptible to the same spells we are…Poppy, this _might_ _be _from a Dementor…"

"I know she shows all the signs, but I don't believe it to be…SEVERUS! Thank goodness!"

Snape came striding purposefully into the room, his black robes billowing about him in ominous authority, dour expression upon his brow. He walked to the women's side and took a look at the Slytherin student on the bed. "What have these dunderheads done now?" he asked in assessment, more than ready to start handing out detentions. Rule one of Slytherin: Don't get mad, get even. And if you weren't clever and clandestine in your vengeance, Snape would punish you harshly himself for both idiocy and the display of poor behavior of his House.

"Severus we badly need Time," Madam Pomfrey implored, feeling for once out of her expertise, and therefore incredibly helpless in correctly reviving Live. "I can't treat this student properly until we find out what she's been attacked by, and she won't last long enough for that. But we can give her Time, at least."

Snape frowned even deeper than usual in pensive thought. "You want to give her a Draught of Time?" He looked over the Slytherin witch who actually showed potential in his advanced Potions class. She was pale, wheezing breath…It didn't take much for him to guess of her state of being. One could feel the lack of life as if being pulled towards a void. He knew she wouldn't last the night. He turned to Madam Pomfrey, scowling. "Just what attacked her, did you say?"

"We don't know," Madam Pomfrey insisted.

"It looks like Dementor," Tonks added. Snape looked at her sharply.

"If she's been given the Dementor's Kiss, she is beyond any help I can offer," Snape told them harshly, having thought the same horrific thing himself in seeing his motionless student.

"She's _dying,_ Severus." Madam Pomfrey looked him dead on. She didn't believe it to be the Dementor's kiss. People on the receiving end of such a horror didn't die from it. They were damaged beyond all repair, true, but they didn't just die from it, regardless of the shock endured. So she knew that Live's life was salvageable at least, and she wouldn't allow the girl to expire on her watch. "She is fading as we speak, but anything else I could give her could well induce immediate death! Time is the only other stable option."

Snape was glaring at Pomfrey with abject refusal. He wouldn't dare subject a student to such a fate as Time, regardless of the consequences, and the possibility that the girl would be able to bounce back from such a substance was dismal at the very least. "Do you realize what you're asking, woman?"

Madam Pomfrey felt as if she were being cleaved in two from within at having to make her difficult request. She met his eyes, regretful determination in them. "You're the only one who knows how to properly prepare and dispense it. And the only individual in this castle capable of brewing it. Her life is slipping, and it's too dangerous to proceed without more time!"

"What's a Draught of Time?" Tonks interrupted with anxiety, feeling as if they were wasting the very thing they spoke of. They didn't have time enough for idle prattle.

"I believe it's a diluted form of the very substance which kept Tom Riddle alive on the skull of late Professor Quirrell," a wise voice informed. Dumbledore entered the hospital wing with George Weasley on his tail, white robes making a soft swish-swishing as he approached and stood by Live's hospital bed. "Am I correct, Severus?"

"_Unicorn blood_?" George spat in horrific realization as he caught his breath, looking up from being bent over in gulping air. He looked at Live's pale face, seeming like she was almost in peaceful sleep.

Snape sneered at him impulsively. Tonks looked to the potions master with confusion on her face, unable to wrap her mind around what Madam Pomfrey was suggesting. They were all silent as Dumbledore approached her bed, hovering his hand over her, sensing for something that he couldn't find.

"She is drained…" he stated with quiet disbelief, a soft frown on his face. "I sense very little magic residing within her, and what little is there is slowly leaving her…like water through a crack." He clasped his hands in thought, thinking and searching his mind for the identification of her ailment.

"And a Draught of time? Unicorn blood?" Tonks inquired, looking at Dumbledore expectantly. "Won't that-"

"She'll have a half-life the very instant it touches her lips," Snape confirmed, looking to Madam Pomfrey almost accusingly with his dark eyes. Unicorn blood, while used in many potions, was a very handy ingredient. But by itself or as the bulk of a potion, whether diluted by other means or not, and it was an accursed substance. Having Live imbibe such a matter would indeed give them the time they would need to figure something else out, but as a result, even after she had been brought back to a state of defined 'health', her body, mind, and magic would never be the same. She would begin to diminish and weaken, and the only thing then that could save her would be more of the Draught. It was employed in the most dire of situations, and even throughout wizarding history, as a method of torture. One could be dying a painful death, but relief in death just the same, and a Draught could bring them back from the very brink. Some of the cruelest of tortures utilized the method of bringing back a victim from the edge in order to torture them anew. It was a cursed life, a wicked life, and one that Snape would not wish upon one of his students.

George eyed the professors over one at a time in shock, speechless, knowing exactly what the function of unicorn blood was, and the Catch-22 now presented. Harry and Ron had told them all about the specifics of that. He eyed Live with disquiet, wrapping his hand around one of her own. She was quite cold to the touch, and if not for her breathing, he'd have sworn she was already gone. His eyes teared up in frustrated anger. He should have had control over himself and not let her go into that tunnel alone.

"It can buy her time enough to save her!" Madam Pomfrey insisted with argumentation, refusing to allow this girl to die. "Draught of Time isn't as pure as unicorn blood. It can work. She won't even last the night if you won't!"

"It isn't half as stable or predictable as you think. Whatever life you believe you can save or bring back with such a substance would not be worth living," Snape countered as they argued their points. "I will _not_ have her embrace such a curse."

"Who are you to decide such a thing?" Madam Pomfrey retorted. She looked about ready to scream. Snape was a master of potions, he could find a way to make it work, couldn't he? She herself knew of several loop holes and little tricks to make potions work better. She'd even invented a few of the remedies they currently used, back in her old school-days.

There was no other option. She had potions that could give Live a little boost, but doing so without identification of the creature- one which obviously caused severe symptoms in the victim- could put the girl into immediate death. With the rise of severity of reaction came a rise in the list of potions and spells which could not be used safely. They needed as much time as they could get, and experimenting with cures on Live was the last thing Madam Pomfrey was about to do.

"Severus, is there any alternative to Draught of Time?" Dumbledore inquired delicately, the wise wizard himself knowing of even darker cures, but nothing he would subject such a young, pure girl to. And therefore even he was out of answers. He'd gone through everything in his mind, and while this instance was familiar to quite a few adventures in his mind, he couldn't place it.

He understood Severus' point in refusing to give Live such a substance. It was wicked to expose her to such a potion without her direct consent. The girl was already the legal majority to decide the fate of her own being, and deciding such a life-altering thing for her- even if it meant providing her with that life- was wrong in his mind.

But he also understood Poppy's point of view. She did not want to lose Live, valuing life above all things, and the intelligent witch would suffer to see the girl die in her care when she had the means to stop it. It would be a sin for Poppy to deny her life. It went against everything she believed in and was taught to do. She saved lives, she didn't allow them to slip away.

Snape regarded the Headmaster with deliberation. "There is nothing I could give her but the Draught of Time that would immediately stop this fading," he disclosed with reluctant truth, looking into Dumbledore's eyes with disturbance. "Not without possibly causing immediate death." He didn't wish it to come to such a thing, but he would not deny the Headmaster if that was what he decided.

Dumbledore looked to Madam Pomfrey, inquiring of her the same. This slow deliberation was enough to drive one mad, and George was about at breaking point.

"Just give it to her already!" George demanded of Snape, anxiety growing in his mind. He looked near to having an apoplectic fit. He knew that together, if Snape lent his greasy assistance, they could find some sort of a cure to Draught of Time in her later life when it really mattered. Hell, they could start as soon as she healed. Nothing was impossible, and Live was crazy brilliant when it came to potions. Thought of majoring in it, as a matter of fact. He wasn't about to see her die, and wouldn't allow it. That prospect was unacceptable and unbearable. And while he knew what a horrible utilization unicorn blood was, he himself didn't know of any other alternative. He didn't want Live to die.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Weasley," Snape snapped at George, glaring. George glared right back. "I believe your presence isn't required in these matters."

"The hell it is!" he retorted in anger, his frustration and ire showing it's face to a potions master more than up to the challenge. Snape looked ready to physically force George out the doors.

"Now now, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore said softly, laying a hand on George's shoulder sympathetically. "It's alright to be upset, but we need to be productive."

"She's my WIFE! I have LEGAL OBLIGATION. You can't make me leave here." He said the last statement a little more calmly, knowing full well that if Dumbledore got it into his mind, he could very easily make George leave. He was almost shaking in his fervency.

"No George, you don't have to leave," he replied kindly as Snape visibly soured. They were getting nowhere.

"Um, am I the only one here who is still wondering just what the HELL attacked her? So that maybe we can cure _that_ instead of poisoning her more!" Tonks spat out after keeping herself quiet for far too long. "Is there time to bring in others? St. Mungos healers might have an idea or two, they've seen loads of strange things."

"There isn't enough time for that, woman," Snape told the younger witch. Personally, he didn't like St. Mungo's Healers. Thought they were too full of themselves.

Dumbledore regarded Tonks kindly as Madam Pomfrey looked about desperately, fussing over Live's still form to somehow make the absent girl feel more comfortable. Her breathing was less of a wheeze now, more quiet and less frequent, and it made Madam Pomfrey's gut wrench in extreme anxiety that her body might be giving up. There was no way Live would last the night, and if Snape didn't start on a fresh potion now…

"What's going on?" Kara asked quietly to Lee as she poked her head in through the hospital wing doors. They had been outside when they'd heard the heated yelling.

All eyes were on the blonde Gryffindor with sudden distress, and Kara's eyes went wide as she was suddenly the center of attention.

"Maybe we should go…" Lee stated, a hand on Kara's shoulder slightly pulling her back.

"Send her back to her common room, she'll be no help here," Snape advised with blunt honesty to their little group of professors.

"What if this is the last time she'll…" Tonks trailed off, unable to speak aloud the words.

"_Don't talk like that_," George ground out almost painfully, trying not to set his anger upon Tonks, but more worried than he could bodily handle.

Kara was now half-in, half-out the doorway. She looked to Dumbledore, the others behind him angrily murmuring to one another, feeling she should go.

"It is probably best that you take a step in, my dear. Doorways can prove troublesome," the old wizard remarked, taking a tentative step towards Kara in welcome admittance as she inched her way in, Lee giving her a little shove as he too entered and closed the door behind them.

"What's going on, Professor?" Kara asked, seeing the look of frustration on Madam Pomfrey, fear and tears in Tonks eyes. Snape was obviously disturbed, and George wouldn't look at her, but moved behind the curtain that was obstructing the view of a bed.

"Now you must understand something, Kara," Dumbledore regarded her kindly, approaching her before she could get too close to see what lay on the other side of the curtain. Her brows were knit together in sudden fear as her heart dropped to her stomach. Was Live back there? Was she all horribly mangled? "Your sister was attacked by something tonight, and there is not much chance that she--"

Kara's hands were over her mouth, eyes immediately tearing up. "Is she mangled?" she asked in actual hope of only a flesh wound, not liking the tone of his voice one bit. Lee gave her a strange look. Dumbledore just tried his best to gently give her the news.

"Your sister is not mangled, but her body is…fading…"

She was silent a moment, looking at Dumbledore earnestly. "She's dying?" Kara gasped with confusion, eyes swimming as her face began to scrunch up as she tried not to immediately burst into tears.

Madam Pomfrey looked to Snape imploringly, and he turned away to study Live, remorse filling him that she would never live up to her full potential, never be the prize pupil she was quite cut out to be. Unless he gave her the Draught. It was going to eventually kill her if he did, and she would die _tonight _if he did not. He was standing on the blade of a double-edged sword, and there was no alternative he could possibly provide.

Dumbledore allowed Kara to come to Live's side, tears streaming down her face as she approached her sister's still form. She looked like she was sleeping, except, Kara mused half-heartedly, that she was in full-clothing and her eyes were closed. Her skin was chill to the touch, and she bent low to hear for Live's heart, her breath. She burst into unhampered tears then, lightly hugging Live's body, trying to make her rouse.

George had to look away not to break down himself. It wasn't happening. It couldn't. Not now when things were changing for the better. They still had time. He moved to quickly get out of the way, almost unable to face it, and he suddenly went down with a gasp of great pain.

He grasped his ankle, hissing and wanting to cry out, as Lee circled over.

"Are you alright?"

George swallowed a rather nasty curse-word. "It bloody hurts," he ground out, pulling up his pant leg in sudden recollection, immediately recalling how it was blackened, and how well Live must have fixed it indeed if he was only just feeling it now. He didn't dare touch it, but looked at it in pain.

"Mr. Weasley explain this!" Madam Pomfrey stammered in seeing his charcoal-black leg. He looked horribly burnt, yet whole.

Dumbledore bent over to look at George with a speculative frown on his face, noting the charred-look of his leg. Such a sight was not unfamiliar to him.

"How did that happen to your leg, young man?" he asked with authority, bent at the waist.

"That thing touched me…I apparated us away from it, but I was a little too slow," he said through gritted teeth, the pain becoming excruciating. "I forgot about it…Live used a pain-relieving spell on it…"

"And quite a good one, as it seems to be well-contained." He smiled. "That we did not know before," Dumbledore remarked, standing to his full height. He regarded the other teachers with extreme speculation. "This creature that touched your leg, it is the same one that you saw near Miss Hunter?"

"Yes, sir," George ground out, squeezing the good skin above the charred in hope of relief.

"But she has no such marks on her, Albus," Pomfrey noted, seeing his train of thought.

"One creature that produced two very specific and very serious results from its attack. And Miss Hunter is almost completely drained of all magic. Not many creatures are capable of that. This just might be the information necessary to solve this problem," Dumbledore told them carefully.

"You can help her?" Kara asked, hunched over her sister's form with wild hope in her eyes.

"Possibly, my dear," he said with heavy heart.

"Well what can we do in the meantime?" Kara pleaded. "She's pale and she's so cold…Has she lost much blood? Give her mine!" she demanded.

"She hasn't lost any blood, Kara," Tonks told the tear-streaked witch.

Dumbledore sat down, thinking, as Snape paced with arms behind his back, hating inaction. George hobbled to his feet with the help of Lee, and returned to Live's bedside, taking one of her hands between his as Kara had her head on her sister's arm. She wanted to be close enough to hear her breathing, as well as chastise her for not waking up, and quite possibly insult her in order to wake her up.

"I might have an answer," Dumbledore said suddenly, sitting up with a slight smile. "My boy," he addressed Lee with a kind expression, "you're much younger and faster than this old man. Please run to my study and bring back a book entitled the _Book of Worlds_. It should be wedged between _Candy Confections of the Muggle Realm_ and _The Dangerous Dark_. It's a rather old tome, so it should be easy to find. The password is 'sweet meat'." Lee nodded and proceeded to move George so he could stand on his own. "And I suggest you be careful," Dumbledore added. "Some of the books bite."

Lee looked at him with wide eyes and deposited George on the edge of the bed, rushing out of the hospital wing with ridiculous speed.

"Headmaster, is there some form of impediment potion that might interrupt the loss of her life?" Snape suddenly asked of Dumbledore's opinion. A temporary solution was right at their fingertips, and they hadn't even noticed it. Sometimes the simplest things flew your mind at the worst possible time. He knew things, plenty enough that haunted his memories and waking dreams, but he wanted another's opinion on the correct course of action. Perhaps they were doing the wrong thing- trying to give her more life to buy her more time, when they should be trying to preserve the life she contained already within her, and go from there. They should try to stop her loss, not allow it to continue.

"That is very smart thinking, my boy, very smart," Dumbledore agreed, standing up and crossing to Snape. He smiled fondly. It was a very good idea indeed. The entire time they had been looking at the bigger picture when contrarily they needed to see the smaller issue at hand. They were trying to wholly save her life in one go when they should be attempting to solve the smaller problems that made up the bigger one. They needed to keep her strong, not try to replace the strength she was losing. And utilizing an impediment potion sounded just the thing. They were incredibly neutral, quick to make for employ in the field, safe to mix with other magics in an unbelievably high amount of cases without disastrous side-effects, and were among the most used types of potions by healers all over the world. Giving Live one of those had the lowest possible side-effects of any potion to date, and while it wouldn't exactly heal or stop the fading of her life, it would be able to at least hinder it, and that, for the moment, was what they needed.

"You may proceed, Severus," Dumbledore told him with a nod. Snape went to Madam Pomfrey's cupboards of goods and ingredients, and immediately set about to his task. George's head was flitting left and right as he looked about in frustrated pain, his mind on everything at once as he tried to take in exactly what was happening.

"Professor is this going to work?" he asked, hissing through his teeth at the throbbing in his ankle.

Dumbledore smiled. "Hope, Mr. Weasley. Hope for your friend."

George looked away with anxiety back to Live. It was heart-wrenching to see her lying there as if in living death, and to see the expression on Kara's face…that was near torture.

Tonks turned away, burying her face in her hands as if trying to block out the scene. Madam Pomfrey set to helping Snape, making noises of insult as he refused to let her help, but forced her assistance upon him anyway.

"Allow me to look at your leg," Dumbledore requested softly, and George hobbled over to him, lifting his leg as best he could as the Headmaster hovered his hand above the injury. "This mark upon your leg…" He removed his hand after a moment, allowing George to lower it. He looked at him quite seriously, recognition on his face. "I have only seen this kind of injury once before, long ago in my younger days with the war against Grindelwald." George frowned. That wasn't good. "You have been touched by something quite evil, and of very old magic. The last wizard I saw with such an injury didn't heal fully for many years." George's frown deepened. "But with the modern potions and technologies we have today, the process should be faster than it was back in my heyday." He smiled at George reassuringly, but the red-headed Gryffindor didn't feel any relief.

George didn't really give a damn about his leg. He wouldn't mind if it stayed that way the rest of his life, as long as she was okay.

It was several moments more before Lee finally burst into the room, out of breath, his footsteps thumping across the floor with a large, ancient looking book cradled in his arms. He was gasping for breath as he handed it to Dumbledore, who thanked him and offered him to sit. Lee shook his head no thanks, unable to speak, as he had his hands on his knees in gulping air.

Dumbledore leafed through the book as Tonks stood close by, helping George in allowing him to get closer to Live.

"What exactly is in there, professor?" George asked as he slid a comforting hand on Kara's back, the young witch prodding her sister hopefully.

"_The Book of Worlds_ is a tome dedicated to the preservation of knowledge of those things which wizards know not much about. Creatures that are no longer in existence, those few which have only been spotted a handful of times, and those which are the most rare and dangerous. Creatures of darkness and light, and of realms which we know little about. To my knowledge, this is the only copy left in existence in full preservation, and it is my belief that we will find what attacked you in here." He leafed through the book further, and George hobbled painfully over to him to look over his shoulder.

The Headmaster flipped slower through pages, allowing George to look. He viewed in interest the moving illustrations in the book, seeing things he recognized and did not, inwardly cringing at the moving illustration of what was clearly a Dementor, floating in the pages.

Everything within the pages George now viewed were of dark, shadowy creatures, some spindly, large, gaseous in appearance. They looked like the things in the stories Bill and Charlie had told them to scare them when they were young. It only intensified his current fear.

"What are these things, professor?" George asked as Dumbledore flipped through the pages.

"Shadow creatures. Spirits and phantoms summoned from the darkest of times in our history. Those which live in other realms and plains most forgotten to the magical society."

"They look like monsters my brothers used to tell us about when we were little…" he said lightheartedly, reading dates and attacks, sightings, ailments, hunts, and other such information that was inked upon the pages. Nothing looked promising.

"That's a very good term…They are somewhat monsters, in the meaning of the word."

"There!" George pointed to a gaseous, moving creature floating in the book. "It looked like that! But it's eyes were red," he clarified, motioning to the syrupy, amber-eyed creature on the page.

"This was what you saw?" Dumbledore regarded him concisely, locking eyes with him.

"Except for the eyes, yeah, basically that," George hissed, nodding his head vigorously as pain shot through his ankle. He stopped the movement.

Dumbledore stood gravely, taking the book with him as he flipped further to the back. He _knew_ that this had seemed familiar, the whole attack and the description he'd been given. Live's current condition was incredibly similar to that of a friend of long ago times when they had no description of the creature which had attacked him. That man had died of what they'd thought was a magically-induced coma. They had had no clue as to what had been wrong with their friend. But the book he now held had the clue within its pages.

In the war with Grindelwald there had been massive amounts of casualties seemingly drained of all substance (although that had been accredited to the employment of vampires, blood and magical, during that time in 1944). Quite a few also emerged from the war in comas, only to expire a short time later. Dumbledore had known a wizard who had fallen to exactly what Live was experiencing now, and that man had died quickly after. They had no idea that he had been attacked by a creature, as it now became apparent to Dumbledore. It was thought that the wizard had been cursed, and they couldn't undo it. But now he knew better, and it gave him a bit of hope.

He turned with grimness to a page with large scrawled writing on top. He examined it heavily, quickly reading it and glancing at the young Slytherin witch in the bed.

"_Wraith_?" Tonks exclaimed, looking over Dumbledore's shoulders and viewing the page.

Dumbledore handed the book to the bright-haired witch as she took it, perusing the page as she angled it so George could see. Dumbledore moved to Live's bedside and examined the blond witch.

"A wraith?" George stated, looking up from the page to Dumbledore.

"Headmaster, the potion is ready," Snape reported to Dumbledore, coming to the man's side.

"Give it to her, quickly my boy," Dumbledore stated, allowing Snape to administer the potion as Madam Pomfrey watched close by with expectancy.

Snape moved to one side of the bed, and Kara moved out of the way as the Headmaster made his way to Live's other side. After Snape had poured the contents of a small flask down Live's throat, he watched carefully. If any side-effects were going to occur, they would do so in the first few moments. Thankfully, nothing to the contrary happened.

Dumbledore regarded Snape with a satisfied look, and proceeded to examine Live. He carefully opened one eye, then the other, seeing exactly what he had expected, and what now solidified his conclusion.

"Oh my God! What's wrong with her eyes?" Kara cried in horror. Both of Live's eyes, upon Dumbledore's inspection, were completely black with red pupils. Snape looked at the potion, wondering if it had caused such a reaction.

"What do you mean 'what's wrong with her eyes'?" George asked, glaring at Snape and trying to hobble over to see. Dumbledore let Live's lids fall back closed.

"She _has_ been attacked by a wraith. Her eyes confirm it," Dumbledore told them, dispelling any negative thoughts directed at Snape…or at least, any regarding his potion.

"So, we can do something about it, right?" Tonks asked, feeling fully out of her element.

"What we must do must be done with utmost haste," Dumbledore replied. "While the potion Severus administered will grant us some rather small amount of time, it will not give way for error. Miss Hunter isn't dying, in a sense. But she is transforming."

"WHAT?" Tonks, Kara, and George shouted.

"Her physical body is like that of a cocoon while she undergoes the transformation. You see, wraiths cannot reproduce in the sense of the word. They need to perpetuate the species in a way akin to true vampiric reproduction. They drain their victims by entering their bodies through every vein and particle, leeching out all the magic they can, feeding on it and holding. Once they have left the body, there is a continued flow of magic until all has left the system. And the moment all her magic has died out, her living body will expire, and she will re-enter the world as a wraith."

"But you said her magic is almost gone," George noted with anxiety, handing the book back to Tonks, who immediately got to reading the section.

Dumbledore nodded.

"She's almost out of her magic!" Kara cried out in a panic. "Give her mine!" she shouted, rolling up a sleeve in a muggle-like fashion.

Dumbledore thought for a moment as Kara tried to impose herself upon Madam Pomfrey, rolling up her sleeve and nearly elbowing the elder witch in a fuss.

"That might just buy her some time, indeed," Dumbledore said, causing Kara to even further harass the mediwitch who frowned heavily upon the young Gryffindor.

"It says here that if we can put the wraith back in her and leech her magic from it, we can reverse it," Tonks stated spiritedly, reading from the book. "At least, there was a transfer of magic going on in that time…It's possible, isn't it? We can lure it somehow. If we give her more magic?"

"While a magical transfusion would keep her with us a while longer, it is only delaying the ultimate consequence. If her magic isn't returned- and it _must_ be hers and hers alone- then she will slip into their realm and become a wraith herself. It is the core of her magic that must be returned; the thing in each of us which we garner our power from. I am not quite certain how we might lure such a creature here, or what it wants with Miss Hunter alone, but it is possible, nonetheless," Dumbledore agreed, taking the book as Tonks handed it to him. He read the page over, found inklings of possibilities, and allowed his mind to come up with solutions.

"Give her my magic!" Kara now demanded, further spurred by Dumbledore's words. Madam Pomfrey didn't know whether to chastise her or not, and she gave Dumbledore a look.

"Kara, my dear, we would have to test you for magic-type first, and even if you are a match, it would be an incredible drain to put upon yourself," the ancient wizard commented, but didn't discourage.

"Well let's do it!" Kara said spiritedly, looking at Madam Pomfrey expectantly. The quite-harassed and worried witch immediately went to her cupboards to produce two basins and a large bottle of something entitled Type Magic. It was as good an idea as any she'd heard, and she was more than ready to take a stab at it.

She set down the basins and slowly divided the contents of the bottle between the two. It was as clear as water, but far thicker in substance.

"Do you know the elder Hunter's magic type, Albus?" Madam Pomfrey asked, looking up at him with hope.

"I do not," he admitted, and Pomfrey's face fell. "But do not despair, my dear. It can be taken from her wand with a little persuasion." He looked at George expectantly, and the fiery red head quirked an eyebrow in question. Realization dawned, and he fished Live's wand from his robes pocket, giving it to Dumbledore. "Thank you, my boy."

The wise old wizard performed a spell that made her wand spit back it's last spell right in to one of the basins. The red light hit the clear, viscous substance and the mixture swirled about and immediately dispersed to a violet color.

"Ah, a violet," Dumbledore smiled, looking down into the bowl. "A very common magic-type. I think we're quite in luck."

"Now me?" Kara asked, pointing her own wand at the bowl.

"Just perform a simple spell aimed at the opposite bowl, and it will determine your magic-type."

Kara did as she was told, and her spell hit the substance with a little flash of gold light. The contents of the bowl turned a robin blue.

"Is that alright?" Kara asked with worried frown, looking at the bowl.

"Blues may give way to violets, yes," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I'm not surprised that you share like magics."

"Is it supposed to do that?" Tonks interrupted, pointing at the seeing the bowl with Live's magic-type. The contents swirled about, changing from violet to silver.

"She's a _duoforme_…" Madam Pomfrey said with fret.

"What's that?" Tonks asked.

"It's a double magic-type," Lee volunteered, well-read in his area of study. "She needs silver more than a violet. Although a combination is best, but the chances of finding another _duoforme _is slim."

"What? Why? What's that mean?" George asked, his spirits falling.

"It means, my boy, that she can donate to a wider range of magic-types if her situation was flip-flopped," Dumbledore told him with a smile.

"Like muggle O-type blood?" Kara pondered aloud. The old wizard smiled again and nodded.

"Indeed. They are just another brand of magic type, and certain rules do apply. Her dominant magic is silver in opposition to the violet. Those types are a little more rare, but not difficult to find," Dumbledore told the worried young man. "It so happens there are quite a few with that magic-type residing within Hogwarts at this moment, myself included." He smiled encouragingly. Snape made a sour noise, turning away.

"Do you have other _duoformes_ in your family line, Kara?" Dumbledore asked.

"Not that I know…Grandma always said we were too normal for our own good…" she smiled halfheartedly.

"Sooo…" Tonks started aloud, eyeing the room. "Who's the donor?"

Dumbledore smiled.

"Albus, what about luring that wraith here?" Pomfrey asked, knowing full well that Dumbledore was probably the only one with strong enough magic to do away with it, and that he was more than ready to donate a portion of his magic to the fading witch.

"What about me?" George asked, taking out his own wand. Madam Pomfrey quickly cleared Kara's contents of the basin with new, allowing the young man to try his own luck and hoping he had a silver disposition. "I know I've got just one magic," he told them, "But if it's silver, then it's okay?"

"It would be quite perfect," Dumbledore told him, hoping the boy was a match. If not, he would take on the task himself, and he was more than ready to do so.

"…Oh no," Pomfrey whispered as the contents of Live's bowl swirled once more, the silver giving way to deep red.

"Red?" Tonks stated aloud. Dumbledore blinked in sudden shock.

"The child's a _multiforme_?" Snape ground out in frustration, seeing the bowl switch. He started pacing, growling to himself almost, looking heatedly at the bowls.

"What's that mean?" Kara asked quickly, tugging on Lee's robes for some sort of explanation.

"That's…That's as rare as magic-types come…" Lee stated, knowing full well the hopelessness of it all now. There weren't many _multiformes_ in the wizarding community, a couple at most. They were the kinds of magic that Lee only read about in his medi-texts, the last known one being Uric the Oddball, and he wasn't what one would refer to as prime _multiforme_ estate, having put himself in a severe concussion which resulted in several magic transfusions, though he ultimately passed. "She needs a matching _duoforme_ transfusion in the least, someone with at least one of the colors matching…"

"Where we gonna find that?" Kara cried, tears springing to her eyes.

George hoped and hoped in his mind, and cast his spell into the thick fluid. Everyone watched as the blue light hit the clear substance. He waited a moment, and the liquid swirled to a golden color. His heart fell in his chest.

"There is no possibility Miss Hunter was born a _multiforme_ without it being detected from the beginning at birth," Dumbledore noted. "That is a powerful magic-type. It would be in our files if she were. This greatly complicates things in the manner of how she became this way." He looked at Kara quite seriously as she watched him through teary eyes. "Has your sister had any recent accidents or a trauma of sorts? Anything of considerable note?"

Kara merely blinked, thinking through her grief-addled mind.

"In the summer," George ground out through pain in his leg. "She…sorta drowned…"

Kara's eyes widened in sudden remembrance, and her grief became that much worse. That was a traumatic event indeed. "George saved her," she piped up, "after he pulled her out of the water." She immediately started sobbing, wiping at her eyes.

Dumbledore regarded them both gravely. "Red magic-types only show up where a witch or wizard has experienced severe trauma. No person ever born into our world exhibits such a color. It has never been recorded…It has to be earned, in a sense of the word. Returning from death seriously changes a person."

"So she was a _duoforme_ to begin with?" George inquired.

"It would appear so."

Kara started making little strangled noises in her throat, trying to get words out, but instead pointed at the basins.

"Silver!"

"Silver?" George gasped, overrun with sudden excitement as he peered into the basin. "I'm not a _duoforme_ though…" he denied with surprise, wondering at what it meant. When had his magic changed? "But I'm a match, right?"

Dumbledore himself was amazed. "You are a perfect match, Mr. Weasley. Too perfect, even." He thought for a moment. "Being touched by something as evil as a wraith has obviously changed the both of you, and the quality of your magic." He regarded George with a contemplative look. "It no longer eludes me as to why the wraith came for her. A _duoforme_ is a strong magic by itself, like a lightly pulsing star. And a red magic-type is like adding fuel to that star to make it burn brighter. It was no doubt what attracted the wraith to her begin with."

"So it came for her…" Tonks noted. "But George here said they got away from it twice before." Tonks motioned to the fiery-haired young man.

"The first time I saw it was when it touched _me_," George said with a look at his foot. "And I was changed then?"

Dumbledore nodded. "And it must have found her again with such bright magics," he speculated. "Wraiths are creatures of magic-sensing. They can detect magic-types, red in specific. Yours, Mr. Weasley, was changed by the wraith with involuntary contact with it. Miss Hunter's must have been changed as it possessed her, resulting in your complimentary silvers. And she is now a _multiforme_ because of it."

"But it _can _save her?" George asked earnestly. "My silver type?"

Dumbledore looked at him. "For a time, yes, your magic can put her fading on hold. Let us hope that the creature will be lured here if we put some life back into her. It seems to have a taste for her essence."

"But why Live?" Kara wailed, looking at her sister who already looked the picture of death. "It's not fair!"

"With the knowledge of last summer's events, I believe it is safe to say the creature is feeding upon her magic due to its new mutability. You see, wraiths were originally creatures that fed upon what was called the 'walking damned'. Such knowledge of these creatures has been greatly abused over times by some of the darkest wizards in history, but I believe it plausible that they are still acting upon what they were originally designed to do, and that is to deliver those who have died to the underworld. Vampires, for instance, are not at all the people they were born as, and are changed individuals upon their un-life." He regarded them all with a pensive look. "Add a few twists and several hundred years and these creatures are acting upon their own impulses, making more wraiths and coming for those who are marked Red. It would make absolute sense as to why the creature isn't trying to feed off you, Mr. Weasley, as well as explain why _multiformes_ are so rare. The brightness of such magic has lured it to her, and it is intent on carrying out its twisted purpose."

Both the bowls continued swirling in on one another, the colors changing from their original and their additional colors, and then swirling back. They both had silver in their magic after being attacked by the wraith…Hell, it didn't surprise George after that little history lesson. People had been screwing with magical creatures for as far back as he could think. And now the damned thing was after her to reclaim her for death and the dark world. Figured.

"Mr. Weasley, as you were not born a _duoforme, _but your magic is currently that, so it means it contains the same traces from your interaction with the wraith as apparently Miss Hunter's does…If you'll consent to--"

"Take it!" he offered. "Just make her better."

"You'll become terribly weak, Mr. Weasley. And it is painful," Dumbledore added. "The more she needs, the greater the pain. Can you commit to such a bond?"

"Do it," he told him.

"Come stand near the bedside," Dumbledore told him, motioning him forward. Madam Pomfrey helped him as Tonks once again took up the book, reading the two pages about the wraith and trying to figure out a trap for it with her auror's mind. "Miss Hunter, Mr. Jordan, I'm going to have to ask you to please return to your dormitory, quietly."

Kara looked crestfallen, but Lee put an arm around her shoulder. "Once they get it done he'll let you come back," he told her, nodding to Dumbledore understandingly. It was one thing to allow Kara to be there, it was another if she became too emotional and interfered with the transfusion. They weren't easy to witness, and sometimes the screaming of both parties involved made unnecessary watchers attempt to stop it. Or at least, that was what he'd read and understood. Lee knew this, true of many procedures, and realized that he and Kara shouldn't be present for George and Live's safety.

"Headmaster, it says here we're going to need a pure white dog…" Tonks noted. "If you can trap the wraith in her, the bite of a white dog will draw it out," she interpreted, reading an old account that had been scrawled in very old English on the side of the page. She was surprised that she could make it out. "I know that the ministry keeps white bloodhounds for chasing nogtails out of sties, but how can we get a hold of one of those?"

George looked up from his gazing at Live's face. Kara too, turned back to the others.

"Lee has a white dog!" Kara volunteered, suddenly feeling useful.

"I do?" he asked, looking at her. She stared at him pleadingly, and he agreed. "Uh, yeah, I have an all-white dog. Should I fetch him, Professor?"

"Go fetch him, my boy," Dumbledore agreed. Snape looked about ready to remark on how in the world Lee had a hold of a dog within the grounds, but thought better of it.

Lee and Kara exited the Hospital wing, and she dragged him through a corridor and into the safety of darkness as he sputtered after her.

"Just where do I have a white dog?" Lee asked with sudden worry. "I don't just have those creeping about my robes, ya know?"

"I have something to tell you and I need you to keep it secret…" Kara told him desperately.

"Oh just out with it…" Lee said piteously, wondering how in the world they were gonna get this thing for Live.

"I'm an animagus."

He looked her up and down appraisingly. "What?"

She shook her head clear, in no mood to explain. "I'm an unregistered animagus and I'd like to keep it that way. Live already knows," she added. "Just please, act like I'm yours."

"No problem," Lee said compliantly. One pop later, and Kara was standing on four legs, a fluffy white wolf pelt covering her from nose to tail. "Oh holy Merlin," he stated, and they immediately went back towards the hospital. She waited for him to open the doors. "Wait," he told her. "A few more moments. Otherwise it'll look suspicious." She whined at him, but tried her best to be patient, drawing looks from a Hufflepuff who hurried by in agitation.

sSs

"Uh…Ah….Ah…" George was gasping, doubling over with each wave as the pain hit him hard with every stream of magic he could feel being pulled from his body. He had no words, only pain-filled reactions that made him feel like he was dying himself as his magic flowed into Live. Tonks held him up as best she could as Dumbledore chanted and orchestrated the transfusion. Madam Pomfrey monitored Live's vital signs, and Snape awaited the wraith, none of them even knowing for sure if they'd be able to see it when it came.

"AHH!" He completely doubled over as it felt like his heart was being forcibly pulled out his chest right through the skin. Tonks held tightly to him so he wouldn't collapse to the floor.

"Albus, is-?"

"How do you feel, young man?" Dumbledore asked George, who was sweating with the pain, face pale with the sting of it all. He looked up at Dumbledore through the hair in his face. He slightly grinned and gave the old man a thumbs up. Dumbledore smiled right back at him. "This is going to be the worst. Can you go on?"

He grunted, nodding his head even though it caused an explosive headache to claim him. Dumbledore nodded in approved admiration and continued, George feeling the little biting sting that quickly turned into fire all over his body. He felt a great pull come right through him as if the ancient wizard had driven his hand right through George's being, plucking out a great amount of flesh.

George fell to his knees this time, unable to hold himself up any longer, his head sagging towards the floor, face-to-face with tile. It was a great inhalation, a gasping for sudden breath that caused his head to snap back up.

It was Live's breathing. Her own, strong breathing as her body gasped for air, her chest heaving in life-giving breath which they hadn't seen in her for a good hour.

"She's breathing…" he gasped with elated relief, knowing it was that painful burst that had done it. He could only lift his head enough to see her chest moving up and down in normal breath, and it thrilled him to no extent, even though he had to lower his head once more as he could not longer keep it elevated.

"That's good, my boy, very good," Dumbledore told him as George lay in a veritable heap on the floor, supported by Tonks. It was what Live needed, at least enough to sustain her until they figured a way to lure the wraith. They hoped giving her an added dose of magic would be enough to lure it, but they wouldn't know unless it came.

Tonks tried to heft George to his knees, but he was even too weak for that, striving to hold on to consciousness.

"Let's put him on the bed, here," Madam Pomfrey directed, readying a bed two over to deposit him in.

"I'm fine on the floor…" he joked in whisper, even unable to keep his eyes open as he felt his arms put over two sets of shoulders which helped him off the floor.

"Yes, put him down right here," Madam Pomfrey directed, little clinking noises mixing with her voice. No doubt she already had nasty tasting potions for him to down.

"Headmaster, what about the wraith?" Snape asked a little too closely for George's ears. He cracked open an eye and saw that Snape had him on the right, and that Tonks was on his left. He would have passed out if he didn't think he'd be at the dour potion master's mercy…And how Fate loved to screw with him anyway.

"It is my belief that it will come for the renewed magic within her, once the magic has acclimated to her body. To drain her once more. We just need to wait."

No sooner than George felt himself being laid down upon softness was the lip of a bottle pressed to his mouth.

"Drink it dearie," Madam Pomfrey coaxed. He would have rolled his eyes had he the strength to open them. But he complied, nonetheless. It pleased Madam Pomfrey. He could rest and regain his strength as he was quite useless to anyone at the moment.

"How are you going to force it back into her body?"

"I don't think that will be necessary my dear," Dumbledore replied to Tonks, who allowed Madam Pomfrey to take over care of George as she returned to Live's side, nothing making her happier than seeing the girl in sudden better health. "If it does decide to drain what is left of her, we will have moments in which to act."

"And where is Jordan with that dog?" Snape commented icily, pleased thus far that there was progress, but nevertheless his snarky self.

Outside the doors, Kara whined and scratched at the doors, and Lee opened it as she trotted in.

George was nowhere in sight, although Kara certainly smelt him, but it was Live's audible breathing that sounded in her ears like glorious music. She trotted right up to the bed, jumping up to put her wolfish paws upon the covers so she could see her sister, whining and wagging her fluffy tail ecstatically.

"Down, mutt," Snape sneered in regards to the dog. She looked right at him, her ears flattened against her skull in threat.

"Um, she's kind of wild, professor," Lee told them as he gave her scruff a little tug. She got down and sat next to his feet, looking right at Snape. "She's mine, but she mostly hangs around the Forbidden Forrest. Um, she has a mind of her own."

"That's an impressive wolf," Tonks remarked. "And you think you can make her bite Live?"

Lee looked down to see Kara's wolf eyes staring up at him. "I think she can do it. She's, um, magically bred by an uncle of mine…from the…uh…Black Forest wolves. She'll understand whatever you say," he added, looking at Snape as if proving a point. The dour man merely sneered back at him and the mutt.

Kara suddenly started growling at the ceiling, her nose pointed up as she sniffed and growled, and Lee took a step away from her, his instincts telling him she was right angry.

"What is it?" he asked her. She stood on her hinds and had her forepaws on Live's bed once more, looking up at the ceiling with barking howls. Her tail went between her legs, and she growled up at the ceiling.

"Is it the wraith?" Tonks asked, looking all over the ceiling. "How do we know?"

"I don't see anything," Lee commented through Kara's growling.

"That beast obviously does," Snape remarked, brandishing his wand and also looking towards the ceiling.

Kara began making broken barks aimed at the ceiling. She looked at Dumbledore, who had his attention on Live. Kara howled again, making quite a racket, and Dumbledore turned his attention on her.

He watched her silvery blue wolf eyes, seeing something they obviously could not, and saw their progressive leveling as her growling increased.

She was frightened. She could see the thing come straight out of the ceiling like a great dark cloud, except it wasn't. Dark red, glowing eyes just like she had seen under her own sister's lids. This floating, globular mass of darkness was what had attacked her sister, she had no doubt of it. And why the others couldn't see it, she didn't know. But _she _was able to see it, and felt a strange growling within her own being. She felt threatened, growled right back at it, and her instincts screamed not to let that hovering mass of evil anywhere near her sister.

It got closer, shifting form to have long leg-like appendages, almost like a jellyfish, and she growled at it, howled, and seemed to temporarily dissuade it, causing it to retreat a bit back towards the ceiling.

"What is the wolf's name, Mr. Jordan?" Dumbledore asked quickly, his eyes trained upon said animagus who growled and almost tried to stand atop the bed itself to keep the wraith at bay.

"I…uh, um…Karrrr_ina_…" Lee stammered out quickly. Snape frowned at him, but didn't call him on it. "Karina, down…" Lee requested, lightly touching the scruff of her neck, careful that she might bite him. Even though he knew it was Kara in there, he didn't want to take the chances that she might go all wolf on him…

"Please take a hold of her…We need the wraith to enter Miss Hunter's being-"

"_I_ don't see anything," Lee told him, grabbing Kara's scruff as she struggled to stay on the bed, looking back at him with disdain before once again howling a long, mournful tone up at the ceiling.

"Your wolf, Karina, obviously does…Pull her back…" Dumbledore watched as the white wolf struggled, barking in agitation at the ceiling with watchful, icy eyes. "There will be only moments to act…Once that wraith floods her veins-" he looked directly at Kara, who stared right back at him for a single shared moment of understanding, "she _must_ bite and hang on until the creature has been leeched from Miss Hunter's body."

"Will it hurt her?" Lee quickly asked as Kara's howling became even more fierce. Tonks began sound-proofing the hospital wing further than it naturally was.

"Animals of purity are not easy to come by, my boy, and thus the snowiest of creatures prove most resilient to magical harm."

It somewhat irked Lee that he didn't directly answer his question, but he took it for what it was worth, and Kara was more than willing to help her sister in any way she could, regardless of the old wizard's riddlesome answers.

"Hold her," Dumbledore commanded as he watched Kara's eyes once more. She howled and growled as the creature came settling closer down, its tendrils reaching out, but stayed hovering above Live's body. She growled even more, trying to figure out what was going on. Was it not going for the bait? She could smell Live's magical essence in the air, yet it wasn't exactly her own…Was George's own magic deterring the creature?

Kara began to nudge Lee with her muzzle, forcing him away from the bed, and did the same to Tonks, who was on the same side, all the while keeping a wary eye on her sister. Both Lee and Tonks backed away from the bed as Kara growled at them in turn, and Lee gave Dumbledore an unknowing look.

"I believe it is necessary for us to move away," Dumbledore guessed, looking at the wolf who howled once more at the top of the bed. No doubt that surrounded by quite powerful magical beings, the creature was a little more than deterred to act, if not wholly unable.

"Is that entirely wise?" Snape asked Dumbledore, who gave him an almost amused look in turn. It was obvious from the look on the potion master's face that he thought his headmaster crazy for taking orders from a beast.

"Sometimes animals know what we cannot. I have no sight which enables me to see the wraith. We have to put some trust in this creature," he said, looking at Lee, who gulped in fear.

Both Dumbledore and Snape took steps away from the bedside, and Kara put her forepaws back upon the mattress, howling upwards. She was inwardly fighting herself, both trying to keep it away and let it come. The wolf in her told her to chase the thing off, force it back, destroy it. Part of her own being was telling her the same thing, but she trusted Dumbledore, and he said to let the thing take hold of her sister. It made her howl with rage and grief, upwards to the very heavens, but she knew what needed to be done.

She herself backed away from the bedside, jumping down and trotting over in a half-moon away from the bed, watching while low growls escaped her throat. She was ready to pounce any moment, waiting, inwardly restraining herself as the thing drifted above with those wicked red eyes. All eyes in the room were on Kara, her own sighted upon a thing they could not see.

One moment it was hovering, another it was rocketing down towards her sister. Kara let out a yelp in surprise before jumping to action, her nails clicking on the hard floor as Live's body gave a sudden jerk.

Dumbledore moved with the speed of one many years his junior, beside the bed in a flash as Kara latched her jaws onto her sister's forearm, breaking the flesh and tasting her sister's blood in her mouth. She held tight as Live's arm jerked with strength she did not normally possess.

"Hold her down!" he commanded as Live's eyes opened, red glowing pupils looking out at them upon black sclera. Tonks and Lee both held down her arms as she nearly shook Kara from her. Madam Pomfrey forced a potion down Live's lips that would lock the creature further within her as Snape stood behind the white wolf, casting a spell to draw the poison of the wraith from Live's to Kara's body.

Kara felt very strange. Everything was chaos in the small cubicle that created Live's bedside; Dumbledore chanting, Lee and Tonks shrieking to one another and shouting, Snape's own chanting as Madam Pomfrey grunted with effort. But within her own being, Kara felt a tingling thing like a shiver starting at her teeth and rolling right through her skin to settle at the tips of her fur. She felt like a muggle lava lamp, or like liquid being sucked through a straw.

She could hold on no longer, and nearly flew off her sister's arm. She quickly realized it was because Dumbledore had forced her off, an expelling charm forced through Live's body and exiting through the wound Kara had created in the Slytherin witch's arm. She fell to the floor heavily, whimpering as she got to her feet, feeling very heavy. She shook herself, and sat watching with strangely heavy eyes as Madam Pomfrey fussed over Live, and the others backed away at Dumbledore's request.

They quickly checked her magical levels, the look of her eyes. The puncture wounds Kara had made in Live's arm oozed blood and blackness, and the small circles which her teeth had been embedded in began to blacken and char in the same manner that George's ankle had. Madam Pomfrey began to clean the wound as Kara watched with trepidation. Then Dumbledore turned to face the others, a smile on his face.

Live was going to make it.

Dumbledore smiled at the wolf called Karina, and cuffed her under the chin gently in gratitude. Snape was staring at her dourly, his attention divided between his ailing student and the curious wolf that seemed to glare right back at him.

"So what do we do with all that black mass?" Tonks asked Dumbledore, looking at Kara speculatively.

She cocked her head in that doggy way, looking down at her shaggy feet to see that the very tips of her fur were the concentrated color of tar black, and twice as revolting. She yelped in surprise and turned around and around in discomfort, practically feeling her fur move of its own volition as if in a breeze, or underwater sea grass.

"The creature is trapped within that hair. A magical fire should destroy any remnants of the wraith if we burn it quickly…" Snape informed, actually being helpful for once.

Dumbledore smiled, looking at Kara as he patted her head. "Good girl," he told her, sensing the evil lurking in her fur. He looked to his fellow professors with a smile that made Kara's eyes go wide in non-compliance. Whatever he had in mind, she wanted no part in it now that the worst was over.

Dumbledore merely grinned at the currently blackened wolf, and looked at his compatriots.

"Shave her."

sSs


	29. While You Were Sleeping

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 29: While you were sleeping

sSs

Through sedated lashes Live opened her eyes to a world of sound and light. It was morning sometime, or perhaps late afternoon, and the room was bathed in pale color. She recognized the stone walls and high windows of the large room, realizing she was in a bed in the hospital wing.

She took a deep breath, aching somewhat everywhere, and tried to focus on that around her, inwardly curious as to how she'd gotten there.

"…Lee…" she whispered out, her breath scratchy as she saw the tall boy messing with bed sheets and the like. It was his class period in which he assisted Madam Pomfrey.

"Heeeeeeey," he started with wonder and a smile, "You're awake."

She just looked at him, feeling too weak to really make any sort of gesture or expression in reply. He took a seat on a bed next to hers, looking at her with a pleased grin.

"You've been asleep for almost a week, you know," he informed, watching her like a doctor might a patient. She frowned in disbelief as he gave her an encouraging smile. "Today's Friday."

"A _week_?" she gasped in panic. He nodded, and her panic grew. It freaked her out to have been unconscious to the world and its goings-on for nearly a week; set her into a right panicked state, as it were. It didn't seem at all possible for so much time to have passed unnoticed to her. She'd had jokes played on her before when she'd taken odd naps, and that had confused and bewildered her then. But this was outright fantastical.

"You're alright," Lee added with a smile. "You've been given quite a few dreamless sleep potions so you can better heal, so you might be feeling a little groggy…Dumbledore says you're almost good as new. He's been in here quite a few times since…Maybe I should wait until you're better woken up…" he said in response to the look on her face. She felt so tired, and so weak. She closed her eyes, still listening half-heartedly. It hurt to have them open, and it was too much to fully take in. "What do you remember last?"

She was listening to her own breathing, and didn't really hear him until he gave her a poke. She cracked one eye half open to see him frowning at her in amusement. "Earth to Live? Are you there?"

"…sod you…"

He started cracking up, her insult a good sign indeed, which caused Madam Pomfrey to show her frowning face.

"Ah, Miss Hunter you're finally awake," she said with relief to the Slytherin witch. Then she turned on Lee. "Mr. Jordan, is there any reason you're harassing my patients?"

"I was just talking," he said with a smirk. She frowned at him in a way which said to get back to fixing up those beds.

"How do you feel young lady?" Madam Pomfrey asked, checking and fussing over her.

"Tired…" she offered. Confused, slightly panicked, but mostly tired. "…everything kinda hurts…"

"Yes, I expect it would," the mediwitch agreed, fluffing her pillows. "You've been through a right nasty state. But it could have been worse." Live only sighed, wanting more sleep. "You get rest, missy. You're still very weak and I won't have my patients getting themselves into a fuss."

Live gladly closed her eyes on the old witch, feeling her tuck the blankets around her form while fussing with her pillows. She fell back to sleep almost instantly.

sSs

"Well don't ask me. I don't know…"

"Should I poke her?"

"Only if you want Poppy to make us leave her sacred hall."

"I might poke her…Shall I?"

"…you shall not…" Live's quiet voice reached ears belonging to the pair standing by her bedside.

"You're awake! Madam Pomfrey said you were!" Kara's high-pitched voice rang.

"It's about time," the voice of Tonks said, smile apparent in tone.

Live cracked an eye open deliberately, feeling much more rested this waking through. "No one could sleep…with you around…" she aimed at her little sister, earning a grin as well as sudden pressure upon the bed. "Off, Kara."

"Cuckoo!" the happiness-filled sugar-delicatessen declared, cuddling right up next to her sister in what was normally an attempt to push her out of the bed; the same way that cuckoo-bird chicks did to other chicks in a nest.

"Not this time…Kara…" Live huffed, burrowing herself in deeper to her blankets.

"I think I'm going to have to agree with Live here…"

"CUCKOO!" she said with more enthusiasm. Tonks looked around for Madam Pomfrey as if she were still a scared third year.

"You're going to get us kicked out!" Tonks whispered harshly, the notion not really clicking into her mind that she was a professor here and not a naughty student.

"…_cuckoo_…" Kara whispered after looking about stealthily.

Live grinned as her sister snuggled up to her affectionately, and she patted her on the head.

"…is it still Friday?" she asked Tonks, elbowing her sister who was burrowing her face into the Slytherin witch's back.

"Friday evening," Tonks replied. Live was happy it was still the same day, at least.

"What're these?" she asked, looking at her pajamas. "They look like…"

"Vivian Monteclaire's. She said you didn't have anything modest for other people to see…frankly, I'm surprised you own pajamas at all," Kara remarked. Tonks openly laughed.

"I have to admit I'm with your sister on this one…I've seen your luggage, remember," the youthful witch remarked with a smile.

Live was still half-asleep, but already up to being her snaky self. "I miss my bed…" she said, craving the quiet darkness of her four-poster.

"_You miss your bed_?" Kara remarked, looking about the hospital with open amazement. "You sleep in a dungeon! Prisoners were tortured in your bedroom!" she exclaimed, mildly horrified. She burrowed her head back into the sheets.

"_Were_?" Tonks asked, eyebrow raised in implication. Live stuck out her tongue, and the elder witch laughed.

"Speaking of scary stuff, I got out of potions today and Snape didn't even yell at me!" Kara declared suddenly, popping her head up from the sheets ecstatically. "And I made a swelling solution perfectly! You should see the size I turned Neville's toad!"

"Will you get off?" Live asked crossly, frowning at the happy little Gryffindor growth on her back.

"No," Kara said with a grin, burrowing her face to purposely make Live uncomfortable. "Peep peep CUCKOO!"

Live made a noise between a growl and a sigh, although amused by her sister's antics, and looked up at Tonks. "What happened to me? Where's George?"

"He's serving detention for chasing that Putterly fellow from Slytherin House out of here. Right bloody nose he gave him, too," she said with a smirk. Although she was _supposed_ to be a neutral party when it came to students, Tonks couldn't help but grin when the little group from 12 Grimmauld was involved in some sort of debacle.

"Bloody nose?" Live asked, more interested.

"Snapped his wand in two, too," Kara intoned. "Just yesterday I heard. George lost us fifty points for that! Boy was Snape pissed off…"

"George snapped his wand?" Live asked with disbelief.

"Kara!" Tonks chastised, shooting the younger girl a look.

"Why the hell did he do that?" Live asked, seeing it as quite a serious offense.

"I told you not to mention that!" Tonks reprimanded Kara. She turned her face to Live. "I didn't want to upset you. I know they're both your friends, but they-"

"_Hate_-"

"-don't _enjoy_-," Tonks interjected, looking at Kara, "one-another's company much."

"Professor," Live started with serious tone, showing she meant business, "why in the world would George do that?"

"Putterly snuck up on him and tried to curse his skin off!"

"He and George got in a duel of sorts," Tonks said, staring down at Kara, who stuck her head ostrich-like back into the safety of Live's blankets. "From the way Putterly says it-"

"George _fell_ on his wand…Fell," Kara muffly informed, bringing her head up in caution. "It was an accident…"

"He snapped it in two," Tonks corrected, giving Kara a look once more. "But whether it was an accident or not, George got a good week of detentions, and Putterly's wand will be as good as new. Sent to Ollivanders' for repair."

Live smirked, somewhat upset at the fact that she had missed what must have been an exciting subject, as well as the fact that George kept getting in trouble.

"Lookit what everyone's been leaving for you!" Kara interrupted Live's thoughts, hopping off the bed to shove handfuls of cards and candies right under her sister's nose. Live made effort to sit up, still weak, but having no intention of being smothered to death by chocolates.

There were little ice mice with bites out of them (she had no doubt as to that sugar culprit), cards with moving pictures on them, and one with little paper owls that magically hovered over the top of the card.

Live smiled at the pile as Kara began to unwrap a chocolate frog. She didn't much want the chocolate so much as for the collectible card, but she chomped the frog with relish anyway.

"So exciting stuff aside, what happened to _me_?" Live asked, looking at Tonks for information.

"What do you remember?" the Metamorphmagus asked warily, not about to shock her even more than she was already.

She thought for a moment, slight color coming to her cheeks in remembrance of her last meeting with George, and the last moments before she'd been attacked.

"Yes, Poppy said all those little bruises were from him," Tonks said, lightening, with a knowing smirk and a wink at Live, who reddened furiously at the statement.

"…how do you…?"

"He _informed _her when she asked what made them. Turns out it was a red-haired critter with an identical twin and a knack for wand-splitting."

"Ewww, mixed company…" Kara said sourly in response to mention of her sister's little rendezvous. She wanted no part in this discussion. Live only grinned.

"And he's in detention?" she inquired, fishing for more information. It only made Tonks grin more.

"You'd be surprised with the shining state of the bathrooms around here. I thought the only things those twins could do was _create_ mess and havoc." She smirked. "But he'll be back here soon enough. Although he needs a note from McGonagall whenever he wants to come visit after how he broke that kid's wand," she said with enthusiasm. "Poppy won't let him in otherwise." Live scoffed. Tonks smiled. "He's been acting like he has the exclusive rights to you."

"The hell he does…" Live commented offhandedly with a wry smirk, though she was amused that he'd been defending her so steadfastly. Tonks' grin only widened as Live smiled. "…so what _did_ happen?" She looked at the professor determinedly. Tonks in turn looked at Kara, wondering if it might upset her again.

"Tell it the exciting way," Kara commented, the remnants of a chocolate frog homicide on her lips. If there was anyone more well-adjusted…or more full of sugary endorphins…

The eldest witch thought pensively, wondering if it was even her place to inform, but of all of them, she _did_ consider herself the one who could relate to the Slytherin witch the most. After all, they weren't _that_ far apart in age, as compared with any other professor.

"You feel well-enough to take this in?" she asked, sparing Kara a look in turn.

"I'll go nuts if I don't know exactly what happened…" she cried truthfully. She took a breath and grinned. "…although I'd prefer a little trip through the pensieve to see firsthand…I'll trust your word just as well."

Tonks grinned halfheartedly, sitting on the edge of the bed as Live got comfortable and Kara 'peep-peep'-ed her in begging for more chocolate frogs. The young professor began relaying what she knew, what she'd seen, and what had happened- a mix of things she both did and didn't quite understand herself, including the ritual shaving of one very agitated white wolf, and the burning of the fur and utter destruction of the wraith in magical flame.

"…poor wolfie," Kara muttered, frowning into her pilfered chocolate frog cards. Live turned her head to look at her speculatively, the information sinking in so far without the shock.

"…is George alright?" she asked quickly, astonished that he had given so much of himself for her. "And what about his foot?" she questioned just as fast, her mind remembering where the creature had got him. Just how well was he to be fighting with Putterly every chance he got?

"…Madam Pomfrey's gonna kick my arse for upsetting you…" Tonks murmured to herself. Then she looked at Live. "He's fine. After a day or two of rest himself, he was back to normal."

"Beating up Putterly and putting stink pellets in his pumpkin juice," Kara elaborated with a big chocolaty smile. Live snickered tiredly, but turned away from her messy little sister's mouth.

"Are you alright?" Tonks inquired after dropping the veritable bombshell in Live's lap.

The Slytherin witch only smirked. "I'm fine…It just hasn't sunk in yet…"

"Nothing ever does," Kara said, pretending to knock on her sister's skull. Live batted at her weakly with a wry grin.

"Professor! Professor!" a little first year Hufflepuff girl came trotting into the wing after almost running past. "Professor! Tommy Smith got locked in a closet on the fourth floor with a giant tarantula and we can't get him out!" the little girl cried, terrified.

Tonks put her forefinger to the bridge of her nose. "Alright," she said, standing up. "Guess that's my cue to go, then. They've adopted me as their martyr." She grinned towards the young witch. "You sure you're alright? I can come see you again later if you want to talk?"

"…I'm fine. Just tired."

"Please hurry Professor! That tarantula was HUGE!" the girl repeated through wide eyes.

Tonks gave Live and the currently chocolate-coated Gryffindor a look. "I love first year Hufflepuffs," she said enthusiastically with a grin, following the little girl out as she chatted to her. "Always keep it interesting, don't you?"

Kara smirked as they left. "That sounds like Lee's giant tarantula."

Live made a sour face. She wasn't too fond of spiders herself. She shuddered.

"I bet it got out again…Ron nearly flipped the first time it happened," Kara recalled with a smirk. Live looked at her sister wryly, an eyebrow quirked until she had Kara's full attention. "What?"

"This white wolf Tonks mentioned…" she started, looking at her arm accusingly, a smile pulling at the corner of her lips. Kara frowned. While she would do it again in a heart-beat for her sister, she could never resist playing the victim in any debacle.

"Do you know what _I've _been put through?" Kara started dramatically. Live smirked, ready to be fully entertained by her sister's flair for the drama. "They _shaved_ me. _Shaved_…" Live grinned. "You know what happens when they shave you in animagus form?"

"…I'm just gonna pull this outta the air and say--"

"I was BALD!"

Live started laughing so hard it hurt her sore ribs.

"I was BALD and Lee SAW!"

Now her sides hurt and tears were coming down her cheeks from laughter. She started coughing from laughing, and Kara just crossed her arms indignantly, looking at her sister.

"I hope you're happy," she ground out.

"…You prat!" Live chuckled, calming herself down to stop the coughing. "Well you look fine now…"

"Yeah, after I snuck into your dorm and got that furry-fur powder crap you sneak into my drinks! You're just lucky it grew back my fur…"

"And thus your lustrous locks?" Live replied with a snicker.

Kara just murmured incoherently, the only understandable words being "bald", "shave", and "hairy legs".

Live smiled, chucking a chocolate frog at Kara. "Oh shut up," she said affectionately. Kara frowned, but immediately set upon making the chocolate frog suffer in a gooey cocoa mess. "…what have I missed…since I've been out?" She felt out of breath from laughing so hard.

"Ah." Kara made an enlightened noise, feeling of some use. She hefted her book bag up onto the bed, extricating a ledger and heavy book. "Well, there's the subject of business…If you hadn't been sneaking away with George everywhere we might have made top sales this week…"

"Sod off-"

"But I think I can up Neville's root beer order a few more cases to make up for the losses…"

Live smirked, perversely pleased with the uncouth businesswoman that was flowering within her sister. A fine snake in lion's skin indeed. Live's grin turned wide in sudden remembrance. She had something in her possession that would be groundbreaking in the potions world…

"…I did find out something today," Live spoke up, smile on her face and in her voice.

"What?" Kara looked wide-eyed, as if a deer caught in the headlights.

"Or no, not today….what, a week ago was it?" She stopped to catch her breath. "My potion…the one I've been working on all summer…It works."

"It works?" Kara looked a little relieved. She had thought Live had found out what she'd done quite a short while ago with Lee. But thankfully, that was gossip still under wraps…as long as Kelena kept her big mouth shut.

Live smiled in thought. "Let's just say that George pranced through the middle of Hogsmede in his underwear…"

Kara's mind raced as she went into thoughtful murmurs, eyes glazed over. "There's the packaging…advertising…about twenty galleons an ounce maybe…merchandising…I'M RICH!"

Live rolled her eyes. "You're keeping those sticky hands away from my brew…"

"You're a GENIUS! Imagine the sales!"

"…I better patent it…" she noted thoughtfully. "Keep it out of the wrong hands." She smirked at her sister.

"Hey!" she spouted indignantly.

"Alright, alright…anyways, go on…you were talking about the business?"

"Ah, well the cotton candy webs aren't doing as well, except when people- mainly Harry- buy them to prank Ron…but sales are currently up in the morphing clothing line…The sweater tube-tops are selling like hot-cakes. You should've seen all the surprised people in tube-tops in Flitwick's class the other day…oh, and, um, I've parneredfussithheasley…" she stammered off, voice going low.

Live sat up and looked at Kara speculatively, suspiciously. "What now?"

"And the toffee traps! Oh you wouldn't believe where there've been popping up! Filch is having absolutes fits with the mess they make!"

"_What_?" Live repeated her previous inquiry. Kara pursed her lips.

"I…um…Okay, first of all, you need to understand that I've fully got Lee's support, and that he's with me one-hundred percent on the decision I've made--"

"Oh dear god…Just what the _hell_ have you been doing with Lee Jordan?" Live interrupted, her mind spinning various possibilities, none of which she liked to consider. Great, once she was out of hospital, she'd have to kick Lee's ass for taking advantage of her little sister.

"Just wait a minute, hear me out…Now it's just better this way financially, considering, and we'll be bringing in a double income-" Live was giving her wide-eyed looks, "and Lee thinks it's a wonderful idea in the long run, and we _are _married legally anyways with all the legal hang-ups, so-"

"Kara, if you don't tell me I'll die," Live ground out, preparing for news that would surely shock and appall her.

"Well it's no secret that me and Lee have been sneaking around lately…I'm sure _you _know," she added with a taste of the obvious. Live looked about ready to pass out with tense thoughts. Kara made a nervous face, but quickly spat out her words. "I merged us with the Weasley Wheezes."

First, Live stared at her for a good long time. Then, she let out a great sigh of relief and relaxed back into the pillows behind her. Then she looked back to Kara with exasperation.

"You _what_?"

"You know Fred and George have been sabotaging our inventory and nicking our clients! I've had to install protective charms and hide the loot in my dorm! It's not easy stuff!" she appealed. "This way, we have a larger clientele, more hands on the job, and we get a chunk of their profits!" She grinned, hoping Live would see it her way.

The eldest blonde put her finger to the bridge of her nose in exasperation. "I could smack you for not letting me in on this sooner, you bint," she murmured with vexation. She looked at Kara. "And how did Fred and George take your little acquisition?"

"I dunno. Lee told it to them about three days ago. Seemed like they were in their dorm for ages discussing it, though," she noted thoughtfully. What she didn't know was that they'd had a full-on war in the dormitory that made their other school pranks look like child's play. Many burns, scrapes, and bruises later, the boys were once again perfect friends…And the twins _did_ untie Lee a few hours later.

"Anyways, I don't think Fred much minds. He and Kelena have been hard at work testing out the morphing clothes. They're getting a little too _close _in my opinion." Kara mimed gagging herself.

"Ah-huh…" Live said, a little smirk on one side.

"And Lee just loves being my test monkey." She smirked, although Live thought that was the last thing Lee Jordan would ever love. "Everyone's married anyway, thanks to that law. You know all that equal-household-money crap and all…" she informed her sister offhandedly. "We were gonna have to share in business profits anyways in the legal sense…I thought it a good idea."

"More like a corporate takeover…" Live patted her sister on the head affectionately. "Prat."

Kara grinned widely, showing both sets of teeth. Live closed her eyes in thought and fatigue. Just a few days outta the mix and everything fell apart around her…She smirked and looked at Kara.

"…Anything more that I should be aware of?"

"Hmm…well, I dyed Lavender's hair lavender the other day…" She looked up in pensive thought. "Um…Ron got full marks in charms class the other day," she said, the fact being of notable quality. "Oh, and Ginny's been doing research for the Guild!"

"…wonderful," Live said with a smile. She yawned. She felt in much need of a nap.

"You look tired," Kara observed.

"I know I must look like crap," Live agreed. Kara smirked. "Tell me more…entertain me a bit…"

"Well," she said, hefting the large book from the bed to her lap, "I found a loophole in the laws dealing with merchants and tradesmen that would allow us to import some of our more expensive ingredients for cheaper than how we've been buying them…Did I mention that yet? We'd be saving about fifty galleons annually…"

"Just how," Live started, looking at her sister speculatively, "were you able to compute _that_?"

Kara grinned. "Hermione. You know how good she is at these things."

"Well that would explain it." Live smirked.

"She also dropped your book-bag by in case you got bored and wanted to do some of your homewo--Hey! I'm smart too, you know!" she said as Live's comment registered in her fast-paced mind.

"I know…Just with _different_ things," she told her, grinning.

"Go stuff yourself," Kara said with upturned nose.

Live laughed. "What book is that anyway?" Kara held it up for her to see, and Live immediately soured. "Weird Wizarding Regulations and the Wizards Who Warrant Them?…I _hate_ that damn book…" she said vehemently, it being the reason for so many marriage clauses in the first place.

"It has some pretty interesting stuff in it," Kara remarked.

"Like what?" Live snarked at her.

"Well, more stuff on trade…The underwear laws…Some regulations on cauldron size…Um…I read that a guy can be fined a hundred galleons for going into the women's loo wearing a feathered hat during the Quidditch World Cup…And….hmm…There's a whole section dedicated to food and packaging penalties…Um…more stuff about undergarments…Gosh, they _were_ obsessed…"

"Doesn't that book have anything useful in it?" Live spat, wanting to use it's pages as fodder for her potions' fire.

"Well, it has some amendments made to the whole marriage law, but don't get too excited. They're just clarifications and technicalities defining what questing for your underwear is defined as and whatnot, ya know, for who's married to whom and why," she clarified. Live fumed. "Due to a much needed amendment on that, count yourself lucky you're not married to Snape or Filch after they handled them. It used to be that anyone who touched the offending undies were strapped down for marriage…"

"UGH!"

Kara snorted at the disgusted expression on Live's face. "George isn't looking so bad now, is he?" Kara giggled while Live shot her a poisonous look.

"I'm going to have nightmares now…or nightmarish hallucinations…You know how I get when ill…"

"If that thought didn't make you ill I'd say you weren't human," Kara cackled as Live tried to smack at her with the ledger. Kara only burrowed, still cackling madly, into her sister's side, and all Live was hitting was hard back.

"…You're such a prat…" Live stated after giving up her barrage on her sister.

"…cuckoo!" came a muffled cry.

"Yeah yeah…shove it…" Live smirked as Kara cautiously got up, and packed away the ledger and the book for safety reasons. "I ought to commit you…"

"Commit me to what?" Kara asked with a purposely blank smile.

Live grinned, but now she was really quite tired.

"Are you bored with me?" Kara asked, giving Live a polite way to banish her if she wanted to sleep.

"Always," the elder blonde said with a smirk.

"You're the prat," Kara retorted.

"Not what the paperwork says…"

"What paperwork?"

"You know, The Paperwork. The stuff that says you're a prat." Live grinned as Kara frowned.

"Just for that, I'm taking your last chocolate frog!" She snatched the package and shoved the entire thing into her mouth. Live only blinked.

"You're not really gonna eat the cardboard…"

Kara gave her a defiant look and chomped on the package. Then her eyes went wide and she took it out of her mouth, surveying her handiwork.

"That's just wrong…" Live said to the chocolate dripping out the sides.

"It was moving around inside the package while I was biting it!" Kara squealed, disturbed.

"Eww…"

A brilliant look claimed Kara's face. "I just got the idea for the new candy line!"

"…wonderful…"

"Want to hear?"

"Tell me every detail…" Live told her while closing her eyes.

"I see…Well you can just be the first to test it then! Hmph!" Kara voiced as if truly offended. Live snickered as she turned her back to the young Gryffindor, getting comfortable to sleep. Boy did she feel tired…she hated being so weak.

"Owl me the results…" Live murmured with a smirk.

She heard Kara make several frustrated noises and felt her poking her in the side a few times before she succumbed to sleep, unable to fight it any longer. Kara only sighed and stayed a while longer, munching on treats and reading her own candy notes.

sSs

Live woke some time in the middle of the night, alert even in such a weak state, knowing that she wasn't alone. She blinked a few times in the silent dark and inhaled deeply, catching vaguely familiar scents. She surveyed the room as she lay there, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She nearly screamed as an invisible hand came down over her mouth.

"Sh, sh, it's me, it's me," she heard, and frowned in the direction of the voice and the owner of the invisible hand. She plied it from her mouth and searched for a hem as she pulled the soft cloth of the invisibility cloak away from the large male hand that was now entwined with her own. That hand was soon followed by the revealing of a robe-clad body as George made his presence fully known. "Hello."

Despite the strange wake-up call, Live smiled, sitting up and reaching for him. He grinned and gladly embraced her, sitting on the edge of the bed as she pulled herself into a sitting position to better hug him.

"You have to tell me how one can do that…" he whispered in her ear, hugging her close.

"Do what?" she asked, pulling away and looking at him with quirked brow.

He grinned at her amusedly. "You're hard to sneak up on."

She grinned. "Survival instinct…I've been pranked too many times not to have it in me…" He chuckled and she hugged him close again in the darkness of the wing. "What're you doin' sneaking around anyway?" she whispered softly into his ear, her voice amused in the least. She was utterly happy to see him.

"Being sneaky," he replied, grinning as he let her go a little in order to look at her again. He put a hand to her face as if to check her for wellness, or just to touch her, she wasn't sure, and didn't really care. "You look so much better now." His eyes held a serious concern that caught her off guard.

"I look like crap," she whispered, causing him to chuckle. She hugged him close yet again, laying her cheek on his shoulder. "Could use a shower…"

He held her tightly, nuzzling her head with his own. "I could nick a bathtub for you if you'd like?" She chuckled with the knowledge that he'd probably actually do it if she liked. She was so pleased to just be with him and near him, feeling his warmth. "Or there's always the option of a sponge-bath…"

She lifted her head off his shoulder to grin at him with refusal. His eyes caught her own, and she couldn't look away, but felt suddenly very sad. He put his forehead to her own while holding her close.

"You're alright…" he said, more for his well-being than hers. He stroked her cheek and kissed her nose. "I can't believe you're alright."

She smiled, and moved closer. "Thanks to you…" she whispered gratefully, cuddling close to his chest. She inhaled his scent and wrapped her arms tight around his waist, keeping him close to her. Not sure if it was due to still being half asleep, or just glad to see him, she just needed him near. "There's so much I need to-"

"Not right now, Live," he whispered, keeping her close. "Not now."

She kept herself close against him, listening to the beating of his heart and the rhythm of his breathing, allowing her eyes to close and absorb all his presence about her.

He was practically beside himself with relief when she'd opened her eyes. He'd been too late to visit her while she was awake after his detention, but nicking Harry's invisibility cloak proved just as good. At least this way, they were alone, and he didn't have to worry about his time with her being intruded upon. Madam Pomfrey didn't exactly make rounds in the middle of the night, so he didn't have to worry about being kicked out and harped on by the warden. Besides, he had Harry's invisibility cloak.

And he'd been so worried. Still worried about her. Terribly relieved, overjoyed that she was obviously glad to see him, a bit confused, but still anxious for her well-being. He was greatly pleased to see her awake and conscious, and to be able to hold her in his arms. And even better, this time she didn't fight him. That in its own confused and excited him to no end.

"…stay with me for awhile…?" she asked into his chest, tired again, but not ready for him to depart her.

He smiled with great satisfaction and settled next to her on the bed so he could hold her properly in his arms. She snuggled up to him, minding her injured arm, and nuzzled her face into his neck affectionately, twirling her fingers in his hair. He wrapped an arm around her, and she relaxed into him, breathing deeply in utter contentment.

"…thanks George…"

He kissed the top of her head and gave her a squeeze, entwining his fingers with one of her hands and kissing the back of her palm. She smiled to herself, tired, but pleased. She felt very content, happy, and relaxed with him, and moreover, she felt safe. Ignoring the aches and pains in her body, she hugged him tightly once more, and placed a kiss on his neck with a self-satisfied smile.

He grinned to himself in utter satisfaction. "What's that for?" he whispered, laying his head upon her own.

"…everything…"

He smiled and gave her a light pat. She moved around a moment more while getting more comfortable before settling close against him on his chest. A few moments passed, and the sound of even breathing told George that she had fallen back asleep. He smirked, pleased, and mused in his own thoughts until he, too, fell prey to sleep.

sSs

Live woke rather suddenly from deep slumber. She realized she was alone the moment she opened her eyes, and that George was gone, which she supposed was good since right at that moment Madam Pomfrey stuck her head around the corner, looking at Live speculatively.

"Everything alright, Miss Hunter?" she asked, eyebrow raised as she came around the bedside.

Live rubbed her eyes and sat up. "Yeah, why?" she asked groggily.

Madam Pomfrey looked her over again, almost suspicious. Live just regarded her sleepily, dazedly looking at her as she tried to wake herself up more. "I thought I heard…" She looked at Live pensively as the Slytherin witch just yawned. "Get your rest Miss Hunter."

Live nodded, watching the agitated mediwitch take her leave.

She huffed, blinking, the light hurting her eyes. Whoever invented morning should be dragged into the street and shot.

A little noise beside her bed caught her attention, and she felt her palm suddenly clasped by a warm hand. She frowned in slight sleep-addled confusion.

"Man she's a quick one…Almost caught me," George's whispered voice came close to Live's ear. "…sorry for jarring you," he added, "but I had to jump and hide under the bed…And let me tell you, the floor is not half as comfortable as it looks." She smirked to herself, and felt his lips through the invisibility cloak upon her cheek. "I'll see you later."

She smiled in his general direction. "…bye."

sSs

It was hours later when Live had given up trying to fall back asleep. She was well enough that she couldn't fall asleep in a strange place another day, so she'd been dying of boredom until Dumbledore came to visit her. He informed her of a few things, such as her change in magic-type, the very real danger she'd been in, and as decided by her head of house (and Head of Gryffindor as well), she was banned from the next Hogsmeade outing for being out after hours (although that wasn't so bad, considering George was banned from the next two as he had gone against McGonagall's wishes in the first place).

As well as feeling quite sheepish in the face of the world's greatest wizard, Live had been given a full bill of health in Dumbledore's opinion, as well as words of caution that she might feel strange for a few more days, especially around George, until she re-acclimated to her own magic. With that, he'd given her a kind smile that made her feel quite guilty for having snuck out of Hogwarts in the first place, and left her for morning tea, which he invited her to when she was feeling stronger.

Feeling quite guilty, she was mulling all this over when Ginny came into the wing with a smile and arms laden with books. Apparently she'd been pulling a Hermione at the library.

"And how are you today?" she asked pleasantly, smiling into Live's face.

"More bored than you could ever believe," she replied with a smile.

"We're all so glad you're okay, you have no idea," Ginny immediately gushed. It made Live's smile widen. "Of course, the whole school knows, or at least, they think they know, as usual. Are you really alright?"

"I'm fine, Ginny, just really very tired."

"That's how George was the first few days. Mum's in a right fit of it, from what Ron's told me about her letters, and the howler, of course," she grinned, "but George is fine now."

"I know, he was here last night." Ginny gave Live a funny look, and raised an eyebrow at her with speculation. "Shuddup Ginny, you know I don't mean like that…"

A light laugh escaped her throat. "Sure sure, whatever you say. No details though, alright? He _is _my brother. But otherwise, good for you, but keep him in line, will you?" she asked. Live looked heavenward for help, causing Ginny to giggle. "Soooo…what were you two up to then? And don't tell me anything that'll give me nightmares!"

"…nothing…although you might want to let Harry know that George has been nicking that invisibility robe of his." She smirked.

Ginny made a mental note. Allowing George to sneak around the castle more than he already did would cause him to be The menace to Hogwarts society…She'd give Harry a proper smack for allowing it, too.

"Oh, did you hear about Harry's letter from-," she dropped her voice low, "Sirius?" Live shook her head, and a wide grin took Ginny's face. "Remember how you told me that Tonks said something like the panty raid had taken place before she had gone to school at Hogwarts?" Live nodded. "Well guess who made the law necessary?"

Live's smirk was identical to the one on Ginny's face. "Sirius?" she asked with incredulity.

Ginny nodded with a grin. "You wouldn't believe what they had done! All of them! Remus too, apparently," she said, her grin growing wider in amusement.

"Shut up!" Live said in disbelief. "_Lupin_? But he's so, well, not like Sirius-"

"I know, but Harry says Sirius says Remus sometimes came up with the ideas!" She grinned, still tickled pink by such information. It was too amusing to think about. "Well, long story short, Harry's own _parents_ were one of the first couples to have been subjected to that marriage law! Just think!" she laughed. "Harry's dad stole Harry's mum's knickers, and they eventually got together because of it, right up until, well…" her voice became somber in reference to Harry's parents' murder. "Harry thought it was quite a bit of a laugh, really…"

Live rolled her eyes in amusement. "That's rich," she said with a grin. Ginny regarded Live with a certain thinking expression, and Live looked her square in the face, receiving her immediate attention. "Ginevra Weasley don't you think for a minute that I'm gonna start popping out world-saving evil-defeating babies with that brother of yours," she said in reference to Harry's own existence.

Ginny just grinned. "I do recall George saying something about little nieces and nephews-" She was interrupted by Live's snort. "Oh come on, I know how bad you want babies, even if you say you hate children. So don't act like you don't."

Live looked at Ginny guardedly. "Did he put you up to this?"

Ginny only shrugged. "It's no great secret that George fancies you, you know…" she commented. Live felt color rising to her cheeks. "I mean, he's never been so focused on teasing anyone else before," she said with a half-smirk.

"…Ginny…"

"_Anyways_," she remarked, more seriously, "you are getting better, aren't you? I heard Dumbledore himself said you were alright."

"Yeah," she said, grateful for the change of subject. "But he told me I might feel weird for a few days…"

"Well you already _look _weird…" Ginny smirked.

"Oh shut up."

"Ha, but how so weird? You're not going to randomly levitate in class are you? 'Cause that happened to Zacharias Smith one time after he was ill…Although I wouldn't say the prat doesn't sometimes deserve it," she noted.

"No, nothing like that…" She studied her hands. "He said I might be feeling strange due to George's magic…"

"Oh goodness, you're not going to start blowing things up are you?"

Live laughed, "Not anymore than usual," she said with a grin. Then more seriously, "No, he told me that because of what happened over the summer at the lake-"

"The one by our house?"

Live nodded, "-and also because me and George were touched by that thing- the wraith, I mean- and because his magic now flows in my veins…" She colored a bit, heat rising to her face.

"What?"

She looked at Ginny covertly, her voice secretive. "Remember that-" she shuddered, "-sorta sex talk Snape gave me…?"

Ginny's hands went to her mouth, eyes wide with shock. "Did Dumbledore--?!"

"He told me I might be more 'attracted' to George." She used her fingers as air quotes as she said it, and Ginny looked halfway between scandalized and wickedly amused. "Like a magnet," she added quickly, unbidden color rising to her face even more. If it hadn't been Dumbledore, Live might have even found it amusing. But the thought that she'd basically gotten two sex talks from two teachers she'd rather not associate such a thing with…well, it quite put her off.

"…So Dumbledore thinks your shared magic is gonna make you act all weird towards him?" she asked, trying to understand the exact workings.

"Basically…" Live admitted.

"Good for you, you need a push," Ginny said with a little self-satisfied grin.

Live only sighed. What she didn't tell Ginny was that she was already confused as all hell when it came to George, and if magic was now involved, just how much could she trust herself and decoding her emotions? It was like being in a minor drunken haze that she would sober from _very _slowly. She didn't want to do anything that she'd later regret, and that included leading George on into something that would eventually end badly for the both of them.

Dumbledore had said that their like silver magic-types, thanks to the wraith, was a natural binding instrument in itself, and George had given quite a lot of himself for their plan in saving her to succeed. So if she felt a little pull towards him, it would most likely be due to the like magics calling out to one another like the proverbial magnets. It was quite a common side-effect in magical transfusions.

He had also said 'when we do things for those we love, and sacrifice in the name of amity, there is created a powerful unseen bond that can begin a basis for the greatest of lifelong friendships.' And she knew that George had definitely sacrificed enough already…She just didn't want anything she felt to be because of some fleeting magical byproduct.

"Why aren't you dating him?" Ginny asked bluntly. Live looked as shocked as if Ginny'd thrown ice cold water on her.

"What?"

Ginny rolled her eyes in thought. "George fancies you- don't look at me like that, he does! You can see it in his eyes if not the way he acts around you." Live became very interested in her hands. Ginny took them between her own, getting the elder girl's attention. "Look, I'm not saying this because it would be wickedly cool to have you in the family, nor because Ron would have a veritable fit to be relatives with a Slytherin," she grinned, "but because I can just tell. And I know you fancy him, Live," she added slyly.

"…Ginny."

"And you _are _very stubborn," she added matter-of-factly. Live just stared at Ginny with warning. "You deserve to be happy, Live. And as crazy as even the thought of it is, I think George makes you happy." Ginny looked at her trying to reason the pure absurdity of her own statement.

Live half-smiled, studying her hands once more. "Ginny, do you remember back in, I believe it would be your second year, that there was this guy, Bradley, Brady…I dunno- he was a seventh year…well anyways, do you remember him being tied to the quidditch goal posts before the first game of the season?"

Her face was scrunched up, thinking. "I think I remember something like that…Yeah!" She grinned. "He was tied up there in only his underwear…And I think they'd written nasty things on him. Good prank though."

"And then there was another time that same year that that girl got found in her underwear in Green House three, all caught up in the vines of those dangerous plants…"

"Neville brings that up sometimes, actually. Venomous tentacula and the like, I remember that."

Live looked at Ginny speculatively, trying to relate the problem. "_He _was Captain of the Slytherin quidditch team and _she _was a Gryffindor prefect. And two of the nicest people I think I've ever met. They'd been going out, were even gonna get married after graduation from what I'd heard, but they broke up because of all the crap people were pulling on them…And not just mean stuff, but dangerous stuff. And all the lies and rumors…"

"Live, no one would be like that with you and George. It's different. People _like_ you guys. For some strange reason," she added with a smirk. Live half-smiled.

"Slytherins and Gryffindors loathe each other on principle, Ginny. You said it yourself; Gryffindors are not fond of Slytherins. You know that as well as I do."

"That's just old house rivalry speaking," she decided, brushing off the statement. "You and Kelena have no problem getting along, and _I _certainly haven't cursed you recently," she said with a smirk that didn't promise she wouldn't, making Live halfheartedly grin. "You know most of the Gryffindors whose opinions would matter. Besides, I don't think anyone would even try to get the drop on you anyway. You're both too crafty."

"You think they'd let something like that go unchallenged?" she responded, speaking in representation of Gryffindor House and Slytherin. "You know how this school thrives on gossip and scandal and the stuff that comes out of the general boredom…Just look at this year so far…I don't want any friendships getting hurt over anything this stupid school has to offer up. Slytherin wouldn't let it be."

She was afraid, too, that it might end in more than damaged reputation. She already knew that there had been rumors that she was sleeping with everyone from Slytherin House to Gryffindor (although she didn't care as _she _knew it wasn't true), yet she'd already gotten scathing words and into an actual shouting match with Melinda Harris more than once in their commons, and she still wasn't sure what that was about. And people were becoming more ballsy in terms of pranks and revenge now that they were getting older. Just last week Rebecca had gotten into a nasty duel with a seventh year Gryffindor girl after she'd only made a remark about how one of the Gryffindor guys had asked her out for more than a cup of tea. Rebecca ended up with a broken arm (although Madam Pomfrey fixed that) and the guy in question had received a cursed sneakoscope in a Gryffindor retaliation. Live certainly didn't want anyone getting hurt, nor did she want any such thing on her conscience. It was gang mentality, and Live didn't like it.

She just didn't want to hurt George or their friendship (if one could term it that way). And there was also the fact that she still didn't like the idea of forced marriage, which would make any sort of relationship with him awkward in the least. And there was also a million-and-one other uncertainties in her mind that she just didn't want to face, even if she had to at some point in her life. But better later than sooner.

Ginny looked at Live point blank, locking green eyes. "He _loves_ you," she said bluntly. Live felt as though her heart was being clenched by an invisible fist, all the air having been sucked from her lungs. "I can see it in his eyes and especially when he teases you all the time. He loves you, Live. And I know you fancy him just as much, even though you try to hide it so desperately," she told her wisely. "I know it when I see it, and it's okay to like him back."

Live had a strained, nearly panicked look on her face.

Ginny sighed, all thought-out. "I think it's been enough beating-around-the-bush with you two. Just give it a chance, eh? You both deserve to be happy, so just tell the rest of the school to fuck-off and get on with it," she said determinedly, picking up her books and hopping off the bed.

Live watched, mouth agape, as Ginny left the wing without so much as a goodbye.

It didn't offend Live as she was too stunned by Ginny's words to even care. After the initial shock wore off, she sat up and pulled her hair back, brushing it with her fingers. She decided it was time to get out of the hospital wing and back to where it was safe and she could truly mull things over. Time to convince Madam Pomfrey she was well enough to get the hell out.

sSs

"Okay, so five seconds for the frogs the escape the box," Kara commented after sending yet another chocolate frog to its doom in the Gryffindor fireplace. "That's a record."

"Kara, I know I've said it before, but you're quite warped," Kel remarked from her seat on the couch with Fred. She was trying to play hangman with him on the notepad in her lap, but he kept drawing naughty pictures, which she hastily threw into Kara's fire lest someone see.

"It's for research purposes," Kara remarked, noting her findings on a sheet of parchment.

"Just what bearing does chocolate frog murder have for the research?" Kel asked, yoinking her notepad out of Fred's hands as he smirked at the quite explicit, lewd drawing he did. Kelena flushed.

"Entertainment," she commented. "Lee!" Kara hollered to the boy trying to get through his healer essay.

"What what what?" he asked, looking up with frustration.

"Can you toss me the pop rocks?"

A small colorful bag flew across the room at Kara's face. She grinned, having purposely worked to annoy him this morning, and having had quite a success so far.

"Thank you!"

He grumbled back to her as she opened the bag and poured it into her mouth, then, surprising a chocolate frog out of its box, she shoved it into her crackling mouth. She made a strange face, and chewed a few times, shivering as she swallowed.

"Okay, that's so far the freakiest sensation I've managed to make. Here, you gotta try this!" she said with determination, turning to Ron and Harry who were immersed in what Ron was referring to as the Wizard Chess Finals.

"Um, we're kinda busy," Ron said as his queen lopped off Harry's knight's head.

Kara, paying him no mind, ripped open another bag of pop rocks and a chocolate frog, took Ron's chin in her hand ("Gerroffme!") and shoved both articles in his mouth.

"Chew!" she suggested happily. He did so, making a face so disgusted that Harry laughed despite himself. "Isn't that the weirdest thing you've ever felt?"

Ron gave her a mean grimace in response.

"You wanna try Harry?" Kara asked with a hopeful grin.

"Um…Do I have to?"

"Kara, don't you have Neville's order to fill?" Lee asked from the table, saving Harry from her experiments. Lord knows he knew how it felt to be the guinea pig.

"Nah, he's good," she said, momentarily distracted. She went into her book bag and pulled out a ledger, going over her accounts. "_Leeeeee_?"

He looked up, knowing that whine. She obviously wanted something. "What?"

"Could you help me with the toffee traps _pleeeeeeease_?"

"If I don't finish this essay Madam Pomfrey won't pass me into the-"

"_Pleeeease_ Lee?" Kara gave him a full, toothy grin which he tried to ignore.

"Go on and help her, mate," Fred said with a wicked wink in Lee's direction. Kel smacked him, and he grinned, looking down at her. "I have something _you _could help _me _with, Kel," he added with a smirk.

"Shut it," she snapped, looking about to see who'd heard that.

Ginny came popping through the portrait hole, arms laden with books, looking quite overworked. Kelena looked up in interest, throwing Fred off her (as he had his arms quite entangled about her) and jumping up to greet Ginny.

"Did you get my book for me?" she asked quickly.

"Yes yes…geez, you're more pushy than Hermione sometimes…"

"I heard that!" the witch in question said, coming down the stairs. "Did you get the books I asked for?" she asked excitedly.

"Ginny are you running a delivery service?" Harry asked, looking up as his rook was destroyed by Ron's bishop.

"More like a book club," Kara murmured, looking through her ledger with scrutiny. "Lee! We're missing a- oh, wait, here we go…"

"Here Hermione," Ginny said, handing the fifth year a stack of books. "And this one is yours, Kelena."

"Why is Ginny getting your books for you?" Ron asked, finally interested in what his little sister was doing anywhere near the library.

"Well Hermione's reached her limit- _again_," she said, looking at the bushy-haired witch already flipping through pages, "And Kelena's currently banned due to indiscre- _gufugaamffrrrmm_." Kelena had a hand clasped over Ginny's mouth, looking at Fred accusingly. He only grinned, and she glared evilly at him.

"Madam Pince is out to get me…let's leave it at that…" Kelena said quickly. "Ow!"

Ginny had sunk her teeth into Kelena's hand. "Suffocate me why don't you!" she gasped, glaring daggers at Kelena who was holding her hand indignantly.

"Bite me-." Kelena suddenly stopped, realizing the irony of her words. A chomping noise came from near the fireplace, and Kara was grinning with large exposed teeth in a gorilla-like grin. It made Lee laugh. "What are you laughing at Mr. Mediwitch?" Kelena snapped. Fred suddenly became subject to loud guffaws, and Lee knew he would be hearing the 'endearment' quite more from now on.

"You just missed the most disturbing sight!" Dean Thomas declared as he hopped into the common room.

"I thought you and George were behind it, but guess not," Seamus said to Fred, following Dean in.

"George has detention, remember?" Hermione informed.

"What happened?" Fred asked, his interest roused.

"Malfoy on the fifth floor-"

"-with _breasts_!"

"And a low-cut shirt!"

"Ewww!" Kara declared.

"I know."

"At first we thought it was Parkinson-"

"-but her breasts don't look anything like that-"

"Ew ew!" Ginny grimaced as she buried her face disgustedly into her hands. Kara made gagging noises. Ron looked sick.

"Yeah, Parkinson's got little nothing-bumps-"

"While Malfoy's looked more like-"

"HEY!" Kelena spat, covering her chest as Dean's eyes began to wander. Fred was beside himself with laughter. Everyone was now interested in the specific size and shape of Kelena's breasts.

"The best part was the catcalls," Seamus added after his fascination with Kel's own chest.

"Even by his own house-mates," Dean said with a grin. Fred was holding his sides laughing, and Kara had long since stuck cotton-candy pellets in her ears. This was something she did not want to have dreams about.

"Whistles and everything…"

"Perhaps we _should _start pimping-out Malfoy?" Fred managed to get out amidst laughter, looking at Lee with a wicked expression. Kara _had_ given them Malfoy-pimping papers, after all.

"That's just….wrong," Lee commented, long forsaking his essay.

"Disgusting…even if it's Malfoy…" Hermione noted, a sour look on her face.

"Brilliant!" Harry declared, grinning. "Who's behind it?"

"Who knows?" Dean said with raised hands.

"Who _cares_?" Seamus rephrased, a smirk on his face, eyes continually wandering back to Kel's guarded breasts.

"I want to send them flowers!" Fred announced with great amusement.

"You never send _me_ flowers," Kel stated, hands on hips indignantly. "Eyes to my face, Finnegan!"

Seamus grinned.

"That's just gross, Seamus," Ginny remarked, her own expression quite sour looking. Malfoy with breasts Kel's size was just….wrong.

"Eyes to Kelena, Finnegan!" Fred declared in seeing Seamus look his little sister over appreciatively.

"HEY!" Kelena's breasts were covered by her indignant hands.

"I hope Creevey got pictures…" Dean said thoughtfully, now poking at the pink fluff that had sprouted from Kara's ears. She looked like her ears had pink-afros.

The entire common room was engulfed in laughter and Kelena's shrieks due to prying male eyes. Somewhere along the line, someone broke out a case of butterbeer (compliments of Neville's root beer fixation) and the room burst into an impromptu party.

"I can't study like this…" Hermione murmured, getting up and escaping to her dorm as she was spritzed with a shaken butterbeer bottle.

Kara happily sat creating chocolate homicide and taking notes as the boys began re-creating the experience, chuckling and laughing, hopping about on the couches. Ginny and Kel began comparing breast size, and Harry and Ron were joining in the catcalls as Dean poofed the front of his robes out in an imitation of Malfoy. Lee was downing butterbeer like it was his last meal, and several others had come down from their dorms to participate in the fun.

And through the midst of everything, Lee's poor essay remained unwritten and sodden with butterbeer and candy confections, everyone forsaking their prior engagements and having an all-out party.

Kara made a subsequent killing in sales.

sSs

Live plunged her arms into her robes, fully dressed in her prior clothing and ready to kill George next time she saw him as due to her lack of underwear beneath her skirt. Her back was to the rest of the wing for what privacy she garnered, having had experience with 'deck-changing' due to many swim competitions and beach outings. She really didn't even need that, but she wasn't about to flash her duds to anyone else who might be residing in the hospital wing.

She gathered up the cards and candies her friends had left for her, shoving them into her book bag at the side of the table. She thought it much heavier than usual, but realized she was just that weak. And she had to put on a good show for Madam Pomfrey, and she highly doubted the elder witch would turn her away if she seemed well, especially as she was fully dressed and ready to leave.

Composing herself, she walked out behind the curtain and approached the back of the wing where she knew the mediwitch's office to be.

"Madam Pomfrey?" she asked, not seeing her anywhere.

"I'll be with you in a moment, Miss Hunter," she said from behind a curtain. Live couldn't see her, but she did see her silhouette, as well as that of another witch who sounded quite the nasty little thing.

"Um, I was just wondering if I could go?" she asked hopefully.

"What?" She sounded astonished that Live would even request such a thing. She angled her head around the curtain to look at the Slytherin witch.

"Please, I feel just fine," she said with a smile, holding herself with quite-feigned strong composure. "And I'm soooo bored just sitting," she added with a little hopeful smile- the same one Kara used on her when she wanted something.

"Miss Hunter, I highly doubt you're strong enough to leave this wing on your own," she said with skepticism, a frown etched in her features.

"I swear I feel wonderful," she lied, smiling. Actually, she was dying to put her damned book bag down.

"No, not on your own," the graying-haired witch replied, going back to her patient at hand.

"What if I have someone escort me?" Live quickly asked, desperate. "I'm sure Hermione wouldn't mind," she suggested coolly. She needed a word with her level-headedness anyway, and figured the bushy-haired witch was close by, as Ginny had just come from the library.

"I think an escort would be perfectly agreeable," she noted from behind the curtain. Live grinned in triumph. "It so happens Mr. Malfoy can escort you back to your commons, where I'm _sure_ he'll stay out of trouble for the rest of term."

Live frowned, confused. Malfoy? "Um…"

Madam Pomfrey came round the curtain, looking quite agitated, and following her was indeed Malfoy. He sneered at Live with those cold, blue eyes, and she just looked back at him mildly confused. She could have sworn she'd seen a _girl's_ silhouette behind that curtain…

It caused her to shudder. Just when had he gotten here, and how much did he see when she'd been changing? She wanted to vomit out of principle.

"Actually, I think Ginny's waiting for me outside, Madam Pomfrey," Live lied through her teeth, no longer paying attention to the ferret-git.

"Nonsense Miss Hunter. Mr. Malfoy is perfectly capable of returning you both to your commons," she said while bustling around with several bottles. "And as a prefect, I'm sure he'll be on his _best_ behavior and have no more mishaps with the other students," she added, shooting Malfoy a warning look about getting his fool self cursed again.

He acknowledged her coldly, his silence taken by Madam Pomfrey as agreement.

Live looked at Malfoy with displeasure, and turned to again address Madam Pomfrey's back. "But Madam Pomfrey…!"

The mediwitch turned, examining Live with scrutiny. "Miss Hunter, I think you're in need of at least another day's rest here."

Live frowned, but realized that her bag was still on the floor, and she wasn't standing up quite as straight and haughtily as she normally would- indicators to the elderly witch that she wasn't half as well as she claimed.

Live hoisted her bag up onto her shoulder, standing up straight, and acted hurt, as if Madam Pomfrey had offended her. "Madam Pomfrey, please," she said as if the mediwitch's diagnosis was all wrong. "Ginny's right outside and I have several things to do," she said with import.

Madam Pomfrey looked at her with disbelief. "What can possibly be more important than your health, Miss Hunter?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Malfoy grin. She wished the little ferret would leave already.

"Please?" she begged with Kara's own grin, yet still trying to retain some form of intimidation to Malfoy. It was a hopeless combination.

"Take these, Miss Hunter, one every month until they're gone," she directed, handing Live the bottles she'd been snatching up. "And until then, _Mr. Malfoy _can escort you back to your commons- _and your commons directly_. I want you resting, Miss Hunter." She said the last part almost in threat denying the blond witch to go and visit with her friends. She needed rest, and no one knew it better than Live herself. She conceded, figuring she'd ditch the little worm-eating prat the second they were outside the wing, and vice versa.

"Alright," she said as if it were a big sacrifice she was making.

"Good then. The both of you stay out of trouble for the rest of the term!" Madam Pomfrey demanded, going back to her work. Live quickly turned on her heel, no intention of waiting for Malfoy or even putting up a pretense that she would go with him. The second they were outside, she slowed her pace to one more comfortable for her weak limbs, and found that footsteps were shadowing her own.

"What are you doing, Malfoy?" she spat behind her with a look, not liking the way he was indeed looking at her.

"Following Madam Pomfrey's instructions," he said acidly, coming to walk beside Live with obvious intention of not bothering to help her.

"Get lost," she commanded, quickening her pace even though her body told her to take a sit-down. She just needed a friendly face, then she'd ditch his ass.

He quickened his own stride, a smirk of superiority on his face. "You don't look like you'll last ten minutes more," he commented pompously, observing her in a way that made her feel most uncomfortable.

"You won't last five if you don't get out of my face," she ground out, angry and tired to boot. Her book bag was biting into her shoulder, and she was very tired, trying not to pant as if she'd been running. She felt for her wand in her pockets, wanting to curse his mouth shut. "Jason!" Live exclaimed happily, seeing Putterly in the corridor, looking rather amusedly at Malfoy. He wasn't exactly what she'd hoped for, but he was a friendly face at least.

"'Allo, Live," he said with surprise. "What are you doing with _that_?" he asked, giving Malfoy a noncommittal look.

"He was just leaving," she said acidly, looking at the blond-haired ferret boy with ire.

"None of your business, Putterly," Malfoy spat dangerously, staring down the elder boy with a sneer. He took a hold of Live's arm, who looked at him with a mixture of abject disgust, and surprise that he'd dare touch her.

"Get off," she demanded, shaking his hand off her.

"What do you think you're doing, _Miss_foy?" Putterly challenged with a knowing smirk. "And what happened to those breasts? To think, the caster put so much work into thinking up that spell…" he noted dolefully.

Malfoy raised his wand at Putterly. "Call me that again and I'll make you eat those words."

Live was confused, but not dim enough to not have put two-and-two together. She _had_ seen a girl's silhouette in the hospital, only, apparently, it had been Malfoy who had had jugs just as large as Kelena.

"Get moving," Malfoy commanded to Live, his wand still trained on Putterly.

Live scoffed. "The hell I'm going with _you_."

He moved his wand to her, and Putterly took a step forward. "I'm a Prefect, Putterly, and as I think you might have noticed, _you're_ wandless," Malfoy said with an evil grin. Putterly frowned at him. He wished he'd requested express owl service from Ollivanders for his repaired wand. "Besides," Malfoy said nonchalantly, as if completely unthreatened by the seventh year before him, "Madam Pomfrey directed _me_ to get her back to our commons," he motioned to Live, "and I think I can do it without scum like you trailing at my boots."

Putterly looked hard-pressed to leave her, but Live didn't want the nasty little git harming him, nor did she really believe she would hold up more than a minute should she decide to duel him in her weakened state.

She glared, and in a swirl of robes left them both in her dust as she took long, purposeful strides away from the both of them, deciding to do her own thing if not a little more hurriedly than she should be moving.

She knew Malfoy was on her heels, and didn't know Putterly's course of action, but she _was_ fully aware that a secret passage was up ahead (one that would get her closer to the dungeons and away from Malfoy), and she quickly slipped into it, not even stopping her pace until she was out the other side, only a few minutes away from the dungeons.

Out of breath, tired, and dirty, she emerged into the darkened corridor that hid the passage so well. She felt victorious, and figured a shower her well-deserved reward for both making it and ditching the agitating git.

The bag at her side was now unbearably painful to hold, and she lowered it to the ground, leaning against the stone wall to stand, breathing heavily, her legs shaking with fatigue. She held out her hand and watched it shake ever so slightly, and retrieved a bottle from her bag, figuring that whatever Madam Pomfrey had given her, it would at least help with _that_.

"Thought you got away from me, did you?" a voice full of arrogance and condescension addressed her. She lifted her head to see cold eyes staring down at her from ridiculously platinum hair.

"Fuck off Malfoy," she said off-handedly, busying herself with trying to open the corked bottle.

"Tsk tsk, such a nasty tongue," he commented dryly, taking a step towards her and leering. "Maybe someone should show you how to use it properly."

She glared at him with open disgust and surprise, eyes not without a bit of fear. He was bigger than her, and in a state of health stronger than she was. But it wouldn't stop her from defending herself. Her free hand went for her wand in her pockets, and in that moment he pinned her wrists to the wall.

"_Take. Your. Hands. Off. Me_," she said with slow venom, enunciating every word with controlled fury. She tried to shake him off, even kicked at his shins, but found herself far too weak, or he stronger than she had taken him for. He squeezed her arm that was bandaged from the still-healing wolf bite, and she winced in considerable pain.

"Not so tough on your own, are you, you filthy little half-breed?" he stated with self-satisfaction, a look in his eyes she did not like, but did, with horror, recognize. It was now that she realized he wasn't the stubby little first-year she always saw him as, but that he was quite taller than she, even for a fifth year, and quite stronger, preying on the weak- a trait that resembled too much that evil Death Eater father of his.

"You think you're so great because you're picking on someone weaker than you?" She actually had the nerve to laugh in his face. "You're so full of yourself," she said acerbically.

"Keep playing the way you are, and you will be, too," he told her in threat, rubbing up against her in a way which made her physically sick and panic. She paled more than she already was, fear and weakness multiplying within, and willed _anyone _out of their common room, which happened to be so close it was driving her mad. And another thing was driving her mad- just why the fuck was Malfoy doing this, and to her? She hated him, and he sure as hell didn't like her, and he loathed anyone less than pure blood, which she certainly was…It grossed her out and confused and frightened her, and she needed to reach her wand.

"You're pathetic," she spat.

Footsteps echoed off the stone, signaling someone coming. Live opened her mouth and screamed, but no noise came out. Malfoy's wand was out, and he had cast _silencio_ upon her, and was in the process of performing a sort of ward similar to the ones she sometimes used to deter people from entering her dorm.

"Holy crap! I left my potions book by the lake!" someone shouted in sudden remembrance, footsteps retreating quickly.

"Wait! I just remembered I have that essay on Herbology!" a girl shrieked, following after the footsteps.

Live was shouting at the top of her lungs, trying desperately to reach her wand. If she could get off one well-aimed curse…The really useful one Slytherin girls were first taught by the elder ones when they were sorted…But Malfoy had her arms pinned well against the wall, and her legs pinned with his thighs.

"Let's see what you have underneath those dirty muggle undergarments that Weasley is so fond of," he whispered in a nauseating way that caused Live's fury to explode. In a move in which he tried to clasp both her hands together with only one of his, Live brought Madam Pomfrey's bottle crashing down upon his head with such force the glass shattered and a gush of red immediately spurted from his head and onto the wall, his platinum hair turning crimson with his blood.

She kicked him in the groin to further release the grip he still held on one wrist, and ran to their commons as he was left doubled-over in pain, screaming the password in silence, but it was good enough for the damp stone wall, and she rushed like a blonde wind right through the common room until she was safe and warded within her dorm.

It was only after she'd been sitting for several minutes beneath hot, running shower water, fully-clothed, that she remembered to take the silencing charm off herself. Her weak sobs held no competition for the noise of the rushing stream.

sSs


	30. Conserve water, bathe with a friend

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 30: Conserve Water, Bathe with a friend

sSs

"Yooooou-whoooo! Oh Madaaam Pooooomfrey! I have something here for yoooooou!" George sang merrily, walking proudly into the hospital wing, holding a signed piece of parchment from McGonagall saying he could visit Live.

Madam Pomfrey was busy with something in her back office, but George happily walked right into what he knew to be Live's cubicle. The bed was made, linens starched. She was not in it.

"Madam Pomfrey?" he asked with sudden alarm, thinking the worst as he came popping back out to see the mediwitch. "Where's Live?"

"Calm down, Mr. Weasley," she said, feeling pestered enough for one day. "I sent her on her way with Mr. Malfoy back to their commons."

"Wha?" He looked dumbfounded.

"Don't make me repeat myself, Mr. Weasley," she told him crossly, busily moving things about in her personal stores.

"You let her out of her with _that_ prat?" he asked, completely astounded.

"As Prefect of her house he is perfectly capable," she said unconcernedly. "And stop huffing and puffing. I know there's no love lost between you boys but you must learn to grow up!"

"He's foul and rotten to the core! You let _him _take a sick patient out of here?" He couldn't believe it. How many times had he pestered Madam Pomfrey to be let out early when he was in every way _truly_ ready? Live was in no way, shape, or form ready to be let out. At least, not into Malfoy's assistance. She must have wanted out pretty badly, and worked that natural charm on the aging witch…She could have waited for George, or at least requested someone else.

"Mr. Weasley, you can see her when she is well enough to be out and about. Now please, try to stay out of trouble for the rest of the term," she said hopefully, although knew it was quite pointless. She'd be seeing another one in another week or so, she had no doubt. These kids and their magic these days…Godric help her.

George frowned and left the wing intent on seeing Live. He could get their password when it came time, but as of now he needed Harry's invisibility cloak which he'd put back before detention that morning.

He came to the portrait of the Fat Lady, and half-smirked. She looked in quite a good mood today, rosy cheeks, wry grin…he was certain it had everything to do with those wine-making monks from the picture close by.

"P-p-hee hee hee, password?" she asked, completely befuddled.

"Wiggly-foot," he said with a grin, wondering why she was in such good spirits today. Literally.

The portrait opened and he was immediately hit with a blast of music and a reek of alcohol. He grinned, all the more quickly jumping through.

"George!" he heard Lee cry most happily. He searched the crowded room for his friend amidst the noise and obvious partying.

"What's going on, and why wasn't I informed?" he asked with a grin. Lee slung an arm over his shoulder with a happy smile.

"You're my best mate, you know that mate? My _best_ mate!" he cried happily. George started laughing. Lee was so wasted…He looked around for the Creevey brothers, wanting a picture of this. He caught sight of Kelena as she jumped on the couch and went over the back of it, trying to escape her pursuer (part being played by his twin) who also went toppling behind the couch.

"Lee, what are we celebrating?" he asked with a grin, seeing the empty bottles littering the ground and the happy, smiling drunk faces of his fellows. Lee thought hard for a moment, seriously thinking. What _had_ they been celebrating, if anything? "Um, being Gryffindor?" he said with uncertain smile.

"Here mate, sit down," George said with a grin, propping him up on the edge of the table. Kara popped out from beneath it and sat next to Lee with a grin, tempting him with a toffee trap as George grinned, looking over the couch for his errant twin. "Oi, Fred!" he hollered over the music.

Fred looked skyward from sitting atop Kelena. "Yeah?" he asked with a mischievous look on his face. Kelena looked agitated. He had interrupted their snogfest, apparently.

"What is all this?" George asked with a grin, motioning largely with his hands to the music, the booze, the raunchy partying…Had he somehow died and gone to Gryffindor heaven?

"Um, it doesn't matter…Started cuz Malfoy has boobs as large as Kelena's," he said, motioning to the girl he was currently straddling.

"HEY!"

George rolled his eyes. Where in the hell were the Creevey's when you needed them?

He surveyed the common room, leaving his twin to his own sinister devices, as he remembered his purpose: obtain Harry's invisibility cloak.

He walked past a toffee-covered Lee and up the stairs to the boys dorms, but was unable to find Harry's cloak where it normally had been. He went back downstairs and located Harry sitting on the floor with Ginny. He decided Harry was probably the safest person Ginny was with in this whole crazy mess, so he didn't press.

"Oi, Harry, can I borrow your invisibility cloak?" he asked, the boy-who-lived giving him an inebriated grin.

"Sure!" Harry declared happily. He reached out to the side and grabbed at thin air, which turned out to be his invisibility cloak- and underneath were Ron and Hermione having quite a snogfest of their own. They each shrieked as Harry threw the cloak to George. He only grinned at them.

"Ginny, be good," he ordered, looking down at his baby sister with a petulant frown.

"Bugger off, George," she said off-handedly.

"And don't accept anything from Kara!" he added, looking at Lee who was encased in a ball of toffee. "Harry, keep an eye on her for me, okay?"

Ginny huffed indignantly, but Harry only grinned. "No problem!"

George took his leave- and Harry's cloak, feeling he had left Ginny in quite good hands- and made his way down, down through the castle towards the Slytherin dungeons. As he approached the entrance to their commons, he threw on the cloak. And that's when he saw what was unmistakably crimson blood spattered upon a stone wall.

He thought the worst and sprinted the small way to the Slytherin entrance. No one came out or went in for several minutes, and it was trying his patience. Someone finally did come out moments later, and it was the last person on Earth George wanted to see.

The Bat King of Slytherin himself exited their commons in a swirl of black robes. George made a face at him through the invisibility cloak, and Snape stopped, looking in his direction. George froze and held his breath. Although he was breaking no rules (yet), he was sure Snape wouldn't take kindly to him being so near the Slytherin dorms, and would probably dock him enough points for crimes he didn't (yet) commit that his grandchildren would be paying for it.

Snape drew his wand, and George withdrew his own beneath the cloak, ready for anything. Snape then came closer, inspecting the wall. George looked too, to see that there was even more blood spattered here. The potions master waved his wand and the blood vanished, the wall as dingy, dismal, and dank as if nothing had ever brightened its surface. He then pocketed his wand and went about his business.

George didn't exhale until Snape was long gone, and by then he was gasping. He had to impatiently wait yet again for his chance to slip in to common room, but was granted the favor as Pansy pug-face Parkinson exited the common room with Millicent Bulstrode.

"He thinks he can just have whatever he wants! Spoiled prat," Pansy was telling her friend with annoyance. "And I've never seen Professor Snape yell like that.…" George didn't wait to see whom they were talking about as he quickly slipped by them and into the Slytherin common room.

Malfoy was inside yelling at Crabbe and Goyle with an infuriated expression, and came near enough George that he could have easily smacked the little git upside the head if only for the sake of doing so. But the three of them left the common room, Malfoy bitching the entire way, and only George and the crackling of a small hearth fire were left.

He made his way easily to Live's dorm on the raised dais, but it took him more than ten minutes to undo her charms and wards. They were especially complicated (if he remembered from last time), and he'd had to recall a few things Bill had taught him about curse-breaking to be able to get in.

Finally gaining entrance, he found Live to be nowhere in sight, but he knew she had to be in there, otherwise she wouldn't have warded it.

The sound of running water caught his ears, and he approached the closed bathroom door, putting the side of his face to it. He knew she was in there. He could almost feel it. He smirked and very cautiously put his hand to the doorknob, opening the door very slowly. He was able to peek his head in amidst the steam, and saw the shower curtain oddly open, Live sitting under the running water with knees to her chest, fully clothed.

He opened the door all the way with a creak, utterly perplexed, the steam engulfing him. She suddenly had her wand pointed at the doorway, arm rigid, eyes wild.

George realized he was invisible, and flung off the cape. "Live, it's me," he stated flatly, looking into her eyes. He thought she looked in some sort of shock, her body in its own state of extreme exhaustion. Her breathing was irregular, her wand arm shaking with the strain of holing it up. "Live, it's _me_. George," he repeated as she didn't lower her wand.

Something passed through her eyes, and sudden anguish claimed her face as if the flood gates had just opened. She started sobbing, almost as if relieved, but still didn't lower her wand. He came closer, slowly, putting his hand on her wand-hand as he crouched down near to the edge of the tub. "Live…" He slowly entwined his other hand with the one still wrapped about her knees, water drenching him, and she let go of her wand, dropping it to roll down to the bottom of the tub with the running water.

He was watching her with deep concern, making slow movements so as not to spook her. "Live, are you alright? It's George." He moved to turn off the water, slowly getting the knobs as she sat there, the only noise being water circling the drain and the droplets that were dripping off her sodden form.

He wrapped his arms around her, trying to get her to stand, and she fought him with nearly involuntary movements, trying to jerk away from him as he assured her it was okay, and that he was there.

"What happened? Live, are you alright?" he asked with concern, studying her face as well as the rest of her, remembering the blood he had seen outside her common room. She looked him in the eyes, and an anguished sob broke from her lips. He peeled off her sodden robes, dropping them to the floor beside the tub as he opened up his own arms, wrapping her up in his robes. They were both quite wet now.

"…George…George…" She was crying now into his chest, great heaving sobs leaving her as he held her tightly. Her voice trembled, voice uncontrolled. "…he….he…."

George jerked, looking down at her. " 'He' who?" he immediately demanded, anger rising in his chest. If anyone had done anything to her…and then there was the blood…

He took her face in his hands and starting clinically inspecting her for injury. "If anyone laid a finger on you…" Something clicked in his mind, and he looked at her quite seriously, fury in his eyes. "…Malfoy…Did Malfoy do something to you?" Her sobs became deeper. "I'll kill him!" he exclaimed, letting her go to hunt down Malfoy and murder him.

She started weeping even more the moment he moved away from her, and he quickly went back, embracing her. She let her arms go around him and sobbed for some time more before she calmed considerably, succumbing to shivers. Her school clothes had long since lost their warmth, and now she was just standing in chilliness, holding close to George for warmth.

He cast a simple drying charm and got them fixed up quite quickly. He was petting her hair soothingly, holding her tight against him for comfort as well as to control himself against rushing out of there to murder Malfoy like he was dying to do, even if the blond haired ferret turned out not to be the culprit after all.

"…I'm alright now…" she breathed quietly against his chest, the sound of his heart and breathing soothing to her frayed nerves. Her legs felt weak, and she felt entirely exhausted. "…I need to sit down," she said, trying to slink right down him so she could sit on the floor, so exhausted she no longer had the strength to stand. She didn't care that there were puddles, or that she'd be sitting in her bathroom instead of a chair, she just needed to sit. Yes, sitting would be nice.

George held her up, not allowing her to slink to the floor, and then he lifted her into his arms as she gave a minor squeal of protest. "You're not gonna sit in here," he stated, taking her out of the bathroom. He knew she couldn't very well stand up on her own anymore. She was far too exhausted, and still much too weak.

He placed her down on the bed and disappeared back into the bathroom to retrieve her wand, setting it on her bedside table. She fell right back into her blankets, needing to lay down. She closed her tired, hurting eyes a moment, and then opened them to see his face above hers.

"Alright?" he asked with concern.

She nodded as he sat next to her, taking her bandaged arm in his hand. She just closed her eyes, tired, as he undid the bandage and mumbled a few spells he'd learnt from Lee, re-wrapping her forearm properly with cleaned material. She turned on her side away from him, and felt his hand on her waist.

"You going to tell me what's wrong?" he said inquisitively, his eyes inspecting her for any tell-tale signs of damage.

"...please George…I'm so tired…"

He knew that she certainly was. Exhausted was the word. And it was quite probable she didn't want to talk about it, and besides, he could wait.

"Just tell me something though…" he spoke to her back. She willed herself to listen even though her mind was already shutting down from sheer exhaustion. She felt his hand come to rest on her flank. "There was blood outside your common room…enough to worry over…"

She responded immediately through sheer fatigue. "It's not mine."

"Okay…" He watched her a few more moments in silence, keeping his hand upon her. He'd never seen her so defeated. "You want to sleep?" She jumped at the sound of his voice. She just _was_ asleep, and his voice had shocked her backawake.

She felt his arms encircling her waist, and herself being moved without her volition. She looked back at him, and he was putting her in her bed proper- not half-hanging off the bed like she currently was. He pulled off her shoes and pulled the blankets over her, settling in next to her in the bed with all gentle motions.

"George-"

He gave a her a look of annoyance at her noise of protest as he got into bed. "Live, I'm not leaving you until I find out what I need to, and I'm especially not going anywhere until you're strong enough to make me forcibly leave like you normally would _try_, so just get used to the idea, be quiet, and let me stay with you a while."

Her face was terribly flushed from his words as well as the determined look he was giving her. He wasn't going to leave if he wasn't ready, that was for damn sure.

"…no shoes in bed…" she finished timidly.

He felt color rising to his own cheeks, immediately realizing he'd misinterpreted her and that she really didn't mind for him staying with her. He grinned and kicked off his shoes as he climbed further into the bed, wrapping her in his arms and holding her close among the blanketing. She laid her head on his chest, listening to his heart and enjoying his warm, firm body next to hers, easily feeling the pull he had upon her. It lulled her so she had to fight hard with sleep.

"…why do you even bother with me, George…?" Her voice was very soft, inquisitive.

He looked down at her with furrowed brow, replying seriously, "Isn't it obvious?"

He thought he saw her mouth twitch in what would have been the beginning of a smile, but the only response he got was her even, rhythmic breathing. She was exhausted, emotionally and physically, and already fast asleep.

He inhaled her scent deeply, memorizing the feel of her curled up next to him. The sheer pull and draw she had upon him…He wanted to stay like this forever. Gently holding her close, he magicked the bed curtains closed around them, their surroundings engulfed in peaceful darkness.

sSs

"Ow, my head…"

Lee looked around with blurred vision, not recognizing his surroundings. He was, however, dying of thirst, and gladly accepted the glass that was being pressed to his lips.

Then he realized that it was Kara giving him the glass…

And that he was naked…

In her bed…

And she was next to him wearing only a towel, grinning…

He spit the water all over himself, half-jumping, half-falling out of the bed, taking the sheet with him in a human pile on the floor.

"Wow you're a deep sleeper," Kara observed, peeking at him over the edge of the bed. She grinned at him, and he looked horrified.

"Oh…Godric Gryffindor…_Why am I naked_?!"

His eyes went wide with sudden realization, staring at the fifth year laying across the bed. Kara only grinned, head resting on her hands as she looked down at him with pure delight.

"You mean you don't remember?" she asked with disbelief. He stood up quickly, the sheet nearly falling off. Kara giggled, eyes wide in appreciation.

"Oh my God your sister's going to murder me!"

Kara started giggling madly, but Lee just looked panicked. He couldn't find his clothes anywhere.

"Will you stop and help me find my clothes?!"

"They're in the prefect's bathroom on the fourth floor," she said with a grin.

"_What_?"

She giggled. "I can't believe you don't remember anything…I hope Creevey got pictures…"

He looked like he was going to burst a blood vessel, and on top of that he already had a splitting headache. "What are my clothes doing there?"

"Well after you got caught in that toffee trap, we got most of it off, but then you said you wanted to shower it off, and Ron led everyone to the prefect's bath for the rest of the party (oh, and by the way, you changed the password to 'Conserve water, bathe with a friend'- don't give me that look, it was _your _idea) and we _were_ partying there for awhile until you started swimming naked in the tub and nearly got us caught…"

Lee looked mortified.

"Although I suspect the Hufflepuff's didn't really mind…You did a pretty impressive dive, as they're calling it."

"_Hufflepuffs_?"

"But the Ravenclaws that were there seemed offended…But Parvati says that Padma says that the girls are all gossiping about you now…and it's not all _bad_ either." She winked at him, eyeing him up and down.

"…Oh good lord…" He wrapped the sheet tighter around himself. Kara was having a grand time just watching him.

"You're lucky that Fred got to you in time and that McGonagall didn't catch you running naked through the school though…She _did_ catch Seamus and Hannah Abbot snogging in the middle of the corridor, but she let them off with a warning…I don't think she realized how drunk they were. Too early in the day for such a thought, Seamus said. But you're bloody lucky."

Lee was sputtering with shock. "No. Way."

Kara grinned, not ceasing in her storytelling. "Good thing we took the passages. After Fred got you back in the tower, we decided to put you in here…him and Kelena are in your dorm." She mimed gagging herself in acknowledgement. "But I said I'd be glad to take care of you." She grinned, but Lee wasn't at all sure he wanted Kara to be the one caring for him.

"Well that doesn't explain why _you're_ in a towel," Lee sputtered, trying to connect the dots.

Kara shrugged. "You were already swimming about, and the tub uses so much water and bubbles when full…" He looked at her as if she were mad. She grinned widely. He let out a wild indiscernible noise, eyes wide. "Well that's what you said before you pulled me in!" she said indignantly, her own clothing lost somewhere in the prefect's bath. "And then pulled in Dean, and Parvati, and Katie, oh, and Neville, although I think he was a little perturbed by that…" she noted thoughtfully.

"I'm _naked_ in your _bed_!" Lee spat, freaking out.

Kara leant over the bed and patted his head. "There there."

Lee's eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he fainted. Kara only grinned, watching him for quite a long time before succumbing to pelleting him with cotton-candy pellets. She'd be entertained for quite a few hours.

sSs

"I just want to check on her before dinner…"

"Vivian, let her rest. Her curtains are closed. She's obviously trying to sleep. Naked, as is her way…"

"I'm willing to risk seeing her blindingly pale arse to check on her."

"Come on, we can bring her up a biscuit or something later. Don't disturb her."

"Madam Pomfrey said she'd have house-elves take care of all that…Anyways, I want just one look-see…I need to know she's okay…"

"Viv I don't think you should be- _Whose shoes are those?_"

Both girls were staring wide-eyed at the shoes which were unmistakably _not_ Live's. Vivian looked at Rebecca and Rebecca back at her. They each grabbed an edge of the curtains with trepidation, and spread them to look inside.

Live had blankets tucked all the way up to her chin, curled up next to an unbelievingly-Gryffindor male body. They gaped at the sight.

"Oi, close that, it's bright," George said sleepily through squinted eyes, his head slightly lifted off the pillow. They just gaped in raw shock, mouths open and jaws dropped. They couldn't believe what they were seeing. "I said shut it!" He chucked a pillow at them as each shrieked, the curtains falling closed as footsteps ran out of the dorm in disbelief and shrieked shock.

He settled back into the softness of the pillows, holding Live closer to him anew.

"…was that Viv an' Becca…?"

George grinned to himself in hearing her sleep-addled voice. She sounded out of it.

"Yeah. I got rid of 'em."

"Good."

George smirked despite himself, nuzzling her with a chuckle as she began snoring.

sSs

"Ginny, did you see what I did with Neville's book on advanced herbology?" Hermione asked Ginny as she rifled through her books. "Ginny?"

"Hmmm?" Ginny gave the bushy haired girl a dreamy look.

"Ginny, concentrate! I can't find that book anywhere!" Hermione was throwing things around the bedroom with haste, trying to find the book so she could finish it before returning it to Neville after dinner. After the party which had ensued and the many dorms she'd had to vacate and re-occupy, she had no clue where she'd left it- the common room excluded. "Ginny! Stop thinking about Harry and help me look!"

Ginny's attention immediately snapped to Hermione. "Don't take cheap shots off me! I saw you and Ron snogging like it was the end of the world! Maybe you should check the common room again!"

Hermione's face turned the color of Ginny's hair, and she went back to looking for Neville's book in silence. Ginny happily returned to her musings, interrupted once more as Kara burst into the room.

"'ALLO!" She grinned at both girls.

"Have you been sneaking showers in my dorm again?" Ginny asked, looking sideways at the towel-clad girl. "I told you to just borrow my shampoo instead."

Hermione's head popped up from under the bed, looking at Kara, face aghast. "What are you doing walking around like that? Where are your clothes?"

Kara grinned wide-mouthed. "I was hoping you'd get them back for me from the prefect's bath..." Hermione's face went red again. "I'd ask Ron, but he's already gone to dinner I think, and he wouldn't fetch my clothes for me anyway..."

Ginny grinned to herself.

"Oh, and Lee's too! He's naked in a sheet in the dorm!" she said with enthusiasm. Hermione looked near an apoplectic fit. "He was swimming naked, you know," Kara added sideways to Ginny, who only laughed.

"Kara! A naked seventh year _boy_ should not be in your bedroom!" Hermione scolded with horror.

"Please? I don't have another clean pair 'til tomorrow, and Fred and Kelena are still in _his _dorm!" she whined. "I need my robes!"

Hermione rolled her eyes, forsaking the search for Neville's book (for now) and leaving the dorm.

"Oh, and 'Mione, he's changed the password to 'Conserve wa-"

"I _know _what he's changed it to!"

sSs

Live woke from a dead sleep feeling somewhat restored, mild confusion as to whose leg was entwined with hers. A sleepy smirk claimed her face as she remembered it was George, and that they were tangled up in one another safe in the confines of her four-poster bed. She had no clue what time it was, or what day, or how long she'd been asleep for that matter. Perhaps it was Sunday, or maybe only an hour had passed. She really had no clue. But what she did know was that she thoroughly enjoyed being tangled up with George, his body close to hers and his arms wrapped around her as she slept. It made her feel warm and fuzzy inside, and she wasn't entirely sure it was due to the fact that she still shared his magic.

She knew at once that Ginny was right. Sometimes it was wonderful to just let go and not worry about what the rest of the world thought; allow someone else to be in control. There was something completely cathartic and refreshing in indulging in her impulses without thought, and not worrying about consequences or what it might cost her. Being reckless now and again was fun, but she always came back to her state of control.

And then there was George, the fiery red head she was curled up next to. He infuriated her and delighted her all at once- although she'd turn herself purple before admitting that to him. He always amused her or made her laugh, even if and sometimes especially when she was seemingly livid towards him. And even though he was a prankster at heart, she knew he was quite smart and could be very cunning when it came to outfoxing her. She'd be a fool to not admit that he definitely had her admiration, and in quite a few aspects.

Not to mention that he had a lovely, quidditch-toned beater's body that she couldn't help staring at from time to time…

And besides all that, she liked being so close to him, and moreover she _needed_ to be close to him. She still felt disgusted that Malfoy had even touched her, and the manner in which he had gained such an opportunity in her weakened state…it made her skin crawl, and she felt humiliated, disgusted, and shamed. She didn't think she could tell anyone the details of such a shameful deed done unto her- at least not yet. It was still too fresh in her mind. And she was far too angry about it as well. Revenge is a dish best served cold, and Live was feeling the veritable ice queen. He would pay, and pay dearly.

Shudders climbing directly up her spine, she moved closer to George, putting her hand in the collar of his shirt to feel his skin and warmth against hers. She needed to feel him; to replace the revolting touches Malfoy had wrought with George's own caresses, and to destroy any remaining sense of disgust her skin could still recall. She didn't like being alone with her thoughts.

"George?" she asked sleepily, looking at him. He showed no signs of waking, just snoring away, so she moved her hand to stroke his cheek gently, trying to rouse him. "Are you awake?"

He didn't move, but she had the sense that he wasn't in as deep a sleep as he seemed. She half-smiled, and kissed the side of his mouth. "George," she whispered, but he didn't change. She kissed the other side, and still caressed his cheek. She inclined her head to his ear, and put her cheek to his. "Faker."

She felt his hands slide up her arms to entangle in her hair, and she grinned as he looked up at her. "How did you know?"

"I'm Psychic," she teased with a smile. She rested her head in the crook of his neck while his hands massaged her head.

"Alright?"

She sighed. "…yeah. How long have I been asleep?"

"It's really early morning I think…or the middle of the night…It's after dinner, I know that much. A house-elf popped in earlier with yours, but you wouldn't wake up."

She grinned and looked at him. "And you didn't let it go to waste, did you?" He looked sheepish and grinned, and she kissed him on the lips. "I'm not hungry for food."

He raised an eyebrow. "Implying…?" She rolled her eyes and he grinned widely at her. "Tease."

She laid her head on his chest, sighing and hugging him close. "…George…"

"Huh?" He watched her, stroking her hair while holding her close. She sighed heavily, and he minorly frowned. Was she ready to tell him what was up? "You can tell me, you know, whatever it is…" She sighed again, thinking, gathering up her courage. He sat up, depositing her in the pillows while looking down at her as he stroked her face soothingly, coaxing her to tell him what she knew. "It's alright, you can tell me."

She looked down, and then back up to meet his eyes. "Touch me."

He stared at her blankly for a moment, then blinked. Surely he'd heard her wrong. "What?"

She averted her eyes, losing her courage and becoming more than a little embarrassed by her own request. "…I want you to touch me."

George looked positively thunderstruck, his mouth hanging open in shell-shocked disbelief. He half-smiled, certain he was hearing things. Maybe he was delirious himself. Or stuck in some wondrous dream. "Live I'm not sure if I'm hearing things correctly, but…did you ask me to _touch _you?" He was looking into her eyes, saw the seriousness reflected in them, the openness she was bearing him, and the lack of a cocky smirk on her face. His own eyes widened in greater shock when she nodded demurely. He started sputtering before any actual words were comprehendible, and he just stared at her with wide-eyed disbelief.

She half-smiled, and looked back at him. He was making the strangest face she'd ever seen, somewhere between agony and ecstasy. As if he had a million bottle rockets at his disposal and no match to light them with. "What?"

"I'm just trying to figure out if I'm dreaming or not…"

She let out a relieved little laugh and took his face between her hands, kissing his lips for a long moment. When she let him go, he was looking at her once again with complete bewilderment. She had him confused in every which way, and while he knew what he was feeling and what she was certainly doing to him, one thing puzzled him.

"Why?"

Guardedly, she looked into his eyes. "I just need to know that it's you…laying here, just here with me, nothing else…not someone who-" She stopped herself quickly, and looked back at him once more. He was gazing at her curiously. "I just want you here with me and for me to know that and that alone."

He regarded her with thought. Looking into her eyes, he knew she was hiding something from him, and he knew it was the same something that had upset her earlier. His fingers were stroking her skin lightly in an even pattern, and he looked at her quite serious, his focus intense. "What happened Live?" She looked away, but he followed her eyes, demanding her attention with his voice. "Live?"

"Please don't make me…not right now…" She brought her gaze back to his. "Please."

He was frowning, but he couldn't resist her this. He knew that if he pressed her a little more, she would tell him what his curiosity needed to be thoroughly quenched. He saw that much honestly staring back at him from her deep green eyes. He would wait. "When you're ready?"

She smiled, pleased and relieved, wrapping an arm around him, needing him that much closer for reminding her. "When I'm ready I'll tell you anything," she promised. He embraced her tightly, causing her to feel quite warm and lovely inside. She nuzzled him back, pulling him down close to her and entwining a leg with his.

He loved the smell of her, burying his face in her soft golden hair as he brought her close. He knew he'd get to the bottom of things eventually, but at the moment there was only one bottom he wanted to get to, and it was laying beneath him digging leisurely hands into his robes.

She kissed his neck and jaw, feeling the warmth of his skin beneath his robes and shirt. He had a hand in her hair, another at her side and moving northward. She gave a shiver of pleasure as she felt his hand slowly trek up her side and into her shirt, her belly flip-flopping as his hand massaged the skin beneath her bra-strap. She tried in vain to rid him of his robes, tugging at the sleeves so she'd have less intervention between her hands and his skin.

Snickering, he sat up, peeling his robes off him too slowly for Live's liking. She sat up as far as she could as he was straddling her, and she began plucking at shirt buttons as he was still struggling with the robes. She claimed his lips in hers, forgetting his half-buttoned shirt and wrapping her arms around his neck. She dug her hands into his hair gently as she kissed him deeply, and giggled as he became tangled in his robes and began cursing quite floridly.

"One sec," she said, laying back and twisting beneath him for access to her nightstand. She plunged her hand out to feel about the bedside table until she grasped her wand, twisting back into her former position as George gave a moan of indiscernible pleasure. She snickered and magicked his robes off, causing him to immediately dive back to her and assault her with a barrage of kisses all over her face. His errant hand found its way up the front of her top and into her bra, and she moaned loudly.

Taking his face between her hands, she looked him in the eyes with an amused snicker and obvious pleasure. She told him to shush.

"Don't 'shh' me," he ironically snickered , both of them aware she had made her pleasure quite loudly known.

"George," she giggled, putting a hand to his mouth. He immediately started kissing it. "Shh, I'm warding the bed for noise…I don't like the idea of others listening in my conversations…"

"_Conversations_?" he said insinuatingly as he waggled his eyebrows at her salaciously. She giggled and put her hand to his mouth again.

"I don't want to wake them up," she whispered pertaining to her roommates. She was making the little curtained-room soundproof for further privacy.

"Hm, good idea," he whispered back, holding her beneath him as he began to kiss her freshly. She moaned into his mouth, and he began undoing the buttons of her shirt. "Who designs these?" he asked impatiently, having trouble with the buttons.

She snickered and wiggled away from him as best she could to finish her spell as well as quickly transfigure her skirt into some well-meaning underwear. She then put her wand aside and grabbed him close to her, wondering if he'd even noticed the sudden change beneath him as he was quite focused on her shirt. "You owe me new panties," she whispered into his ear, her last pair probably in some Hogsmeade trash bin.

This caused him to lose any and all concentration he had, moaning and sealing his lips against hers, doing things with his tongue that made her delirious with pleasure. Her hands were at his shirt again, tugging at it in vain as he did similar to her.

He grew frustrated and sat atop her once more, pulling the annoying vestment over his head and quickly undoing the buttons on her own shirt as she peeled it off. He made a satisfied noise at seeing the red and black bra once again, and she pulled him to her chest as hands danced across his back reveling in his quidditch-toned beater's body.

She felt her way to his chest, tracing his muscles as he laced kisses from her lips to the crest of her breasts, causing her to whimper with sheer enjoyment. He had a hand on her hip, kneading the flesh there as he kissed his way around her chest. She slowly dipped her fingers into the top of his pants, then into the top of his boxers, and he suddenly inhaled a great breath with awareness, stopping and looking up at her with amazement and total appreciation.

She, too, stopped, keeping her hands where they were, but not moving any further. He placed one of his own on her cheek, and kissed the side of her mouth softly, slowly with exacting skill. With his other hand, he retrieved hers to hold between his own.

She was confused by this sudden change, sure she had made a mistake and had acted too boldly. She met his eyes with shy reluctance, and saw the want in his own, the intensity that made her fear and want him all at once. Her heart skipped quite a few beats.

"Live," he spoke softly, looking at her the entire time, "I need to tell you something."

She felt her stomach drop, fill with dreadful butterflies, her heartbeat racing irregularly. She gazed at him with trepidation and silence.

He entwined the fingers of his hand with hers, kissing it as he gazed into her eyes. Her heart was in her throat as his voice came softly to her ears. He was sure she could hear the thundering of his heart. "I…love you, Live."

She knew her mouth was slightly agape, face red, her shock registering as she gazed at him. He was watching for her reaction, and so far, he didn't count it as bad. "George…" Her mouth went dry, her heart beating wildly. She felt as though she couldn't speak, her heart was beating so very fast in her throat, she swallowed several times to try to force it away. She smiled at him after a moment, the butterflies still vicious in her stomach. "George, I…I lo-"

"You don't have to say it back just 'cause I did," he told her quickly, embarrassed as his face turned the color of his hair. Maybe it wasn't exactly the right time for such an admission, but hell, he couldn't fight it anymore than he could breathing. If he hadn't let it go, his heart would have come bursting out of his chest and run about screaming it. He couldn't get the crazy blonde out of his head and even though Lee teased him about it mercilessly, he knew it was true and that he madly fancied Live, and moreover he was crazy with love for her. It was killing him not to be able to let it out, but now it seemed like he was forcing her to make a response, and he felt he should have maybe told her another time... "I just…wanted you to know how I feel…you know?"

He brushed it off like it was no big thing, but she was giving him a happy frown as she pulled him to her and tumbled him in the sheets. Her heart was beating like a muggle jackhammer and she couldn't stop the wild grin on her face as she put his own perplexed, even bewildered, face between her hands. "I'm not saying it just because you did…" she spoke as the words came unbidden. "I love you," she said with prefect enunciation, stressing each word as importantly as the next as she looked into his eyes. She realized what she was saying, the words surprising even her as she looked at him quite differently. Her stomach did somersaults. She was such an idiot, but she knew that deep down it was always lingering. Ginny had spotted things she herself hadn't been truly conscious of. "I love you," she said softer with admitted honesty, looking down at him as if she'd been so very blind to the fact.

It seemed to baffle her, and she realized it was so simple now. She _did_ love him. Loved him more than she had even been aware, and possibly for longer than she had ever realized. Most definitely it had been deep down, locked away from her mind's eye so she wouldn't be distracted by any other feeling than to be aloof to him. Ginny was right. She did need a little push in the right direction, and he was a main factor in bringing such awareness out. She knew he made her life interesting, and she was always glad to see him, even when she was angry with him. He was constantly on her mind in one shape or form, and he liked being with and around her. All the little teasing things he did, everything he did whenever he was with her…It all made her heart beat a little bit faster, and now she understood why, and it wasn't because he was leading her into an early grave.

"I do love you George," she said, taking his hand in hers and placing it against her chest. She knew he could feel the crazy rhythm of her heartbeat as much as she herself could. "This is what you do to me, George Weasley. No one else does."

He half-laughed, half-snickered with joyous delight. "Are you saying I'm giving you a heart-attack?"

She frowned and punched him half-heartedly. "George, I was being serious," she said grumpily, feigning upset.

He smirked and flipped her back beneath him, inundating her with kisses until her faked-frown was replaced with a smile. "Oh I love you, Live. You drive me nuts and I love it," he said in-between kisses, tangling his hand in her hair and pulling her tight to him. "You know how badly I've wanted you?"

She half-grinned with uncertainty. "I can guess…" She muttered something about being mauled in the middle of corridors and her reputation ruined. He laughed.

"I love you I love you I love you," he repeated with happy relief as he kissed her everywhere there was skin showing, causing her to laugh.

She pulled his face back to hers to kiss him for a long time, slowly and un-rushed, becoming more methodical as her hands luxuriated in his skin. He was more meticulous as he kissed her back, taking his time in allowing his hands to memorize her curves and voluptuous body. They said nothing for a long time, quiet in mutual silence and merely communicating through one another's kiss and touch, each getting drunk off the other's lips.

Without conscious thought Live's fingers dug into the waistband of George's pants once more, and it took her a moment before she realized he was watching her with baited breath and dilated eyes.

"…Live."

"…Hm?" she murmured, never breaking eyes with him.

"Do you want this?" he asked softly, looking into her eyes with quiet speculation.

He had a hand on her waist, and she was fully aware of what he was implying. She whispered her consent with the soft sound of his name, watching him timidly, her own wants and desires reflected back at him clearly in her eyes.

He regarded her for a moment of abnormally pensive thought, and kissed her once more very deeply, causing her to sigh, all thoughts vacating her mind except where he was concerned. She had her arms around him as he kissed her, her mind unsure and body taut with uncertainty. But she trusted him completely and utterly, her heart ripe with love.

His body was tense everywhere he was in contact with her, and he was almost painfully aware of his love for her, his heart beating faster and slower as her hands moved along his muscles. He felt her hands around his waist, come to rest at his pants once more with a certain curiosity, and he felt the small tug she gave in shyly trying to remove them.

"…Live are you certain?" he asked suddenly.

She regarded him with deep eyes, and nodded slowly. "I am."

He gazed at her for a long while before kissing her again, the both of them wiggling to remove his pants with the least struggle possible. He got them off, pushing them somewhere to the foot of the bed under the covers, and she reached for him, their mouths sealing in quiet understanding.

She wrapped a leg around his, the coarse hairs on his legs sending delicious little shivers up her own smooth ones rubbing against him. He buried face in her neck, kissing her softly as low mewling noises escaped her throat. He whispered her name into her hair as his lips made it back to her mouth, tasting her with selfish desire. She writhed beneath him, pulling him close, whispering his name and kissing him back with soft lips.

He pulled back to look at her slowly, gazing in her eyes and seeing his desire mirrored back at him. She had a hand on his bicep, fingers circling the muscle absentmindedly as they looked at one another with deep eyes.

He rolled off her and sat up in the bed, not even knowing what he was doing, sitting there with wide eyes and shaky voice.

"I-I can't…I can't do this Live…" Was that his voice? That strained croak? He felt like a prat.

"What?" She was utterly dumbfounded, drunk on still-lingering sensation, sitting up and staring at his back.

"I can't…I j-just can't…It's not…I'm not ready for this…" He was as shaky as his voice, restrained as well as irresolute. "I'm a…I mean I'm not very…"

She just blinked. "Oh thank God!" she sighed, exhaling with relief.

He turned back sharply to look at her after her words registered, gawking. "_What_?"

She was almost laughing with relief, giggling, happy tears of laughter forming in her eyes. She put a hand on his shoulder in shared feeling. "I'm not ready for this either!"

He openly gaped at her, his mouth hanging open in justified shock. "What do you mean you're not ready either?"

She smirked in amusement. They were both doing it for the other. "I thought _you_ were."

"Well I thought _you_ were!" he declared adamantly, a wild look in his eyes. He seemed almost mad, yet terribly relieved at the same time. Live just giggled inanely as he gave her a still-shocked look. "It's not that funny!" he said shakily, staidly.

She brought him back next to her and hugged him close, kissing his face. "We're both idiots…"

He nodded quietly. "Complete morons…"

"Totally nutters…"

"Utterly mental…"

"I love you."

He grinned widely. "I love you, too."

"Still?"

"Yeah."

"Even though we're both such obvious candidates for St. Mungo's?"

"Even after we've been committed," he affirmed. Live snickered, and he pulled her closer. She sat in his lap facing him. "Now what do we do?"

She smiled, and nearly told him "Not get our sex on," but she just grinned at him and put her arms around his neck. All she could think of was him. "I dunno."

He grinned wickedly. "Okay, well I know what we're _not_ gonna do."

She giggled and rolled her eyes. "There's plenty of things you can do without _doing_ it…" she said with a naughty grin. She smirked wickedly and reached a hand behind her as he watched with wide, amazed eyes. She'd already shocked him so much today he was sure he'd already lost several years of life. She was far more brazen than he'd ever hoped.

He was distracted from his musings as his ears caught a very distinct 'click click click' from directly in front of him. He gasped in surprise, realizing she'd unclasped her bra. His face was frozen in a shocked expression as she grinned at him widely and knowingly.

"You are the best girlfriend ever!"

She laughed, making it extra haughty. "What makes you think I'm gonna be your girlfriend?" she asked challengingly, a smile on her face.

He laughed deeply with satisfaction. "Because I'm not allowing anyone else to lay a hand on you," he said with an impish smirk, kissing her in a possessive way which she found quite satisfying. He chuckled at the faraway look in her eyes. "Besides, I got you first."

She giggled and caressed his cheek. "Best-man-wins sort of thing, eh?"

"Damn straight."

Causing her to giggle more, she turned her head about as if looking for something. "Well you're the _obvious_ runner up…Where's the winner? What is _he _like?" she asked with a smirk, teasing him wickedly.

He frowned in amusement and tossed her back into the sheets, leaning over her with a predatory gleam in his eyes and a mischievous smile. "_Woman_…" She just grinned at him. "If I wasn't completely mental for you…"

She smirked and brought his face to hers, kissing him in apology for her teasing. She looked him in the eyes, a wide grin on her face. "Okay…but I'm in charge in this relationship," she stated with playful attitude, giving him a purposely extra-arrogant-looking smirk.

He grinned wolfishly and kissed her hard, then rolled her back to sit on top of him. "That's fine, I prefer woman-on-top."

She gasped at his sheer brass and gave him a playful smack for his audacity, all the while slowly allowing her bra straps to slide down her arms. Until then, she had somehow kept the things in place by what she swore must have been sheer will power. She had George's firm attention.

Smiling wickedly, she ground her hips into his, toying with him terribly. He moaned, eyes fluttering in appreciation. His hands were at her sides, holding her firmly to him. She giggled at the expression on his face, though she was certain she had one just as silly and equally desirous upon hers.

"I love you," he gasped, and she awarded him a little wiggle for his words.

"You lust me," she added with a grin, playing his words.

"That too…" His hands slowly climbed their way up to her breasts and the bra that was about to fall off with even a simple breeze. His hands trembled, as well as did Live, as he carefully cupped her breasts over the black and red bra. She gasped as he gave her a little squeeze. "There IS a god!"

She snickered at him and started to slide off the straps.

"Hey Live are you awa--HOOOLY SHIT!"

Vivian always picked the most inopportune moment to stick her head into other people's business.

"AH!" Live shrieked at Vivian and hopped off George like a scared bunny, falling off the bed and nearly taking the bed curtains with her.

Her bra, however, did _not _go with her.

She sat on the ground in not much more than panties, with an indignant frown on her face, both arms clasped protectively over her breasts. George looked at Live sitting upon the ground, peeking his head out the curtains with her bra clutched in one hand.

Live heard snickering behind her, and turned to see Rebecca grinning from out her own bed curtains. "Good morning. How are you today?"

Live frowned, hearing George's own chuckles and turning her death glare on him. She saw Vivian peek her head around the bed post corner and look at Live, her face red. "Um…Feeling better?" the Slytherin witch genuinely inquired.

"She's feeling loads better," George remarked between his own laughs. Rebecca went back into her bed, snickers heard from within.

Live grasped her breasts with one hand as she helped herself off the floor with indignation. "You can all go to hell!" she remarked snarkily, hopping back into her four poster with a scowl. George didn't stop laughing for another hour.

sSs


	31. Communication Breakdown

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 31: Communication Breakdown

sSs

"AHA!"

Kelena's triumphant exclamation resounded through the room of Fred's dorm as she held aloft the treasure she had been so ardently searching for: her Sexpert license.

The room was, to put it mildly, in shambles. There were clothes strewn about like ticker-tape confetti- under, over, and on top of the beds. Nothing was left in any of the boys' trunks whatsoever. Kelena had dashed every item from each trunk with the zeal of the veritable crack-ferret looking for it's next fix (and anyways, she took personal pleasure in making things messy).

The beds were torn apart as well- sheets taken off the mattress, comforters on the ground, pillows in every corner the room had to offer. If she thought she could have gotten away with it, she would have torn the mattresses apart as well. But better safe than sorry. And- being ever-so-thorough- she had also taken the liberty to find and shake every book which the boys possessed in the hopes of finding a secret compartment.

This little excursion of hers, however, did not come without cost.

When one invades a room overrun by three insane, albeit creative, seventh year boys, one is going to see things that might haunt them like bad war memories. For instance, that stain on the floor which she was hoping was from potions gone bad, or that skeleton of a creature that was- in her opinion-more juicy than dried out. It didn't help matters that she'd nearly exploded herself four times in rummaging through items she had previously thought safe. Although now with good reason, she'd warned herself that fluffy stuffed animals weren't as harmless as they seemed. She credited part of that to the fact that it might be revenge in case Kitty-Nimbles ever decided to shred anything else belonging to Fred or George. Boy would that cat ever get an explosive surprise...

Nearly tripping over an errant bludger (and just what in the world was Fred doing keeping such a thing in his trunk anyway?) Kelena proceeded to tear up the room a bit more, just to get her jollies out of a little unnecessary destruction. This was also a good way to do a little snooping, see what the boys were up to in the Wheezes line, and maybe nick a few things for Kara to experiment with. Although the young blond had merged the two 'companies' as they were referring to them, Kelena was positive that the boys- especially Fred- were keeping a few things completely secret, thus violating the terms of Kara's hostile takeover.

So in her mind, Kelena was completely justified in her actions against the (not-so-) defenseless bedroom.

She turned the Sexpert license this way and that in her hands, inspecting it for any possible tampering the boys might have done. But the worst that she turned up was what looked like water damage and wear around the edges. It looked as if it had been handled a little too much, as well as possibly drooled upon. At any rate, her picture did not look pleased.

"Well what do you want me to do about it?" she asked her miniature. The little frowning face proceeded to silently yell at her. What she was more worried about was how much the three boys (and hopefully they'd shown no one else) had learned about the Sexpert Guild in its entirety, and whether or not she should have to employ Live's own potion-making abilities in a few memory-altering concoctions.

Upon inspection, the card's own list of meetings, definitions, and other such exclusive Sexpert data looked as if it hadn't been trifled with. In opposition to the rest of the card, it was quite clean and looked as normal as it ever had…There was Kara's candy-hand finger-print stain…There was her own ink blot from doing that paper before class…and there was that little limerick she had scribbled from one of the bathroom stalls. She was quite certain the boys hadn't even opened the little fold of extended paper with the truly valuable information on it, and from the severe agitation of her scantily-clad photo, she felt she was right.

Kelena surveyed the mess she had made once more, proud of her work, but wondered if she had overlooked anything in not finding Live's own card. She was more than certain they had it, but it wasn't anywhere to be found, not even in the secret panel in the wall that the boys apparently thought was quite cleverly camouflaged (she could lecture them about proper spells and dry walling techniques later).

"What are you doing in here?" Fred's agitated voice came from behind Kelena. She turned in surprise, not hearing him enter the room. He was looking at her with aggravation.

"What?" she said nonchalantly.

"And just what the hell happened here?" he asked with a wide motion to the room, a disturbed look on his face.

She smirked with an evil grin. "I was cleaning."

"It looks like wild animals tore this place apart! Did you let Kitty-Nimbles in here?" he demanded with a wry look and a cock of his head. She pondered the idea, but thought immediately of exploding animals.

"Bye, Fred," she said dismissively, deciding to go as she had what she'd been searching for, and was quite in the mood for a muffin or five.

"What do you mean '_bye_'? Why'd you do this to our room?" he whined, wondering how much she'd seen which she shouldn't have. By all means, he had every right to be angry with her, in his opinion.

"Why? _WHY?_" she repeated. She gave him a hard look. "What is the meaning of THIS!?" she demanded, thrusting her Sexpert license in his face with a righteous scowl. He only stuttered in surprise. "Just what in the hell were you doing with this? And how many people have you shown this to? And just how do you explain that stain under your bed?" she added as an afterthought.

He was gaping in open amazement, and knew he should have taken a leaf from his twin's book and hidden the card somewhere that Kelena didn't have access to. Dammit. And she knew about the stain…where else could they hold their secret testings now? It was hard enough to have them in the dorm without Hermione throwing a fit and lecturing about 'the safety of the children', and now that Kelena was aware of it…

"_What are you doing in my room_?" Fred reiterated as his last defense. He realized he had nothing else to really say, and didn't want to answer her questions out of sheer befuddlement.

"GAH!" she shrieked, throwing her hands in the air. "You prat Fred! What do _you _think I was doing in here?"

He looked at her blankly, then a slow grin began to take his face as he eyed her up and down. What other purpose had she for coming to his room?

"HA!" she laughed humorlessly, putting her hands on her hips. "Don't even think about it!" It was quite clear to her why he thought she'd come there. She smirked inwardly, deciding to punish him a bit more, allowing her boobs to expand a noticeable bit. She shifted slightly to give him a better view, and then snarled at him. This would teach him not to touch her Sexpert license ever again! "I'd think twice before messing with this again!"

She then took her leave of the disastrously destroyed dorm room, leaving Fred to think of nothing but her expansive bosom.

sSs

It had been hours since George had left to take his detention with Snape, and hours in which Vivian and Rebecca had spent next to Live in her bed, listening to her with somber sympathy as she recounted the tale which had gotten her and George stuck in bed together in the first place.

The girls couldn't recall a Sunday afternoon that had been half as shocking nor more tearful for their shaky, distressed friend.

Rebecca closed the curtains around Live's four-poster, sealing out anything that might hinder Live's rest and recovery. "Just let her sleep now. She needs her rest," she told Vivian.

"I've never seen her cry so much," Vivian remarked somberly. She regarded Rebecca with a look. "Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen her cry. Usually she just destroys something or curses someone."

"Well I'm disgusted," Rebecca said as she plopped down onto her bed. "If Malfoy had touched me like that…"

"Just what the hell was he thinking?" Vivian asked with ire, her brow knit with strong incomprehension.

"Maybe if we talked to Professor Snape…"

Vivian sniffed in disgust. "After all the nonsense and 'talks' Live's already had with him, I think that's the _last_ course of action we should be taking. I don't wanna drive her off the deep end."

"But he tried to-"

"I know what he tried to do…" Vivian said, the words disgusting in her mouth. They were both silent in contemplation, the very subject sickening.

"Well that prat has a thing or two coming…I think we should escort her to classes or something until she's back to full strength. I don't trust him one bit, and you know he'll try to get back at her for smashing that bottle on his head…" Rebecca looked thoughtful and worried. "Should we tell George?"

"She made us promise not to," Vivian reminded. "Besides Becca, what do you think he would do if he found out?"

"Nothing we wouldn't do ourselves," Rebecca declared solidly, squeezing a pillow on her bed in merciless contemplation.

A light went on in Vivian's head, and a slow, evil grin akin to Live's spread across her face; one which hardly went unnoticed to her Slytherin sister in arms.

"Viv, I don't like that look."

"We _should _do something…" she thought aloud, ignoring Rebecca's words.

"_Vivian_…"

"Teach him not to pick on those weaker than him, the scumbag. Make it so _he_ knows what it's like to have your skin crawl…"

"Viv, we promised Live-"

"-that we wouldn't tell George or anything," Vivian interjected. "…but if we acted in secret…"

"Maybe I should go ask Professor Tonks for advice…Live said she had a good head on her shoulders, even if she is kinda-" she mimed a craziness circle with her finger. "She is the youngest of the female teachers, anyway. And she's a little of a vigilante herself."

Vivian knocked on Rebecca's head. "Hello in there? If we tell her, then the teachers would know who did it when we decide to get our vengeance for Live."

Rebecca regarded her for a long moment of thoughtful silence. "I don't think Tonks would care…" she noted flatly.

"Then it's settled," Vivian declared. "And I've got a nasty little curse I've been dying to try out on the first guy to get fresh with me." She looked at Live's enclosed bed with a sympathetic, somber smile. "It's only a start, but I think that git will start to learn his lesson. Even if I can't make it permanent."

She grinned wickedly at Rebecca. The other witch merely put a hand to her temple in frustrated thought. "I don't think I'll be able to finish my dinner tonight."

sSs

Kara plopped down at the Gryffindor table with a self-satisfied smirk. Kelena had given her a little bottle of something bubbly that had an adverse effect when coupled with carbonated water, and little to say, Kara was most pleased with this recent acquisition and had started new candy development immediately. So consumed was she with her work that she had missed the immediate minute which dinner had started being served, and so having rushed through kids on their own way to the Great Hall (knocking several over), she now happily sat at her place amid the other crowding tables, reaching her pudge paw out for delicious elf-made food.

Helping herself to pot-roast and potatoes, she dug in heartily, and not until she had swallowed a third mouthful did she realize Ginny was prodding her in the side.

"Mmuh?" she asked the red-head, looking at her friend with raised eyebrows.

Ginny only grinned in response and looked towards the front of the hall. Kara followed her line of vision to see Lee entering the Great Hall, eyes downcast as he tried to ignore the knowing stares of those who had apparently seen him streak. He tried his best to act as if he neither noticed nor cared, but it was hard even for him to ignore the catcalls of the Ravenclaw girls on the side of the room, nor the whistles a few knowledgeable Hufflepuffs aimed at him. He was rather popular now, with the ladies.

"Hi Lee!" Kara called out chipperly, waving enthusiastically with both hands which resulted in the subsequent flinging of a forkful of potato, which strategically landed in Lavender Brown's hair.

"UGH! _What is this_?"

Kara grinned wickedly, surveying her mischief, and then turned back to Lee who was grumbling but quickly sat down at the table.

"Hey Lee!" Kara greeted again. He didn't so much as look at her, paying avid attention to his plate in intense speculation. "Leee-_eeee_," Kara sang, trying to get a response. She poked him in the side.

"Ssstopit…" he hissed quietly, purposely not looking at her. He had a thinking frown on his face, but it did not deter the sugar-powered sunbeam of cheeriness known as Kara.

"Lee," she said, cocking her head towards the table to get a better look at his face. "Want a biscuit?" She shoved it under his nose and he gave her an exasperated look.

"Don't you realize what everyone's saying?" he whispered, eyes panicked. "Your sister is going to murder me as soon as she hears, and you're _offering me a biscuit?_"

Kara smiled, never without a solution. "Cookie?"

Lee let out a wild, lunatic noise before he started laughing loudly and uncontrollably.

He snatched the cookie from Kara's outstretched hand, as well as anything else within reach including a plate of biscuits (which his grabbing mostly sent flying across the table), five-and-a-half strawberries, butter and bread slices, a whole potato, a chicken bone, and Neville's fork. Then he ran cackling madly from the Great Hall, a trail of crumbs and other food particles left in his wake.

Ginny turned to Kara, eyes wide with shock at the blonde. "What in the _hell_ did you do to that poor boy?"

Kara shrugged. "I only offered him a cookie." She returned to her pot-roast and potatoes, removing an errant strawberry from her plate as if the previous scene hadn't happened at all. "Personally, I think he's a little high-strung."

"I can't believe it," Ginny stated, slack-jawed. She was sure Kara took no notice of the gossip now flying wildly around the room, the few teachers present not excluded. "I just can't bloody believe it. You did it. You drove him insane."

"Was that Lee?" Fred asked with a crooked grin as he sat down to a plate of roast.

"He's finally lost it," Ginny remarked as Kara obliviously buttered a roll. She turned with more focus on the fifth year. "You gave him a mental breakdown!"

"She diff hut?" Fred asked through a mouthful of food.

"Eat with your mouth closed," Kara chastised as she shoved a whole strawberry into her jowls.

Ginny was decidedly prepared to give up on Kara. She didn't think the Dark Lord himself could make an impression upon that thick skull of hers.

"I just saw Lee screaming and hollering through the corridor," Hermione noted as she sat down near the other girls. As Fred began snickering, she rolled her eyes as if to say 'what now?'

"He'll calm down after he eats something," Kara stated nonchalantly, taking a sip from her goblet.

Hermione seemed perturbed, while Ginny looked fully exasperated.

"Looks like poor Lee's finally gone off the deep end," George commented as strode up to the table. He saw the preoccupied look on Kara's face, and recognized it as if she were waving a flag proclaiming her guilt. "Kara, he's already flashed his equipment to most of the school. Did you have to qualify him for St. Mungos as well?"

Kara only grinned through a mouthful of strawberry. George grinned back.

"Aren't you even worried about him?" Hermione asked in a chastising tone. George happily dug into a potato, ignoring her. She snorted indignantly, deciding to sit with Harry and Ron out of exasperation. "Boys."

"Haven't seen _you _all day," Fred stated flatly, looking at his brother.

"I had detention with Snape," George said with a cat-in-the-cream grin.

Fred looked at him as if he smelt something bad. "You're mussed in the head, mate." He went back to eating with a look of disturbance on his face.

"Kelena destroyed your dorm, by the way," Kara cheerily reported to George. "I don't know if you've seen yet, but it looks as if someone leashed a pack of Goblins or Nifflers up there. No treasure though," she said with a shrug.

Ginny was dumbfounded by Kara's easy demeanor.

"It's awful, mate. And she found the hole in the wall," Fred remarked to George. "And our explosive bubbles are missing."

Kara giggled as she sipped her juice, a stupid grin on her face. She knew the exact location of their bubbles: under her pillow in the dorm awaiting experimentation.

"Kara, whatever you're on, I want some," Ginny demanded with a solid look at the sugar-powered blonde.

"She even got into our trunks," Fred continued. "She didn't open that false bludger," he reported more secretively, "but I'll be damned if we don't have to start from scratch with some of our inventions.

George just grinned through his twin's report, possibly even smirked in self-thought.

"What did that greasy git do to you?" Fred asked with genuine curiosity, looking cock-eyed at his brother. "You didn't go sampling his potions again, did you? I thought we learned after I couldn't get rid of that tail."

"No, detention was awful, of course," George stated with a hardly-contained smile. "And I think we're going to have to give Kelena a little payback." He grinned more fully, but it wasn't the wicked one that he and Fred shared in times of scheming and planning.

Fred slid across the bench closer to his twin with a frown on his face, whispering heatedly. "Just why in the bloody hell are you grinning like that? Where have you been all day?"

George grinned smugly. "Slytherin dorm."

Fred raised his eyebrows with piqued interest. "Prank?"

George shook his head, grin growing. Realization dawned on Fred, and he grinned a wicked, wide smirk. "Are you peeping? Have you become a Peeping Tom? Does Pug-face Parkinson actually have a nasty mole growing on her b-"

"I wasn't in Parkinson's dorm, you prat. I was in Live's," George said obviously.

Fred looked dumbfounded, as if that was the last place his brother should want to be in the world, especially when Live was so interested in killing him, all other things aside. "You didn't do anything that's gonna cause any more Marriage Law crap, did you? Because I can't handle another wife. Kelena's already wearing me thin enough as it is."

"I wasn't there to prank her. I was there to be with her," he confided with a wide grin, reminiscing about the earlier part of the morning.

Fred's eyes grew wide, and then he snickered and patted his brother on the back. "Finally getting in on the girlie-action, eh? Has she made you a man yet?" he joked, giving his brother a purposely condescending look as if Live would ever let him into her bed. "Are you calling in a _favor _for giving her your magic?" he added with a teasing grin, nudging his brother in a 'know-what-I-mean' kind of way. Then he frowned, thinking more seriously. "Does she practically make you beg like Kelena does? Is she even well enough for you to _do _anything? I swear Kelena is cruel. Woman makes me jump through loops just for the fun of it 'til she finally-"

George gave his twin a flat, silencing look. "Not like any of that," he confided to Fred with a stupid grin, contradicting anything pertaining to the mattress mambo.

"Then what in the hell are you so bloody happy about?" Fred demanded, moving back to his respective seat in seeming disgust. George only grinned widely at his twin, purposely keeping his secret from his mirror image. Suddenly all expression left Fred's face, and his eyes widened in universal realization. He pointed at George almost accusingly, standing up out of pure shock as his brain waves melded with that of his twin. "You're in love with her!" he shouted, loudly enough that he had the attention of several hundred pairs of ears.

"AHHH! MY-MY AHHH!" A scream quickly brought attention away from Fred and George and fully focused on Malfoy, who was clumsily trying to jump up from the Slytherin table. He was shrieking in panic and apparent pain, screaming out curses both creative and slanderous.

As he freed himself from the table bench, he could be seen holding his crotch as he shrieked something about it being icy, his balls freezing off, and his member on fire. His goons tried to help him off with his pants as he shrieked and hollered, and he had no sooner undid his fly than a puff of smoke emerged. It earned both shocked shrieks and laughs from those watching the scene. Malfoy had his wand out and was trying to stick it down his pants when Snape came up behind him and grasped his arms, restraining him so he could find out what was wrong.

Malfoy just kept screaming in pain, and while he seemed to be both experiencing freezing cold and flaming heat within his pants, he seemed more concerned about the fact that "MY PECKER'S ON FIRE!!"

Snape could think of nothing else to do, getting frustrated and infuriated as Malfoy writhed and fought as he tried to put out the curse he must've been hit with. Snape marched him out of the Great Hall in a splendid flurry of black robes and screaming. After they were gone, the Great hall burst into gossip and chatter, and students began to flit this way and that. Some swore they heard ice-cube noises as Malfoy had been marched past them. Others swore Malfoy's member had gone up in ashy smoke.

Regardless of the horror of the incident, there _was _noticeable laughter in the room, the loudest perhaps that of Vivian Monteclaire, as the students had given up on their dinners to go and spread the news of what they had just seen.

"Did you see that?" Jason Putterly asked her with awe as he strode down to their end of the table.

Vivian grinned and nodded through her laughs.

"It's not funny, Vivian."

Her laughter died down as she looked at him, her look turning into a frown, personally insulted that he would chastise her. "I think it was hilarious."

"No, it wasn't. I was right near Malfoy when it happened," he asserted, his gaze firm as he studied her. She frowned at him heavily, and then something in his expression changed, lightened. "I was right there. I saw right down his pants. I'm gonna have nightmares for months, at least."

Vivian broke back into further giggles as they both laughed, and Putterly went on his way to go and further spread the news, making sure everyone knew that Malfoy was currently a eunuch.

Rebecca pushed her plate away from her at the dinner table. "That's it, I'm not hungry anymore." Vivian giggled as she helped herself to a strawberry.

sSs

Monday morning found Live readying herself for potions. She figured she was ridiculously behind for all the time she'd already spent recuperating, and if she missed anymore she was quite certain Snape would not forgive her for sloppy potions work.

She quietly pulled on a boot as she sat on the edge of her bed, trying not to wake her roommates as she got dressed.

"Live? What are you doing?" a sleepy voice asked. She turned to see Vivian blinking sleepily at her, her eyes barely open, hair all fuzzed up. "You should be resting."

"I want to go to class," Live whispered to her. Vivian rolled over and groggily pulled the blanket off her form. "No, Viv, go back to sleep. I'm fine. I just don't want to miss potions. I'm gonna ditch my _other _classes today, but I don't want to miss potions."

Vivian breathed deeply as she tried to wake up more quickly. "Go back to bed, Live. Don't worry about it," she said, looking at her friend through sleep-slitted eyes.

Live pulled on another boot. "It's fine. I'll be back in an hour or so," she said as she pulled on her shirt. "Go back to sleep."

"Listen, wait for me. Ten minutes," Vivian whispered sleepily as she hauled herself out of bed, hardly as conscious as she should be.

"Viv-"

"Wait for me, 'kay?"

Live exhaled, realizing Vivian would not give in, even this early in the morning. "'Kay, fine."

She sat there as Vivian disappeared into the bathroom with her robes and some soft boots of her own. Live laid back on her bed for a moment, tired as all hell, but not because she was still sick. Madam Pomfrey's potion had been doing a wonderful job of getting her strength back; and it was because she was always tired waking so early for potions.

She pulled the blankets over herself and allowed herself to doze while waiting for Vivian. Chances were, the girl was gonna shower, primp, and fluff, and cause Live to be late, but better late than never if that was gonna be her game. She _liked_ potions, everything aside. And she hated to be further behind.

She heard the door open and then close, and she sat up, ready to get the move on and waiting for Vivian to come on out. She had no doubt Professor Snape would take points off her for being late, regardless of her status of recuperation.

She heard the shower go off and the door open once again, and buried her head in the blankets thanking whatever powers were watching over her that Vivian had hurried her ass up. She angled her head towards the bathroom, but no Vivian. She frowned, wrinkling her nose in confusion. Maybe she imagined the noise, and if so, then maybe she should stay in bed.

The hackles rose on the back of her neck, and she quickly turned her head in the direction of her bureau. She held her gaze a moment, and then huffed in self-chastisement. "I know you're there," she whispered, as if fully unimpressed, although her heartbeat would say otherwise.

George whipped off the invisibility cloak with a grin. "Can't sneak up on you or anything."

She smirked. "I told you, I'm-"

"-psychic, I know," he stated with amusement. He saw the drawn curtains on Rebecca's bed and lowered his voice so as not to disturb her sleep. "Can your powers of prediction foresee my next move?" he asked as he moved towards Live with a smile.

She only smirked at him with pleasure. "My powers aren't used for evil, George," she teased with smug amusement.

He contentedly put his hands on her forearms and kissed her nose. She smiled, enjoying his touch, as he proceeded to kiss down to her lips. She wrapped her arms about his torso, and he hugged her back warmly, nuzzling her.

"You're not thinking of going to class today, are you?" he asked as he pet her hair.

"Why? What did you have in mind?" she asked innocently as she leaned into him, feeling utterly content.

"Nothing," he said offhandedly, though he had a wicked grin on his face at her statement. "You should be resting, shouldn't you?"

"I didn't want to miss potions today," she said in excuse, looking up at him. "And shouldn't you be getting to class?" He shrugged as if he didn't know. "You prat," she said with a grin. She sat further back on the bed so that he could sit as well. "Vivian's making me wait for her."

"She doesn't have class with us," he stated. "Besides, I think you should stay in bed."

"And you'll take notes for me? I'd be luckier if I let a monkey do it," she teased with a grin. He pinned her on the bed in retaliation, and she grinned up at him. "I'm gonna tell Madam Pomfrey if you're not nice to me," she threatened with a grin.

"There's a lot of things I think she'd disapprove of," he replied smugly. "Like this," he said, kissing her neck.

"Ooh."

"And this," he said as he kissed the other side.

"Ooh, hee hee."

"And then there's this," he told her as he kissed her lips very deeply, causing her to sigh.

He smirked happily as she put her hands on his face to kiss him back. "I love you," she whispered, looking up at him trustfully as her cheeks reddened.

"I love you," he told her as he kissed her again.

"I swear to God if I find you two in any more positions like these I'm gonna take that cloak and shred it into a thousand pieces!" Vivian declared as she stepped from the bathroom door wrapped in a towel, her hair pinned to the top of her head.

"Ah, come on Vivian, give me a break," George pleaded, giving her doleful eyes and a charming smile.

"George Weasley she's supposed to be resting!"

"I want to go to class," Live piped up. They both gave her disapproving looks.

"Shh," George said, putting a finger to her lips to silence her as he gave Vivian a look. Live bit his finger, but not in a bad way. He gave her a willful look as she smirked at him. "Can't you see we're busy recuperating her?" he addressed Vivian in an all-business tone. It made Live smirk.

"You're not helping her at all," she assessed with crossed arms. "She needs her rest and she's not gonna get any better with you pawing her."

"Actually…"

"Don't even start," Live snarked at him. He grinned down at her once more, and then looked back at Vivian.

"Come on, Weasley, out. You don't want a repeat of what happened at dinner last night, do you?" she warned lightly, giving George an implicating look.

His eyes widened in shocked surprise. "That was _you_?"

She raised her hands innocently. "I'm not _saying _anything. But it would be a pity…"

"What're you talking about? George, you big lug, get off me," Live told George as she pushed weakly at his chest. He helped pull her into a sitting position with a smirk. "What're you guys talking about, Vivvie?"

Vivian looked at Live, and then at George, of whom was unfamiliar with Malfoy's attack on his girlfriend. "It's nothing, Live, just a li-"

"Nothing? You burnt off his balls!" George declared with scared admiration. Both girls shushed him so he'd lower his voice. Rebecca was still asleep.

"What do you mean?" Live asked, looking at Vivian with more than an inkling of whom she might have done such a thing to.

"Malfoy. She burnt off that prick's prick! He was screeching about his crotch being on fire during dinner!" George declared. "Merlin, it was one of the best things I think I've ever seen. An actual cloud of smoke came out of his pants! It was amazing. Scary, but amazing," George praised, yet he clamped his legs together tightly, subconsciously protecting his manhood.

"Vivian, I thought I told you-"

"No one knows, except you two now…and Rebecca…and as long as you don't rat me out-"

"Viv-"

"-and it's not permanent. I wouldn't take that opportunity away from _you_…We were so pissed off for you and all…"

"You shouldn't have…I mean, he deserved it, but-"

"He's perfectly fine. It only lasted one, maybe two hours tops," she promised, regret climbing into her mind. "I only wanted to scare the piss out of him, and he's more than humiliated," she offered. Live's downcast face brought more words from Vivian. "Live, you don't feel sorry for him at all. The stupid git is probably sound asleep right now dreaming dreams…of emasculation," she added with a grin which she quickly tamed. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done anything, I know, but don't you dare feel pity. The bastard's perfectly fine."

"What what what?" George asked, completely and utterly confused. He turned his attention to Live. _"You _don't know a spell that burns off people's balls, _do you_?" He gave her a horrified look, hoping that she knew no such spell which righteously caused his manhood to quiver in fear.

"I didn't burn them off, I _froze_ them off," Vivian declared in some form of defending her actions and explaining her spell to George. "I _burnt _off his prick," she corrected flatly, yet not quite as satisfied with herself anymore.

A shiver went up Live's spine, and she consciously shook it off. "Vivian, you promised me," Live said emotionlessly, forgetting George was there.

"Ow!" he shrieked as he was hit in the back of the head with a pillow. He turned around with a grimace to see half-lidded Rebecca staring at him.

"Shut it you lot," she murmured before disappearing back into the seclusion of her bed curtains without a care that George was there.

George looked back at Live with a half-amused, half-annoyed look, but his expression got serious as he suddenly noticed that she was more pale than usual. "Are you alright?"

Live exhaled deeply, heel of her hands on her temples straining her eyes as she looked down at the bedcovers in helpless thought. Her mind was a tumult of emotions that she couldn't read; like a blank canvas of chaos.

"I didn't do anything else, Live," Vivian swore, sounding like maybe she regretted ever putting such a nasty curse on the git. "Just don't worry anymore. I didn't tell anyone anything about it."

She thought her nonchalant attitude would keep Live's secret just that, but the way she had referred to 'it' caused a curious look to spread across George's features. He didn't think Vivian was referring to the matter of the prank she'd pulled on the platinum-haired ferret.

"Didn't tell anyone about what?" George asked her slyly.

Her eyes darted to Live, but she literally sealed her lips. "Me and Rebecca gotta get ready for class," she said offhandedly to the room at large. "Rebecca! Wake that scrawny arse up." She walked across the room to invade Rebecca's fortress of solitude.

"Oi, I'm talking to you," George called to her, but he'd lost her attention. So he turned his on Live.

"I think I might go ahead and stay in today after all," she told him softly. She didn't think she could go to class and still evade his questions without having to tell him. And she didn't feel right about outright lying to his face.

"What's she talking about, Live?" She had to look away from his hard gaze. "What happened to you the other day?" Her attention was drawn back to him, and he knew then that he'd hit the nail on the head.

Vivian pulled a groggy Rebecca from her bed and walked her to the bathroom where she closed the door. The flow of water signaled that Vivian was forcing Becca to wake up the hard way. She came out of the bathroom once more to grab some clothes, a brush, and other such toiletries from her bureau, and then disappeared once more into the now-steamy bathroom.

Live tried to get rid of George, suggesting he leave, and she'd see him later, she needed her rest, she was tired, et cetera. But he wouldn't be deterred.

"For what purpose would Vivian Monteclaire want to burn up Malf--." He stopped mid-thought and jumped off the bed, quickly striding across the room to the door. Live had to fling herself between him and the door itself which he'd nearly ripped off the hinges in wrenching it open.

"George no!" Live declared, bracing herself in the doorjamb as he tried to get past her. If some Slytherin saw him, he'd be in a world of trouble she wouldn't be able to stop. And she also knew the purpose of his violent change of mood.

A sudden way of dizziness hit her as she experienced head rush, her sight blackening and sound fading as blood rushed to her head from her dash across the room.

She woke up lying on her bed.

"…the hell?"

George had a worried edge to the furious gleam in his eyes as he sat over her, his deep orbs speaking volumes to her. "You fainted."

She was breathing easily, slightly freaked, but okay. She heard the shower still running, and figured she was only unconscious a moment or two. She sat up, and George got off the bed to look at her, and began pacing.

"I'm fine…Just head rush."

"I don't think you're fine at all."

"George…I don't want you to do anything." It was a request, not an order. She hadn't the strength to order him to do anything at the moment.

"That was your blood on the wall the other day, wasn't it?" he demanded sharply, his eyes cold.

She looked at him imploringly, speaking softly, truthfully. "I told you-"

"Did you? Did you really? Give me one reason why I shouldn't go and kill the bastard right now!"

"George, it's nothing, I swear. Please."

He got down on a knee and held her hand near the bed. She saw anger in his eyes, as well as suspicion, passion, and fear- fear of dangers that he hadn't protected her from.

"Live please tell me what happened," he pleaded. Her eyes teared up in looking at him, and at the tone of his voice; at everything. "God Live, please."

It was out of her mouth before she could stop herself, and in one sentence she had incited his fury.

"Malfoy tried to… he was a little too familiar with me…"

He didn't move, because if he did he'd lose all control. "How?" he ground out through clenched teeth.

"He could have just been trying to scare me, or just being a jerk asshole like always," she said evasively. These were ideas of Rebecca's which Live had refuted when the other girl had even suggested it. But now she was grasping at anything to tell him. The look in his eyes scared her.

"How?" George ground out in the exact same manner, his tone pure ice. His eyes dared her to try and lie to him.

Live realized she was shaking, not from cold or fatigue, but from fear and nerves. She wasn't quite sure what he was really capable of, but then no one had ever looked at her in the manner he was now.

"I…he-wouldn't-let-me-go and we-were-alone-and-he-silenced-me…and I broke a bottle over his head," she added quickly. It was all she could do to get it quickly out. It killed her to have to admit such a disgraceful thing to him. It killed her and made her feel dirty and ashamed and humiliated.

George was off his feet so quickly that Live could've sworn he flew.

She wasted no time in bothering to shriek after him, but instead grabbed her wand and dashed from the room and down the hall. She knew where he was headed and for the sinking of her stomach and fear in her heart, she chased after with severe dread.

Strolling down the hall, one would never guess anything was amiss, but as Live approached the ending stretch to the dorm Malfoy shared with his goons, a continually growing feeling of terror rooted itself in her heart.

She was frozen in place from fear as she watched George fire off curses aimed at the other boys' beds. She found her feet once more when she realized he'd only petrified them in sleep, nothing else, but he violently flung open the curtains of Malfoy's four-poster and shouted something she didn't comprehend, but which served to wake Malfoy thoroughly, causing the silk-clad moron to jump up for his wand.

George flew across the bed and grabbed him by his shirt collar, shaking him.

"What did you do to Live?" he demanded, shouting into Malfoy's fearful, uncomprehending face still disoriented from sleep. He glared and tightened his grip, trying to get his message into Malfoy's head. "Live Hunter! What did you do to her?!" He shook him once more, but when it became apparent to Malfoy that he was actually waiting for an answer, the stupid prat had the brass to grin, thinking his goons would be up to help him any second.

"Why, Weasley? You not enough man for her?" he sneered, feeling quite ballsy due to the fact that George was on _his_ turf deep in the Slytherin dorms, and that his friends should be only moments from cursing the errant Gryffindor from existence, never mind how he'd gotten in there in the first place.

George growled and held Malfoy's shirt collar so tightly that the other boy began to gasp for breath.

"George don't!" Live cried when she realized he was choking him.

"I won't ask again," George told Malfoy as he loosened his grip.

Malfoy sputtered angrily, and glared with pure hate at George. He'd never been so manhandled in his life! "It was nothing the slutty little half-breed wasn't already asking for," he sneered with angry arrogance as he tried to loosen George's hands from his person in vain. "Get your filthy hands off me, blood traitor!"

George threw him against the wall, causing a table to fall over. Malfoy wasted no time in pointing his wand at George, an ugly look on his face as he threw a curse at him.

"_Cruci_-"

"_Expelliarmus!_" Live shouted at Malfoy, his wand flying, unable to put the unforgivable curse on George, who pummeled him immediately using his fists and not magic.

Live found her voice once more and began shrieking at George to stop. He was pummeling Malfoy, landing strike after strike. Malfoy was getting a few blows in, but his face was already bloodied, and she was sure his nose was broken.

"George stop it!" Live screamed, grasping at him and trying to pull him off Malfoy lest he kill him. She got him to his feet and stood between them, holding George back as he fought to get at Malfoy. "Please George stop it!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face as she pushed against his chest. "Stop it!"

"Why?" he panted, his fury hardly sated as he stood looking at her face.

She could hear Malfoy panting just the same as George, no doubt wondering why his goons weren't up and defending him, as well as being in considerable pain.

"Please George there's no point!" she cried, her arms shaking as she held him back, trying to make him come with her out the door. "You can't--!"

George's expression looked pained. And although he was covered in a considerable amount of blood, none of it was his. "Why Live?" he asked again, his voice as pained as the look in his eyes. He was clenching his fists subconsciously. "He was going to force you," he panted blatantly, his voice pained with sympathy for her at the dirty truth. It wasn't easy for him to say, and it was even harder for her to admit it to herself. "He's a nasty little git, he deserves worse."

Malfoy shifted behind her, and before she knew it he had his wand once more, blind wrath in his eyes as he stood with it pointed at them.

"_Crucio!_"

George threw Live out of the way and flew at Malfoy, dodging the curse as he knocked him hard on his ass with a blow to the face. George pushed him flat to the floor and looked him square in the face, pointing a finger at him in menace. Malfoy lay there on the floor, literally dumbstruck, his wand disappeared somewhere beneath his bed as the thought of moving didn't even enter his mind- he was still reeling from George's blow. He wouldn't be standing voluntarily any time soon.

"If you _ever _touch her again, I'll kill you," George promised as he stuck a finger close in Malfoy's face. He was shaking with pent-up anger, but he lowered his hand to merely glare at the thunderstruck bastard.

"George, please," Live pleaded, putting her hand on his arm imploringly as she tugged. He was still fuming, but much of his fire was gone and initially released, and he turned from Malfoy with disgust. Live took his hand to lead him from the room, but George didn't move. He just stood there, trying to think of what he should do next.

Live was at a loss for what to do. She felt drained of all emotion and thoughts, and all that was left was basic humanity. "He's gonna come after you, George," Live stated with flat honesty. She tugged at his hand half-heartedly.

"He'd be stupid to." George looked at Malfoy, still laying on the floor with a dazed look in his eyes. He looked utterly senseless.

"And he'll tell his father," Live said fearfully, her tone shaky that if Malfoy himself didn't come after George, then Death Eaters might do something to him or even his family. "There's only one thing I can do."

"I'll do it," George offered her soberly, stepping up to the problem.

"Don't even think such a thing, George," she whispered in horrific fear, her hand on his forearm. She didn't want to make him something he was not. He gave her a sidelong look, and looked back at Malfoy as she grasped his arm. "I…I've been studying memory charms. I think I can erase his mind."

"Those are powerful, and dangerous, Live. If it backfired to you-"

"I know the risks, but we don't have a lot of time. People will be waking up soon, and Malfoy'll…" She stopped. She didn't want to ponder the thought that he might try to murder George in his sleep. She was so tired in all aspects, but she had to concentrate all her energy and her mind. Memory replacement was not used lightly, and trained Obliviators even sometimes had slip-ups. Besides, she didn't want to give the bastard amnesia, but just erase enough of his memory that he wouldn't remember this event. They did it all the time with muggles. But her problem was making it erase just enough that no one would notice. She didn't think her skills would hold up if someone like Madam Pomfrey had a look inside the idiot's head.

She aimed her wand at Malfoy and focused her energy on the spell, feeling a large drain on herself as a ball of white light swirled around Malfoy's head, leaving a silvery trail. Malfoy had looked dazed before, but as the ball of light entered his head through his ear, his eyes went completely blank, looking as if he'd rolled them up into his skull. She watched his white eyes with trepidation, but as the irises and pupils became visible once more, she knew she'd succeeded. She fell to her knees in fatigue. She'd never attempted such a spell before, and while it looked like it had worked, they wouldn't really know until they knew.

"Live, darling, are you alright?" George's arms were around her as she trembled with fatigue on the floor. Feeling his presence so close to her gave her strength, but she felt close to passing out.

Shakily, she aimed her wand at Malfoy's nose and siphoned off as much blood as she could, making it appear as though nothing had befallen him. She even made the visibility of his bruises disappear. She'd be damned if she healed him though, or any of the larger bruises George had made. He could go ahead and wonder why the hell he hurt like fire for all she cared.

"Come on, Live," George said, getting her to her feet.

"No George, he needs to be put back in his bed…" she whispered. "And he needs to be asleep." George took her wand from her, though she was reluctant, and cast the necessary spell himself, although since it wasn't his wand, Malfoy more or less was flung like a rag-doll to the mattress, not that he had enough sense to care.

"Good enough," George assured. Live was shaking on her feet, and he held her to him. "Don't worry, just stay conscious and I'll put you back in your bed and you can rest, okay?" He was looking at her with concern, and she managed to nod as they made a quick ascent to her room, nearly running smack dab into Pansy Parkinson in the hall.

"Where did you- Ohmigod! Are you alright?!" Vivian shrieked as George laid Live limply upon her bed.

"She's fine. And it's not any of our blood," George told Vivian, as they were both covered in it.

"Viv, I am staying home today…" Live murmured through heavy-lidded eyes. Vivian was staring at George's blood-soaked front, but she said nothing. There was no doubt in her mind as to whose blood that was, but she was damned if she was going to say a word about it. She was too frightened by what must have become of Malfoy. And if George _had_ actually murdered him….She kept her mouth shut.

"Rebecca come on, we gotta go," Vivian said quickly, grabbing the other Slytherin from the bathroom with her toothbrush still hanging out of her foamy mouth.

"Buf fiffian-!" the other witch declared through toothbrushed mouth as she was dragged out the door, managing to grab her book bag before the door shut on her.

George sat still next to Live, watching her while she slept heavily. He wouldn't leave her again until she was fully healed. Of that he was damned certain.

sSs

"…and they say there's something roaming the castle," Lavender Brown remarked to Parvati Patil as they were leaving an afternoon class. "I heard that Malfoy woke up all beaten and terribly bruised. Like something got him in his sleep or something. I even heard that Madam Pomfrey had to go to the Slytherin dorms 'cause it was so bad. And you should have seen in potions today. His nose just started bleeding all over his robes. I think it was worse than Madam Pomfrey thought it was, and all Snape did was just sort of stare at him."

"Maybe he wanted it as potions ingredients," Parvati joked.

"Ew," Lavender remarked. "With all the weird crap going on around the castle, I wouldn't doubt it…I bet you that Hunter's involved," she said with a snort. "I bet _she_ broke Malfoy's nose! Or maybe that Tonks witch. I've seen her going into the forest in the moonlight doing Godric knows what. I bet she's a spy or something. After all, look at the run of professors we've had. I think Dumbledore's lost his touch."

"Go shove a broomstick in it, Lavender," Kara shouted as she passed the girl in the hall. Lavender gave Kara a dirty look, and Kara showed her a rather enthusiastic finger. "Honestly, if _I _broke Malfoy's nose, I'd have told someone about it," she promised as she walked with Ginny. "And I would have made sure his bruises were permanent."

"But she does have a point about Dumbledore," Ginny remarked. Kara gave her a dirty look at her traitorous words. "Oh come off it, Kara, you know Dumbledore's the best. I just meant that she had a point is all."

"And maybe I broke Malfoy's nose in secret?" Kara finished the thought sourly.

"Knock it off, we both know you'd be flying banners of your glory if you had," Ginny offered. "And Gryffindor House would have given you a party." Kara brightened a little. "Anyways, maybe she's talking about your sister?" Kara gave her another look. "Oh bollocks Kara, she _is _practically neighbors with the git. I'd get Malfoy while he was sleeping, personally," Ginny proposed devilishly. Kara shrugged it off. "How is she, anyway? I haven't seen Live up and about in a while."

"Me either, but her friend Rebecca told me she was doing alright. She'll be back to scaring first years in no time. Personally, I feel sorry for them. Live has a lot of catching up to do." Kara grinned wickedly.

Ginny smiled with amusement. "It's either them or us. But really," she started, more serious now in tone, "What _is_ with all the weirdness going on? Dumbledore said he was still trying to end these marriages and stuff. And about Tonks….I mean, she _is_ technically a spy- for us, I mean, but-"

"I know what you mean," Kara gave her a conspiratory wink. "I've seen Tonks in the forest moonlight too. Bet what she's doing?" she asked Ginny to guess. Kara wiggled her eyebrows implicationally, and a look of realization came over Ginny.

"Ew, Kara." The blond Gryffindor laughed. "Come on now, Lupin wouldn't be anywhere near Hogwarts on a full moon. He's too cautious for that, even if he likes Tonks."

"He has to get his potion," Kara declared importantly with her nose in the air. Then she winked at Ginny. "He's fully himself after he takes that. Just a whole lot more furry. He told me so."

"Ew."

"Maybe she's just giving him a little company," Kara said with a wink.

"Oh gross. I do _not_ want to think of our professors getting it on, Kara!"

"Playing games in the woods," Kara mused in thought.

"You're sick. Mental and sick. I'm going to obliviate myself of the images you've put in here." She knocked on her own forehead.

"I meant like playing ball or fetch! They haven't even been together for very long. How else is he supposed to pass the time in werewolf form? Geez, Ginny, get your mind out of the gutter!" Kara declared as if Ginny's naughty deductions had absolutely nothing to do with Kara's devilish suppositions. The red-head pretended to gag. "Speaking of gutter-minds…Hi Kelena!"

"Look what Fred just gave me," the brunette said accusingly as she approached the two younger Gryffindors. She held out a hand-crafted heart-shaped card covered in so much glitter and shiny pink stuff that Kara could have been distracted by it for the remainder of the year. Even more puzzling to Kara was the fact that Kelena wasn't happy with the item, which in itself had more sparkles than Kara knew what to do with.

Kara snatched it from Kelena and began looking at it from all angles, opening and closing it in shiny-glory. "Hmm…lovey-dovey mushy crap on the inside…blegh," Kara decided, picking at a sparkle and sticking it on her robes.

Ginny stuck her head over Kara's shoulder to inspect what was written inside. "Whatever he's apologizing for, I wouldn't accept it," she told Kel with scrutiny.

Kel looked at her with an expression which clearly said 'well duh'.

"Since when does Fred apologize for anything, anyways?" Ginny asked.

"Oh, you know…Since Kel's been giving him the Mmm-Hmm, the Howdy-Doody, teaching him the mattress mambo-" Kara began doing little thrusts while singing her own porno-esque music. "Bow-chicka-bow-wow-"

"Shut up Kara! That's disgusting!" Ginny shrieked, covering her ears and closing her eyes.

"Cram it, Kara," Kelena said. Ginny had her wand pointed at her skull and was muttering something.

Kara giggled. "You know, I saw a second year making this during breakfast," she remarked of the card as she surveyed the messy scrawl of Fred's own 'Sorry' on the inside. Kel's jaw dropped, stunned that his crappy apology card wasn't even his own. "I also saw Fred confiscate it and put your name on it. I guess he thought he was being clever, but if he would have let the kid do the writing, I think 'apology' would be spelled correctly…"

"That ass," Kel said with a thinking frown. "That dumb-dumbass!"

Ginny still had her wand at her head, trying to extract the past five minute's conversation. She was miles away from the current conversation.

"First Fred abducted my Sexpert license, then he abducted your drag-queen's purse-"

"Huh?! When did that happen?" Kara asked with sudden worry as she looked up from the card.

"And now he's taking cards from second years to apologize for his dumb-assed-ness! And he misspelled three words! Gah!" Kelena shrieked.

"Oh for fuck's sake," Ginny started, giving up on her task. "Didn't _you _destroy their dorm?" Ginny remarked with raised brow.

"That's not the issue here, Ginny," Kel told her. "I swear if he keeps this up I'm gonna get a divorce!" She snatched the card from Kara's pudge-paw and stormed off down the hall muttering about 'stains on the floor'.

"You can't divorce until after a year!" Kara called after her in disdain. Dammit. She'd liked that shiny card.

"So I'm still horribly lost. What was the point of that exactly?" Ginny questioned tiredly.

"I think she's just got a cure-resistant strain of sexlexia and it's mutated into something much more terrible. Hopefully it's not catchy. We haven't gotten very far in research since Live's gone into field study."

"Really?" Ginny looked seriously interested.

"Or maybe it's just major PMS," Kara said. "I'm not a Healer, you know."

"Ah." Ginny looked satisfied with her answer.

"Hey, I know a Healer we _can_ talk to though!"

Ginny gave her a flat look of discouragement that would have made Live proud. "Leave Lee alone, Kara."

"Hm…Maybe you're right…I hope he isn't still hiding behind the curtains in the common room."

"At least he's stopped thinking he's one of the statues."

"I'm just glad he's not lurking behind them anymore. If he had nicked just one more of my candies as I was passing by…."

Ginny sighed. "Thanks to you, Kara, I think that boy can forget any chances he ever had of becoming a Healer. You've more than certified him for a nice long stay in St. Mungos' patients ward."

Kara only grinned widely, as if she had just been paid a great compliment.

sSs

"Really though, Hermione, what's up with your hair?"

"You look like a nutter."

"I'd say she'd been electrocuted if Hogwarts had electricity."

"What's electricity?"

"Never mind."

Hermione was trying to study in the Gryffindor common room, but she was being pestered by both Kara and Ginny, and the more she ignored them, the more annoying they became.

"Maybe if you tried a new shampoo…"

"You can try mine!"

"Sorry Ginny, but I used the rest of yours on Lee's hair."

"Oh, that's why he smells like berries."

"Yeah, but he liked it before he started acting all crazy."

"Well maybe if you'd leave him alone-"

"I meant when he got all drunk and was swimming in the prefect's bath. That was pretty crazy."

"Oh. But he's even crazier now."

"Where is Lee anyway?"

"Having another breakdown. He's more high strung than Hermione at test time."

"I think he seems more relaxed."

"You _would_ think that, Kara."

"Oo! There he is! Look over there. No, near the fireplace. I don't even think those first years realize he's perched above them."

"Kara, McGonagall's gonna have a fit."

"Look, he's going in for the kill…"

Hermione began writing more furiously.

"How can they not see him?"

"He's channeling the sugar-vibe. It's how I get around without anyone noticing."

"You would get around, Kara."

"I told you, I'm NOT a whore!"

"Hermione, if you keep writing that hard you're gonna tear your parchment."

"I'd be more worried about getting ink on your hands. Wasn't I just saying, Ginny, that Hermione's hands were always smudged with ink?"

"Hers are a hell of a lot cleaner than Ron and Harry's. But it's okay, we'll get her a nice hand-wash and some new shampoo. How's that sound, Hermione?"

The brunette tried in vain to remember the translation of a particular nasty curse word she'd transcribed from Ancient Runes.

"Maybe she should just cut it off and start over from scratch. That's what movie-stars do."

"And she could use that bottle of hair-regrower you got from Hogsmeade, Kara!"

"Ginny, so help me Godric if you bring that up again..."

Hermione could hear every scratch-scratch her quill was making against the parchment paper, magnified by her concentration and determination to shut Ginny and Kara up.

"Uh oh, I think Lee's about to-"

Hermione broke the tip of her quill against the paper.

"Oh, I can't look!"

She repeated a mantra to calm herself and subdue any harm she was ready to inflict upon her two friends.

"Lee's about to-"

She prayed to all the deities she could think of for self-control.

"_RRAHHHHHHHHHH_!"

"HA! He got 'em!"

"Poor little first years…I hope Lee gives them back their chocolate frogs…and those quills…"

"HAHAHA!" Kara laughed loudly. She gave Hermione a hardy pat on the back in laughter, and the brunette lost it.

"GAAAHHHHHHHH!"

"AHH! _Hermione_! Get off me!" Kara shrieked with wide, surprised eyes as the usually-reserved, in-control Hermione pounced her in a way similar to that of Live pouncing George.

In other words, Kara feared for her life.

"Hermione! Gah! Ginny, help me!"

Ginny was watching Hermione with surprise and shock, not wanting to interfere. She'd seen Lee snap already, and now she was quite certain Kara's powers extended to making those around her lose control.

"Hermione! Please! We were just kidding! Your hair is fine! AH!" Kara was hugging Hermione tightly to lock her arms at her side. The brainy Gryffindor tried to reach a pillow to smother Kara with and finally shut her up. "Gah! Hermione! Let's be friends!" she shrieked as she hugged her tighter.

Lee came to join the crowd which was watching the kinda-girl-fight, standing by Ginny. He had chocolate all over his mouth and a feather sticking out of his pants. Ginny supposed the first years wouldn't be wanting their quills back.

"Hermione just snapped," Lee remarked with complete normalcy, watching with scientific purpose.

Ginny looked at him as if he were truly the mad one, but realized over the din of Hermione's war cries and Kara's shrieks of eternal platonic love that Lee's stint with madness was over.

"She just lost it," Ginny remarked as Hermione had grabbed a pillow and was pummeling Kara with it furiously.

"Do you think we should interfere?" Lee asked, completely unaware that he had feathers sticking out of his pants and candy on his face.

Ginny eyed one of the quill feathers, and looked at Lee's chocolate besmirched mouth. "Um, you know what? I think Kara will be just fine."

They continued to watch the kinda-girl-fight until Hermione was well out of energy, and Kara stared at her with caution and concern, even though she had been the one being pummeled.

"Hermione, are you okay now?" The brunette nodded. "You _suuuure_?" Kara asked in especial concern. Hermione nodded again with satisfaction. Kara grinned at her, completely unfazed by the entire little episode. It seemed to have been cathartic for poor stressed-out Hermione. "Positive?"

"I'm sorry, Kara, I don't know what came over me," Hermione said with true befuddlement.

"It's okay," the blonde said with a smile. "I'm perfectly fine."

"Yeah?"

"Yup." Kara grinned widely at Hermione and proffered her hand. "Pixie stick?"

Ginny and Lee groaned.

sSs

They were sitting in quiet, not looking at one another, with nothing but the sounding tick-tick of Vivian's clock on her bedside table, and the slow, even breaths of ones deep in thought.

"I don't want to do this anymore," Live spoke with the tone of someone very life-weary. George turned his head in her direction, but his momentary silence was too much for her, and she continued in spite of herself. "It's stupid, all of it."

"What is?" he asked flatly, both wanting her answer and fearing her reference.

"Everyone's out of control everywhere," she stated. "It bothers me. So much I just wish I could escape it all. If I had wings I'd fly away from everything."

"Everything?" he questioned, knowing himself to be part of that great lot. She didn't answer him, but merely looked on in faraway thought. "It'll be okay. It's just been a very involved year so far," he told her. "And trust me Live, once life hits bottom, there's only one way things go, and that's up."

She looked at him blankly, her expression devoid of emotion. How she wanted to believe his words. But her life experience thus far had shown her differently. "Anonymity for a while would be nice. That's all I want."

He watched her for a moment. "What are you saying?"

"I don't feel like I'm making a difference with anything. I don't know who I am or what I want in life or what my purpose is. I just feel completely lost in everything everyone wants me to be," she told him. She knew it wasn't fair to be saying all this to him, and she knew it was putting him at odds, but she needed to vocalize her thoughts and feelings, and she knew that after that, things could be sorted out and acted upon.

He was looking at her intensely, thinking, and although she knew she was worrying him and putting him at odds with himself, she nearly didn't care. She felt empty for reasons she couldn't identify.

"I love you George," she told him with true conviction, looking back at him with equal intensity, looking at the blood on his shirt with worry and fear, "but if you ever do that again…"

"He deserves more than that," he responded immediately. He'd had plenty of time to think while she had slept, and while she seemed upset from afar, as if she was inwardly distracted by something, Malfoy had been at the forefront of his mind for the most part.

"George…" Live looked at him as if hopelessly lost. She wanted to be alone, spend some time in her cat skin and think, but heaven only knew if she were strong enough for that. "I don't want you to become something you'd hate because of what happened with me," she told him.

"For everything he's ever put anyone through, he deserves far worse than anything I'd do," he told her with bitter tones. Truth was, even he didn't know how far he might have gone if Live hadn't pulled him off Malfoy. There was so much anger and resentment for the prat inside George that he hadn't even realized it. And he was covered in so much blood, now dried and flaky on his clothes and hers, that he was afraid she was right.

Live took George's hand in hers and just held it, lightly stroking her thumb back and forth over his skin. His words struck a note in Live's heart. She knew that Malfoy had made life miserable for a number of students- younger and older in years- for shameful reasons. She herself knew what he was capable of making people feel- weakness, humiliation, shame, fright. And not only Malfoy, but the Malfoy family in general seemed to make it their life's work to belittle others, especially the Weasley family. Live knew firsthand how kind the Weasleys were, and just how wrong it was for anyone like the Malfoys to try to demean them in any way. Harry himself was like an adopted son. And Mrs. Weasley was a saint when it came to the wellbeing of her children.

George had more direct reason for hating the Malfoys than Live felt she did. Malfoy senior had been the cause of problems for George's dad since before they were born. And now his rat-bastard son caused problems for others in the same manner. Besides those facts, it was no secret that Lucius Malfoy was a Death Eater. Harry had made that fact known far and wide, so great was his hate for the whole idea they represented. It made Live sick to think about it.

While Live herself hated Malfoy for the same reasons as everyone else did, as well as for several very personal ones, she couldn't help but pity the rotten git. His own hate and willful ignorance only proved what a simple-minded individual he truly was. But that didn't excuse his actions or behavior, and she still hated him.

It was all so very wrong, it made her sick emotionally and physically, and moreover it made her tired. She was sick of feeling. She didn't want to feel anymore.

She brought the back of his hand to her mouth and kissed the skin, looking at him hopelessly. She had nothing to say but one thing.

"Love you."

He squeezed her hand and smiled halfheartedly. "I love you, too."

She was looking at his shirt, and at his stained hands. She smiled pathetically, trying to bring back the delight she wanted to feel whenever he was around. "You know, I think Vivian nearly shat herself when she saw all the blood on you," she said sardonically.

He laughed humorlessly. "I think she thought I'd killed him." He got silent again, immediately wishing he hadn't said that. The thought that he might have killed Malfoy wasn't very far from his mind, and had almost been reality. There was a point in which he'd seen red. If Live hadn't pulled him off him…

Live came to his side, kneeling next to him on the bed as she laid her head on his shoulder. She held his hand with one of hers, the other snaked about his arm in a sort of embrace. "You nearly would have," she stated flatly. She didn't like saying it any more than he liked hearing it, but it made her feel better to acknowledge the fact that something disastrous had nearly happened. She knew in her heart that she had to stop acting like the things that bothered her on the inside didn't on the outside. She didn't want to pretend.

"Don't lose control like that again…even for me," she told him somberly. George exhaled soberly, at a loss. "I'm not worth it, and I don't want you to get hurt."

"You're worth every risk and everything in the world, Live," he told her, moving so he could look her in the eyes very seriously. "Don't you ever forget that." There was anger in his eyes, and he looked away from her. "Not Malfoy or anyone else should make you feel any less, ever."

There were unshed tears in her eyes and a soft smile on her face at his words of appraisal. No one had ever told her that before. Her heart was bleeding with love for him, and she knew for certain that she'd love him forever.

"George, I love you," she said again softly as she held him tightly. It felt so wonderful to say it. It gave her immense hope. "I know you do such things for me and I love you for it throughout. I love you. I'll love you forever."

He pulled her onto his lap and looked her in the eyes. He stroked her cheeks with his thumbs, and kissed her eyelids which were wet with tears. "I don't want anything to happen to you." He pulled her into an embrace and kissed her neck. "I never wanna let you go. I want to hold you in my arms. Just like this for always."

She kissed him and hugged him close, thinking that maybe forever wasn't as scary a thought as it seemed. She could stay in his arms for forever and a day.

She looked at him with a playful smile, her heart aching with love for him. "I don't know what it is I like about you, but I like it a lot," she told him with a smile.

He smirked and kissed her lips, a roguish grin coming to his features. "Want to find out?"

She grinned back at him with a bold smile, playful love in her eyes. "Yes, yes I do."

sSs


	32. A Little Too Much Information

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 32: A Little Too Much Information

sSs

"OH NO! A DRAGON!!" Tonks shrieked and pointed during dinner from the raised dais of the teachers' table. Many students gasped in shocked fright at her sudden shout, while more still turned their heads in the direction of the doors at which she pointed. Upon finding their pants quite wet with fear and no dragon to be found, students glared at the professor while others laughed at her quirkiness. "Now that I have your attention," she said with much more calm and a superior grin to the student body, which was effectively silenced, "Professor Dumbledore has an announcement to make."

As she once again took her seat, she smirked at the amount of death glares she was receiving, and then gave her attention to the Headmaster.

"Thank you, professor," Dumbledore regarded Tonks with a kind, if not odd, smile.

She grinned with satisfaction, and turned to look upon the other professors with a 'see? I told you so' sort of smirk. McGonagall gave her a blank, flat smile while Snape looked like someone spit in his soup.

"It is my duty to reveal to you," Dumbledore began, gauging his students as he spoke, "that Minister Fudge has informed me of the recent progress of the matter of the marriage law which many of you students have been subjected to for several weeks."

"…I'll say," Fred quipped to George, rolling his eyes in regards to Kelena's recent nagging.

George smiled and looked to his own little wife over at the Slytherin table. It had been over a week since their run-in with Malfoy, and Live looked far more healthy and much stronger than before. He grinned, crediting that to the fact that he had taken to sleeping in her bed as of late and conspiring with her on pranks. There was a smile on her face and a sparkle in her eye that had been absent for quite a while. It made him happy knowing she was getting truly better, and that he had some part in it.

"Pay attention," Lee whispered, elbowing George in the side. The red-headed boy glared at the poking. "This seems important, mate."

George slouched and took a lazy bite of a roll, giving Dumbledore his attention once more.

"In short, the Ministry of Magic has determined to annul all underage marriages of witches and wizards who were victimized due to The Magical Mischief and Marriage Act of nineteen-hundred and sixty-five. That means that any witch or wizard in a bound marriage who has not yet reached their majority shall be free from the enforcement of the law starting with the rise of the new day." He paused as whispers, both agitated and excited, were heard around the hall. "However, those elders who have already reached their majority are bound to one-another still."

"What does that _mean_?" Ginny asked Hermione, her question among the many flying around the room. Apparently, Dumbledore's idea of bringing them up to speed was not receiving easy reception, let alone deciphering.

"It means that I'm stuck with Kelena," Fred remarked aloud, and was subsequently smacked upside the head with a dinner roll.

"Don't even start, Fred," Kel told him naggingly. Ginny laughed into her pumpkin juice as Fred scowled, obviously finding this news objectionable.

"Wait….underage…contract…fourteen, fifteen, sixteen…three, four, seven…" Lee murmured to himself. "I'M FREE!" Lee shouted suddenly, jumping up in his seat and shrieking happily out of the Great Hall.

"Oh geez," Ginny said, covering her face in shame.

"Darn," Kara remarked with a pout. "And he was so good when it came to being my guinea pig."

"What about your business?" Ginny asked, now that Lee was 'free' from Kara.

"Oh, that's safe. I have the merger in writing," she said with a grin. Ginny smirked and returned to her roll, listening to the gossip flying around; the subsequent groaning and grumbling of her classmates.

"Hey Live, take a look over at the Gryffindor table," Vivian said with a smirk, elbowing Live.

"No," the blonde refused, suspecting what she was to behold if she looked up from her meal. Listening to the murmurs of students and professors alike was plenty enough for her senses to encounter.

"No, I mean it. It's not what you think," Vivian cajoled, trying to stop her smirk from being quite so apparent.

"I've killed for less, Viv," Live threatened with a smile, focusing on her dinner.

"She's serious, look," Rebecca joined in the coaxing.

Surrendering to her friends, Live lifted her face and looked at the Gryffindor table only to find George smirking and waggling his eyebrows lasciviously at her. She rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue, no longer looking at him, but grinning into her dinner with lovely amusement.

"See? She liked it," Vivian remarked to Becca. The girls both snickered as Live elbowed them to shut them up, every now and again catching George's solicitous looks at her while she attempted to finish eating. Ignoring it didn't make him stop one bit. And playing with him- winking and the like to purposely tease him, even provoking him just for her own fun- did no better.

"Well I've had enough of this. Come with me ladies," Live announced, grabbing her friends by the arms.

"But I'm not finished!" Vivian whined as she was pulled out of her seat and away from her pudding.

"…could stand to lose a few pounds…" Live murmured quietly, but just loud enough so that Vivian could hear it. The other girl looked quite offended.

"Go shove a broomstick in it!" she told Live, pouting.

The blonde witch yanking her along grinned, and patted her arm. "I'll make it up to you," she said with a smirk, "in all the free candy you can eat!"

"You're gonna go bankrupt if you do that!" Rebecca shrieked, horrified.

"Okay, enough with the fat jokes," Vivian snarked at them, dragging her feet and making the other girls work hard to get her out of the Great Hall. The three of them looked quite ridiculous, but it was amusing to those who were trying to distract themselves from the hubbub, at least.

"Yeah Live, she might start in about how you used to be f-"

"SHUT UP!" Live shrieked in purposeful interruption, horrified at Rebecca's statement as they exited the Great Hall.

"Hey," Vivian remarked in thoughtfulness, "you _did_ used to be--" Live shot her a piercing death-glare. "Uh, supremely-voluptuous," she said with a smirking grin. "What did you use for that LARGE problem? Can I have some?" She smirked at her friend in evil triumph, more than agitating Live.

"I'll shoot you, Viv."

The girl in question raised an eyebrow at her blonde friend. "Well it's obviously done wonders, the way George paws you and all…" She grinned conspiratorially and winked at Live playfully.

Live put a hand to her temple. "Don't even start with that again…" she said wearily, having endured more than enough teasing from her roommates. Both girls were wildly supportive of her and George coupling up, and were just as avid about playfully teasing her about it.

"Yeah, what with all the 'ooh's' and 'aaah's' we hear coming from your bed at night," Rebecca chimed in with an equally devious look.

"You do not. I sound-proof it!" Live declared, then blushed at her friends' grins in what she had unduly admitted. She lifted her chin. "I'm not even gonna go there with you two," Live told them, walking away in emphasis of her disinterest with the subject. Both girls grabbed her arms and guided her to a more private corridor. Live hmph-ed in exaggerated agitation with her well-meaning, nosy friends.

"Okay. Spill it all," Vivian demanded.

"Spill what?" Live asked, raising an eyebrow with suspicion.

"Come on, Live. You're happy all the time, laughing, in a good mood, singing even more frequently, and off-tune, I might add, in the shower…Frankly, it's disgusting," Vivian said. Rebecca laughed.

"We know something is going on with you and George. More than just the whole boyfriend-girlfriend _obvious_ sexual attraction thing. Now spill it," Rebecca demanded.

"Nothing's going on, you creepy bints," Live remarked, her face slightly flushing at their correct guesswork. She knew they _must_ have been conspiring against her with this. The clever little chits.

"You guys are doing it, aren't you?" Vivian guessed with a smirk. Live's face reddened terribly. "I knew it! They're doing it!"

"But how _long _have they been doing it??" Rebecca inquired in a scholarly manner.

"It would make sense of the way she walks lately…and her lack of propriety these days…"

"Since when was she ever proper?"

"Hm, I see your point."

"What do you mean by '_the way I walk_'??" Live exclaimed with abject horror, having been sputtering at a loss for words.

"Well, you have this kind of waddle…"

"Like a duck, perhaps."

"No, it's more of a shuffle than a waddle," Rebecca intoned.

"Will you two shut up?!" Live demanded. "I don't shuffle! And if I was shuffling, it's 'cause I'm not fully better yet!" she defended quickly.

Vivian looked at Rebecca and Rebecca at Vivian. They had a silent moment of agreed contemplation.

"They're doing it."

"Mm-hm."

"We're not doing it!!" Live declared adamantly, frowning.

"Well we haven't exactly seen much of you this week outside George's company…_hint hint_," Vivian remarked with a smart grin.

"If at all," Rebecca added. "You're our _roommate _and we've missed you," she said ironically. "I mean, we haven't had girly talks in a while. And I think you have quite a lot to tell us…_wink wink_," she said with a wide, knowing grin.

Live rolled her eyes. "We're_ not_ doing it," she told them again, her face flushing. "And I've just been trying to heal and stuff. I've only been to like three classes in the past two days, you know."

"But still, we haven't really seen you, and we _loooooove_ you," Vivian cajoled, nuzzling her closely in attempt to freak Live out. And it was working as the blonde tried to throw off her friend with a little shriek and a laugh.

Rebecca watched Live for a moment in her on-going struggle with Vivian, and her hands suddenly went to her mouth in realization. "Ohmigod! You _love _him!" she squeaked.

Live and Vivian both froze in their current position: Vivian half-hanging onto Live, Live with one foot in the air and an arm in Vivian's face trying to force her off.

Vivian's eyes moved to look up at Live, and they considerably widened, as if there was some tell-tale sign they had missed. "Ohmigod it's true!"

Live shoved Vivian off her and fixed her robes in a way reminiscent of a bird ruffling it's feathers. She was blushing terribly and looked uneasy.

Vivian had her hands on her hips in an accusing manner. "And when did this happen? And how come we're just now learning about it?? I thought it was just a physical-attraction…Don't you hate each other?? I mean, people who hate each other can still do it _allll_ the time, but I mean, come on…"

"And just how long _have_ you two been doing it?" Rebecca wanted to know. Both girls had hands on hips staring down their flustered friend.

Live ignored Rebecca's query and looked to Vivian. "I just…I dunno…" Vivian gave her a hard, determined stare. "You really wanna know? It just so happens we realized all this only moments before you stuck your nosy head into our business that day!" she accussed, affirming their love.

It was Vivian's turn to blush furiously. She knew exactly what Live was referring to, and had avoided their 'love-nest' since then. And ever since then, George's presence in their dorm room had become as common place as the girls' habituation themselves. She murmured, sheepishly, "…I figured I interrupted you two doing it…"

Live's face reddened more. "We weren't doing it then, you dork."

Rebecca giggled, but didn't say anything.

"So what's the whole deal, then? I mean, he's definitely easy on the eyes," Vivian confided. Live felt a little sprig of jealousy that her friend had noticed such a thing. But then again, who wouldn't? George was a fox, and she liked it.

Live grinned in thought.

"Hey? You in there," Rebecca prodded.

"I just…love him," she admitted softly to her friends. "I mean, there's a few things about him I don't get, or that confuse me-"

"Like what?" Vivian asked rhetorically, a smirk on her face. But Live decided to get serious with her friends. This was the first heart-to-heart they'd had in a long time.

"Well, George is different from other boys."

"Yeah, he blows things up-" Vivian started.

"Him and his brother have an entire _drawer _devoted to them in Filch's office-" Rebecca noted.

"He's likely to be the next poster boy for Juvenile Delinquency-"

"Oh shut up. He's not all bad. I mean, he's clever when you really think about it. Those were only the times he's been caught. And he can be very sweet."

"Are we talking about the same person? This _is _the guy that made Jason into a garbage-sundae, remember?" Vivian stuck out her tongue in fake-retching.

"Geez, listen to her. She's totally head over hips in love with him," Rebecca stated as if it were a pity.

"The girl we know and love was ready to kill him not four weeks ago, and now you're his love-struck love-muffin?"

"Girlfriend--!"

"Technically, she's his wife."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that."

"Even after Dumbledore just said-?"

"Will you two shut up and let me talk?! Shit."

"Sorry Live, what were you gonna say?" Rebecca asked with a grin.

"Ew, _are _you two doing it?" Vivian asked seriously this time.

"Wait, that's the problem, isn't it?" Rebecca grinned wickedly. "It's not good, is it? Your doing it, I mean."

Live rolled her eyes.

"Wait, maybe it's _too _good."

"Oh come on, Becca, there is no such thing."

"Maybe _he's_ not good."

Live was covering her eyes with a hand in dire embarrassment as her friends looked at her with pity and alarm. She was glad no one had wandered into their little conversation. Yet. Her cheeks blazed hot in embarrassment.

"Oh no! Live, is that the case? Is he bad at it?"

"Oh for pity's sake, NO!" She let out a large sigh. "No-- I mean, we _aren't_ doing it, so wipe that smirk off your face, Becca." The girl in question grinned. "He's just _different_." Vivian and Rebecca were giving her blank looks. She rolled her eyes, her face turning brilliantly red as she bit her lip. "He's a little…_special_."

The girls were still giving her blank looks. Then a light went on in Rebecca's head. Her hands went to her mouth in surprised realization. "Ohmigosh! It's small, isn't it?!"

"Becca!" both girls gasped at her audacity. Live wondered just how many people could have heard her loud remark echoing through the hall.

Live's hand went to her face once more. She knew she was blushing profusely. It was awful trying to discuss this with anyone, let alone her friends. "No, he's…_gifted_."

Vivian and Becca's jaws dropped.

"Just how big are we talking here?" Vivian asked with seriously piqued interest, all-business with hands on hips.

"Like, normal big, or porn-star big?" Becca asked bluntly.

Live's face was so red she could have been a tomato. "_Oh my God, Becca_!" she hissed to shut the other girl up.

"She didn't say _no, _though," Becca remarked to Vivian, ignoring Live, who only looked shocked.

"I think she's lying," Vivian said. Live gave her a dirty look. "Oh, come on, Live. I mean, you said you guys all swam at their house in the summer. And you and George have been 'sleeping' together. I mean in the normal way, honey, don't give me that look. We know you're not doing it with him…Geez. You'd think you would have noticed something like that in swim trunks at least! How did it take you so long to find out?"

"I wasn't looking at his crotch, thank you very much!" she growled. "Besides, the water was all but freezing. And who the hell stares like that anyway?"

"Oh yeah. Back then she wanted to kill them all," Rebecca supplied. "She wasn't fully immersed in the 'jumping-his-bones' plan yet."

"Oh yeah." Vivian looked pensive, and Live sighed with exasperation. "Okay, but if you're not _doing_ it, then how do you _know_?" She gave her friend a sly yet thoughtful look.

"Well…we…showered…together…" Live said quietly, blushing even more furiously.

Both girls looked thunderstruck. "She saw it!" Rebecca accused with glee. "Oh wow, so what are we talking here?"

Live looked about to die of embarrassment. "I didn't see it! We were in the dark!" She was so incredibly shy when it came to all this, she just wanted to crawl in a hole and die.

Vivian cocked an eyebrow at her, then grinned devilishly. "Oooh, kinky."

"I'm not showering in our shower anymore," Rebecca remarked.

"Shut up, Becca, I want details," Vivian chastised. "So so so, like, how big is it? Give us a measurement."

"Oh my god, Vivian, _no_!"

"Come on, Live. You were in the dark with him, and you swear he's huge. I think we can rely on your hands to show us an approximate size," she told her friend devilishly as she held her own hands out. Then added, with a playful grin, "You lil' tramp."

Live laughed despite herself. She felt she'd die of embarrassment soon, and she didn't think she could evade their questions much longer, regardless of their severely interested expressions and her own amusement.

"You've been keeping us in the dark too long," Vivian told her.

"No, technically she's been keeping _George_ in the dark," Rebecca said with a grin.

"Hey gorgeous," a voice said from behind, followed by Live's ass grabbed.

"George!" Live squealed, her face becoming horrendously red from the fact that he was even there with what they were discussing. She looked at her friends, and was horribly shocked to see that they were both gaping with their good luck at a chance to look inquisitively at his crotch.

He wrapped an arm around Live and gave her a kiss. Her face was so hot she thought she'd burst into flame any moment.

He smiled at her and looked at her friends, who were having trouble keeping eye-contact with him. "What's up, ladies?" Both girls started to giggle horrendously at the double entendre, and Live grabbed George around the waist and _turned _him away in order to _get _away. It didn't matter where she was headed- just anywhere from their prying eyes and wistful giggles.

"Now do tell me if I'm wrong, my lovely," George started from arm's length away as she pulled at his hand, "but why were Vivian and Rebecca staring at my nether-regions?"

Live blushed terribly and prayed aloud to anything that would get her through the day. "They're just weird, I have no clue," she said without turning around. She pulled him into one of the courtyards and hoped some cool night air would do away with her red face.

George grinned to himself as she pulled at him. "Trying to get me somewhere dark to take advantage of me?"

"Maybe…" she said with a smirk.

He couldn't have been happier with the way things were going, although he knew it wasn't her original purpose. Though perhaps they could deviate whatever plans she _did_ have for bringing him out there. "So what will we be doing out here then?"

"Don't sound so hopeful," Live said with amusement. He pouted, and she grinned. "I just thought it was nice out here."

"Ah. I see. And no one checks these courtyards after dinner, do they?"

She giggled and gave him a playful smack. "In your dreams, lover boy."

He kissed her then and held her close, nuzzling her. "So what are we doing? Looking at the stars? Finding a better vantage point in which to prank the third years?"

"I'd think you'd have better things to do with your time than planning on pranking helpless third years," she told him with a smile and a kiss.

"Like what?"

She gave him a look that said 'duh George'.

"Huh? _Ooooh_," he said with sudden thought and a smile. He snickered as she rolled her eyes, smiling as she trailed a finger up under his chin.

"I love you, dorkus," she told him with a smile.

"I love you, too, Slytherin," he said with a grin, utilizing her house's name as a mild insult which made her stick her tongue out at him. He grinned and kissed her hair, hugging her tightly. She hugged him back, and then pulled away.

"I want to show you something." He smirked and she smacked him playfully. "Not what you're thinking." He snickered and snaked a hand up her shirt. She batted him away with giggles, and then retrieved a vial from her bag. "Do you know what this is?"

"Looks like that stuff what makes your knickers disappear," he said with a wolfish grin.

"Although your description of it _is _apt," she told him with amusement, "I've found a new purpose for it."

"You've been hanging around Hermione too much," he told her. She grinned.

"Clothing was just the first step, one of the easier things to try and make un-apparateable. This stuff is far more potent, or so my theory goes," she confided, having not been able to put this batch through the full test yet. "I found out that the first batch of Un-apparition potion had to properly dry first to work, and even then you were able to get it off your clothes without much problem."

"You call rubbing out my trousers with butterbeer- _in my knickers_- in broad daylight 'without much problem??"

She grinned and dug her hands into the waist of his pants, running her fingertips between the fabric and his skin. "If I recall you look quite stunning in your 'knickers'," she whispered to him playfully, a wicked grin on her face. He had the decency to blush. "Anyways, this stuff dries a whole lot faster, and since I made it thicker, it adheres to clothing and other particles with much more strength."

"And this is good, right?" he said, not following her logic so much as his interest in her hands at his waist.

"George, imagine what this can be used for!" She removed her hands (much to his chagrin) to gesture excitedly. "It makes most anti-apparition spells completely unnecessary! You know how hard those things are to properly cast! And they have to be periodically re-cast! With this, treasures and works of art could be better protected! They could be _mobile-y_ protected! Muggles wouldn't find their valuables going missing by crooked wizards!" she said excitedly. He grinned. She was cute when excited. "And if I could make it into a sort of vapor, like a smoke-bomb or something, and since it adheres strongly to clothing, people could stop bad-wizards from apparating away from crimes, right out in the open!!" She gestured excitedly. "It can be used for both military _and_ civilian good!"

He raised an eyebrow in realization. "If someone could use it the next time there was a Death Eater attack…"

"YES! They're all cowards, the lot of them! If you were fighting out in the open, they could easily apparate away. But get this on them…" She shook the little bottle lightly back and forth with a smug smile.

He wrapped his arms tight about her and kissed her deeply in excitement. "You're a genius! Wait until Harry hears! And just think of all the people we could prank if you made their clothes un-apparateable!!"

"Kara thought that, too," Live murmured resentfully from his warm embrace, her sister ever-mindful of business, even if it was Live's own technology to nick. Little bint.

"We should market it…You could get an award or something for this, you know," he said, knowing she was all about getting her due-recognition. "You've practically turned a spell into a potion. Even squibs could carry it around for safety, since they can't brew it themselves."

She grinned. "I'm going to present it to the Wizard's Council. Or at least, I'm going to try. I'll have to talk to Dumbledore about it first. See what he thinks. He invited me to tea, anyways, once I was better, so I think I might capitalize on it."

George smirked at her. "I think it's brilliant." She beamed at him, and his smirk turned mischievous. "But now, my lady, I think we should put you to bed."

"What do you m- GEORGE! Put me down!" Live shrieked as he scooped her up and threw her over his shoulder.

"You've had enough excitement for the day, methinks," he said thoughtfully to himself as he grinned.

She giggled and squirmed, smacking at him to put her down. "George! You're gonna make me drop all my stuff!"

He ignored her pleading and hefted her up higher, clamping a hand down on her bum which caused her to shriek with surprise. "If you'd stay still you wouldn't drop your stuff," he explained with a smug grin, walking through the corridors with her as if his prize. Live was mortified beyond belief at the giggles she heard moments before she would see the people they belonged to. One thing was certain, the younger years were definitely getting a kick out of it. She could hear the rumors now: _Gryffindor takes Slytherin as captive. Much shagging ensues._

"Hey-uh…George, what are you doing?" a familiar voice asked. Live started squirming ever more, and suddenly George turned, spinning her in the direction of the voice. "Hey Live."

"Harry! Ron! Oh for the love of Pete make this psycho put me down!!" Live protested with giggles and irritation before George once again spun around to face his fifth-year friend and little brother.

"I'm just putting my darling dear to an early bed," he told them. Live frowned to herself, hearing the definite smug grin in his voice. She wasn't too thrilled about her bum being in the clear view of these boys, either.

"George, so help me God-"

Harry gave him a look, thinking George more than perturbed. "Do you think that wise, mate?"

"Oh, she's a kitten, really," George told them, patting her bum as her surprised shrieks filled the air, her legs flailing in vain. "Don't worry, Harry, I know how to make her purr."

"George I'm going to curse your bollocks off if you don't put me down!"

He patted her again as she squirmed in displeasure, making little shrieks of surprise when his hand clamped down.

"George, if mum knew what you-"

"Mum isn't here, Ron. Get used to the idea. Have a little fun," he told his brother with a wink. "I hear Hermione's cat got out of the bag…"

The silence following his statement told Live that Ron was either terribly angry or fully chagrinned. Harry laughed, and Live wished she could see what was going on in back of her as opposed to seeing the approaching students snickering at her as they passed through the hall, gossiping that "Gryffindor rules!"

"He's got you there, mate," Harry said jestingly, elbowing Ron with snickers.

"Shuddup Harry," Ron murmured, his face more than red from mention of his little tryst with Hermione. He continued to seemingly mutter under his breath. In any other situation, it would have made her laugh.

"George! I'm getting a cramp!" Live protested with pleading, moving around to try to relieve the feeling.

"Don't worry, it'll feel much better once we get you to your room," he told her with a wink at Harry. "I'll work that cramp out…" Live blushed and swallowed a shriek as his hand made contact with her bare thigh under her robes. She was being scandalously manhandled right in public, and the worst part was that a little part of her was thrilled by it.

"Oh yeah, mate, we've missed you in the tower," Harry remarked off-handedly. "It's bloody boring up there now, what with the way Fred's been hen-pecked by Kelena, and Lavender's been a bit too cocky lately," he noted. "Kara's about to go nuts."

"Have her shove a broomstick up Lavender's--"

"You have to be a little more stealthy with such things, my love," George told Live at her suggestion, though he grinned, thinking it to not be such a bad idea. He patted her rump in appreciation…of its firmness.

"Dammit George, let me down!"

"So as I was saying," George continued as he re-positioned her to better stand. He suddenly let out a surprised shriek of his own as Live grabbed his butt from behind; two lovely, firm, quidditch-toned handfuls. George grinned, fully encouraged. "I better get Live to bed," he said eagerly. Live was squirming to get down and making noises of protest from behind him, and it only worked to further incite him. "With that said, I must bid you gentlemen good day!"

He took two eager strides past his friends, and Live was mortified to see in passing that it wasn't just Harry and Ron standing there, but Neville had entered upon the scene at one point and hadn't said a word due to the embarrassment of the situation. It was most likely him that Ron was muttering his displeasure to.

Dammit.

"…oh my God…" Live muttered with embarrassment, putting a hand over her face in surrender as George carried her through the hallways.

"What about Lavender?" Ron called out as Neville nudged him.

"Ask Ginny about the Gin-smack candy-crack incident. She'll help you out," Live yelled out to them as George happily paraded her to her classmates. "George! You barbarian! Put me down!"

"What's the Gin-smack candy-crack incident?" Neville asked Ron, now able to speak that Live's shapely bum was out of his perfect range of vision and moving down the corridor.

"Well it has Ginny's name in it. I bet Kara's involved, too," Harry told them with a grin. "Let's go find out."

"Do you think your brother will be okay?" Neville asked Ron, Live's groans of protest echoing through the halls.

Harry smirked. "He'll be fine."

sSs

"You're an ass, you know that?" Live asked George with a smirk as they stood behind the door of the secret passage outside the Slytherin common room.

"But it's my arse you're so enamored of, or so you've led me to believe," he told her with a grin, wrapping his arms close around her and letting his hands rest on her own bum.

She snickered and kissed him softly and unhurriedly, her hand on his neck. "I love you so much, George Weasley," she told him fervently, needing to and meaning it with all her heart. "God I love you. Don't ever leave me."

"I'm never going to leave you, Live," he promised her reassuringly, wondering about her worry.

"I just have this bad feeling."

"How about a good feeling?" He kissed her, and she smiled on one side. "You're my sun and my stars. I couldn't live without you," he avowed, kissing her nose. She hugged him, nuzzling him affectionately. "Are you alright?"

"I think I'm just tired," she said wearily. "I feel weird."

"Well you look weird," he told her with a snicker and a grin, "but I love you anyway." She gave him a playful smack and sought his lips and his arms once more. He caressed her cheek and looked in her eyes. "Let's go ahead and get in bed. I'm tired," he told her, although it was because he saw uneasiness in her eyes that he thought they should get in together. She looked deeply worried about something, or concerned, but he couldn't place it, and she wasn't elaborating.

She smirked and agreed, and had him put Harry's indefinitely-borrowed invisibility cloak on before they stepped out of the passage and entered the common room not without conflict.

"You've been out late, half-breed."

"Fuck off, Malfoy. I'm not in the mood to humor you today," she said offhandedly, not even bothering to look at him as she walked through the room. She was much stronger now, if not almost fully healed, and besides, George was right beside her beneath the cloak. Either one of them alone had enough cursing power to shut him up for weeks.

"From what I hear you're still Weasley's little whore," he said in referring to Dumbledore's announcement of prolonged marriage, continuing his little statement as if she hadn't said anything. Crabbe and Goyle snickered while Blaise Zabini was filing his fingernails lazily.

She felt George try to move past her, but she put her hand in his in an inconspicuous manner to stop him, and he gave her a squeeze in resistant acknowledgement. She didn't need to see him to know he was holding himself back from attacking Malfoy. "I wouldn't piss me off if I were you, Malfoy. The last time I heard you went up against a girl, you _wet yourself _in fear."

Blaise snickered from the couch, and Malfoy shot him a death-glare. "What? It was funny, mate. It was from that smart mudblood girl, wasn't it?" he said, looking at Live for confirmation. He looked back at Malfoy. "When she gave you that bloody nose?" Crabbe and Goyle both started snickering too, and Live smirked to herself. Yeah, they remembered.

She turned and went on her way, but not before a curse was fired, somehow missing her.

"Missfoy you cowardly little bitch," Putterly said as he grabbed Malfoy by the throat of his robes, shaking him once before throwing him back into his chair, taking his wand. "Cursing people when their backs are turned…Grow some bollocks and be a man," he told him, pocketing the wand.

Live smirked with bitterness, and crossed her arms over her chest, watching the scene unfold. No doubt Putterly himself had many reasons with which to pick a fight with Malfoy. And the little platinum-haired git made it only too easy.

"Give me back my wand this instant blood-traitor!" Malfoy demanded with clenched fists.

"I think I want you to beg me for it," Putterly told him with a smug look. Malfoy's cronies got off their chairs to come to their leader's aid, but Putterly just stared them down with a smirk, keeping them in place. He was still a stronger seventh year, after all. Blaise continued to file his nails, almost bored. Malfoy couldn't keep his mouth shut for very long at all.

"Return my wand you disgrace to the name of pure-blood!"

"Come on, Jason, mate, just give the prat his wand," Blaise told Putterly nonchalantly. "He won't stop bitching about it till you do, and even after that, and I have a test tomorrow."

Putterly grinned. "Okay. If Missfoy here apologizes to Live. Or admits he's the scum of the earth."

Live smirked. It would be a cold day in hell before Malfoy ever apologized to anyone for anything, and he believed he was next in line for King of the Planet. "It's been amusing, Jason, but I'm going to bed," Live told him, leaning into George who was standing right behind her, rubbing his fingers with her own behind her back.

"What's it gonna be, Missfoy?"

"Just hide his wand or something and go to bed. Or break it," she said with a rueful look at Malfoy. She narrowed her eyes and then turned away. "The git isn't worth it," she called as she walked away from the situation, confident in Putterly and his abilities. She heard snickering and the sound of wand-fire behind her in the corridor as she walked up the dais and entered her room.

George flung off the cloak once they were inside, clenching and unclenching his fists.

"…it's always like this. If someone isn't dueling in the common room then it's picking on the other houses…Nothing to worry about, really," Live told George with apathy as she piled her stuff at the end of her bed.

"That bastard…who's he think he is?" he grumbled, pacing. "He almost hit you with that curse…If I hadn't seen it coming…And everything else he's done…that bastard…He needs to be put in his place."

"George, you're gonna wake up Viv and Becca," Live whispered to him as she peeled off her robes and got herself situated.

"I'm just so angry right now…" he muttered, still pacing in his ire and wanting to go out there and once more bloody up Malfoy right good. "If that git were man enough to ever fight his own fights…"

"George, come on," Live coaxed, patting the bed. He looked over to her, pleasantly surprised to see her wearing one of his favorite pieces of lingerie and waiting for him to get in bed. He grinned, his anger quickly ebbing as he left a trail of clothing leading up to her bed as he jumped in with his boxers on.

She snickered and cuddled up to him, entwining herself with him as he spent a good long time kissing her into sleep and dreams.

sSs

"Good afternoon, professor," Live greeted congenially with a large smile.

"A pleasant afternoon it is, my dear," Dumbledore commented with a kindly smile himself. "And a good one to you." Live grinned and took her seat across from Dumbledore at a quaint little table laden with tea and cakes in his study. It was a nice, bright day, and fresh sunshine brought in scents of the lake to the room through an open window. "Do you take sugar in your tea?" The sugar-bowl was hovering over her cup, waiting for orders from Dumbledore with its companion the spoon.

Live couldn't help but smirking. She had a little theory going about the characteristics the Headmaster and her sister had in common. It didn't take a genius to guess Dumbledore took sugar in _his_ tea.

"No thank you," she said politely, being on her best behavior not only because he was the Headmaster, but because he was a rather kindly man, and an invitation to tea was quite a nicety in her book.

Dumbledore smiled and allowed the sugar container to continue on its way to his cup, her own with saucer levitating over to her. She took it with great fear she'd end up spilling it on herself. Lord forbid today of all days she'd have to be clumsy.

Dumbledore's own teacup floated over to him, and the old wizard plucked it out of the air with a twinkle in his eyes Live could have sworn she'd seen in Kara's.

_I guess sugar does that to people._

"This is great, professor," she commented of the tea. It had to be the best damn tea she'd ever tasted.

"Hemlock," he remarked. Her eyes went wide, throat froze in mid-swallow, half-sputtering, half-choking. "Don't look so alarmed, my dear. You are not being poisoned. " She gave him a look that must have betrayed her thoughts. "No my dear, I'm not getting as senile as you may think in my long years." She looked at him guiltily as he merely smiled in elaboration. "This is a special brew from Greece. My brother, Aberforth, provided it to me upon my last birthday. In spite of what you have heard, the Hemlock you are drinking is beneficial to your health. It gives the system a good, healthy cleaning."

She swallowed, half-believing him, and half-thinking he was just messing with her all along. She set her tea in her lap, more than flustered for the moment.

"How can they brew healthy tea from a poisonous plant?" she asked out of curiosity as well as suspicion. She couldn't help it. She trusted him, but she was suspicious of everything. She hoped she didn't seem rude.

"It's not an easy process. But there are those who take great care and time to produce this fine tea. There is nothing else like it in the world." He smiled at her, but she must have still looked skeptical, for he added: "It is similar in the way that muggles might eat poisonous fish after removing the poison."

"Oh! Like fugu!" she offered, knowing all too much about the particulars of pufferfish. They used parts of them in advanced potions class. She thought it fascinating. She wondered if he wasn't sneaking around in her head without her knowing about it, but figured he'd think it bad manners to do such a thing. It made her smirk.

Dumbledore nodded. "Exactly." He awarded her an approving smile, but did not press her to drink the tea. "Aside from poisonous flora and fauna, how are _you_, my dear?"

"So-so," she said good-humouredly. "I'm still healing, catching up on the homework and all, otherwise it's been good."

"And what of Mr. Weasley?"

He eyes went wide like a deer caught in the headlights. "Uh-um, George?"

"Yes. George," he repeated with a twinkle in his eyes and a knowing smile on his face. Her face felt hot, and she was fighting back a blush.

"Well, um, actually, he's been, um, he's pretty good." She was tongue-tied and flustered at the question. What did he mean? What did he want to know? Oh God, what did he _already _know???

"I do hope you'll forgive me for the announcement at dinner last night. I have been trying, with the ministry's compliance, of course, to put an end to all the undue marriages in this school, and unbind the lot of you as soon as possible."

She exhaled with great relief. He was talking about her continued binding with George, and nothing else.

She _hoped_.

"I know how hard it has been for all of you," he continued. "This is the second time the poor students of this school have been subjected to that silly law."

"Oh, it hasn't all been bad. I mean, George has been a regular prin--." She stopped herself, and a smile came to her face. Why not get a little info while she was here? "When did it happen last time, sir?" She already knew the answer to that question, but she'd love to hear new details.

"Oh, it was back in '65, if my memory does serve me correct. Although I believe you already know a few of the former students responsible for the creation of that law." She grinned, but didn't interrupt. She loved hearing old people reminiscence, and Dumbledore was a veritable fount of knowledge. "Sirius Black and Remus Lupin were among the four which provoked the ministry to take action. I believe it was the quickest the ministry ever took action upon anything." He smiled at her knowingly, poking fun at their government. She decided Dumbledore was definitely cool. "They were quite creative young men."

Live suppressed a giggle. From what she knew, Sirius had been a hell raiser, and Lupin had been a foil to him and James Potter, the masterminds behind much chaos. 'Creative' was as far away a word she'd use to describe them. It made her laugh.

"Sir, why would the ministry even care about such a thing? It sounds so ridiculous."

He smiled. "Politics, my dear. It was an election year, a slow year, and the current ministry leader was looking to crack down on anything that might make them look effective in the eyes of potential voters." She grinned. Panty-theft must have been a huge problem across the greater isles indeed. "The ministry was going to do away with the law, but with escalating problems in the wizarding world, it was put on the backburner, so to speak."

"Harry said his mum and dad got together because of the law," she provided with a smirk.

Dumbledore smiled brightly. "Ah, dear Lily Evans. She turned James into a flying insect when she found out he'd accidentally bound her to him. It took ages for the professors to catch him and change him back. She was quite the talented witch."

Live was beaming into her teacup, trying to suppress the riotous laughter threatening to spill forth. Harry would have a field day with this information.

"Although I take it you're dealing with the news a little better?"

"George isn't so bad," she admitted with a swallow. He wasn't bad at all. She was head over hips in love with him. And Dumbledore could see it shining from her eyes. "He's been helping me in potions and whatnot."

Dumbledore seemed surprised. "Professor Snape says you're his prize pupil," he offered in wonder that she'd need George's assistance in potions. At this she looked genuinely surprised, though she doubted Snape ever used those words and her name in the same sentence. She was still highly grateful for the high opinion and praise.

"Well, not in potions class," she admitted. George caused more than enough trouble in potions. She was kind of glad, for his sake, that she was still partnered with Putterly and he with Lee, otherwise they'd never get anything done aside from feeling one another up underneath the table. Besides, Snape wouldn't allow George to taint his 'prize pupil'. "I actually wanted to show you something," Live remarked, figuring no better time than now to share her invention with him.

She extricated the little perfume-like bottle from her book bag and showed it to the wise old wizard.

"It's something I've been working on for more than a year, in theory mostly, but I was given a chance to try it out it Hogsmeade a few weeks ago, and it works, sir," she admitted. "It works brilliantly."

He took the little bottle from her proffered hand and examined it in the sun. The light played across the shimmering glass.

"What is it you've brewed, my dear?"

She grinned, pleased he was interested. "Anti-apparating spray." He gave her a speculative look. "You can spray it on anything, and whatever it is, it can't apparate. Or at least, that's my theory so far. I've only tested it on clothing, and it has to dry before it works," she explained. "But it has no scent, and once dry, leaves no trace."

"This is a very ingenious potion my dear," he told her genuinely, impressed. "Have you spoken with Professor Snape about it?"

She gave him a kind of shame-faced look. "Not yet," she told him. "Um, I thought I should take it to you, first." She felt sheepish, wondering now if her Head of House might indeed be offended that she hadn't come to him first, and if maybe she should have seen Snape. After all, he was a potions _master_. He might even have been able to tell her a thing or two of assistance. She wondered if she'd been thinking at all.

"I believe, my dear, that imploring the guidance of Professor Snape might prove beneficial in putting this potion through the necessary tests." She felt her face go red in embarrassment and sheepishness of the obviousness of his words and not having done so already, though Dumbledore's face was kindly and unjudgemental. "Though I gather that your testing was fully successful in Hogsmeade?" He set the bottle on the table admiringly, the sunlight casting lovely beams around the room.

"There are limitations and the like to the potion, and I've been developing a thicker version, but yes, it works wonderfully. This is the original. I tried it on George," she volunteered with a grin, but immediately chastised herself as a too-knowing smile came to the old wizard's face. She felt her face flush once more in what she'd basically just admitted to the Headmaster.

_Great, now I've come off as either a perv or a naughty fiend_.

"I take it that your current relationship with Mr. Weasley is not lacking?" he asked spot-on. It was really more of a statement than a question, but Live was still left sputtering in thought. It was like explaining the relationship with her boyfriend to her kindly old grandfather, and those were two subjects she wanted to stay as far apart in her mind as possible- excluding any 'sex talks', which she would rather forcefully expel from her mind any day. He thankfully saved her from the difficult task of cognizant response. "Not surprising, as I believe his magic is still running quite strong through your veins."

She frowned on the spot. "Sir, how strong is the bond that was created? How much sway does it have? It won't go away, will it?" she asked with worried concern.

"The bond that was created when Mr. Weasley allowed his magic to be shared with you is one of the strongest that are possibly made. And in sharing his magic with you, you practically become one being, which would explain the feelings of comraderie you may be experiencing." Live blushed. Comraderie wasn't the word she'd use for what they'd shared. "But yes, the initial bond created ebbs with every passing day that you grow stronger. Once your magic has fully healed, the bond will disappear, as well as the effects of such a bond, and his magic will fully be gone from you, and you will be restored."

She felt immediately crushed and empty in fear. Would the love she felt for George wither with each passing day? She certainly hadn't felt that way…She couldn't bear the thought of knowing that one morning she could wake up and realize that she truly didn't love him. It hurt her deeply even thinking about it.

"My dear, I've seemed to upset you," Dumbledore stated with concern at seeing the anguish in her face that couldn't have gone unnoticed had he tried.

She immediately smiled brightly in contradiction. "Oh, no, I'm fine. I just remembered that I didn't finish an essay for Professor Snape, and I'd better get that done before asking for his help," she offered brightly, gathering her bag in her lap with chipper demeanor, standing. She could be quite an actress when she needed to, smiling brightly on the outside while she felt utter desolation inside. "You won't mention it to Professor Snape, will you? Until I've had a chance to talk to him about the potion? I feel kinda guilty now…"

Professor Dumbledore nodded congenially, "Of course, my dear."

"Thank you," she said graciously. "And thank you for inviting me to tea, too. It was very nice of you."

"You're always welcome, my dear." She smiled as she then left, thanking him, though it didn't take a genius for him to know she was more than upset, as well as to see the unshed tears in her eyes. It made it even harder for him to have had to do it. He felt it was unfair of keeping it from her, but the consequences of not doing so could be far worse. Her current tears were indication of that fact.

sSs

Though she walked quickly through the corridors after she'd left Dumbledore's office, Live had no particular purpose in her chaotic mind but to keep walking until her thoughts became less uneasy and properly manageable. So it wasn't much of a shock when she ran smack dab into a hard body belonging to a certain red head.

"Oh! George! Sorry," Live remarked in surprise as he steadied her. She blinked a few times to regain proper vision and tried to covertly wipe the tears out of the corner of one eye. "Oh, I mean, sorry Fred," she said in better inspection of his face, putting on a fake grin for her silly mistake so he wouldn't notice the tears.

"You're in a hurry. Looking for my half-wit brother?" he asked with a grin.

She forced a weak smile when she felt like crying. "Oh, no," she replied nonchalantly. "I was just going for a walk." She smiled again as if to convince him.

"Old-lady power-walking?" he asked with a grin. She laughed spiritlessly and wiped the corner of her eye, which he now noticed to be filled with tears. He looked at her with concern, noting to find George and tell him…considering the prat hadn't been the cause of it. "Are you alright? How did your potion meeting go? George told me it was today."

She smiled with false enthusiasm, unable to speak many words lest she lose it. Looking at Fred only reminded her that her love for George could be fading without her knowledge as his magic slowly left her. She had no clue how much longer she had.

"It was fine." She felt the side of her bag, feeling for the bottle's lump, and realized in a panic that she'd left it in Dumbledore's office. It was the only bottle she had of the initial batch, and it put her in a panic not to have it safe in her possession. "I left it in his office," she murmured in panic, excusing herself quickly and leaving him without another word as she hurried back.

Fred watched her go, a little more than confused, but made towards the common room in hopes of finding his twin. He was optimistic in the development of a new line of products based off the potion she had invented.

Live, on the other hand, just wanted her bottle back, but she didn't feel like she could have an intelligent conversation with Dumbledore without crying her eyes out in his office. While waiting might have been a better course of action, she had a thing about knowing the location and safety of her possessions, so this was the only option in her mind.

She spoke the password for Dumbledore's study and hopped onto the staircase, wanting to get it done as quickly as possible.

She heard distinct raised voices as she approached the closed door to his study, and she listened for a moment, both curious and ponderous if this was a conversation she should be interrupting. She felt it impolite to interrupt if serious conversations were taking place.

But eavesdropping, while against her better judgement, was fully acceptable.

"…needs to know the consequences. It directly affects the both of them, not to mention the wizarding world at large."

It was McGonagall's voice. That strict tone couldn't be anyone else. Were they talking about her potion?

"If it's allowed to reach realization, it could spell the destruction of the wizarding world! Two parts of the prophecy have already been fulfilled-"

"Prophecies are self-fulfilling. I don't believe it necessary to distract and worry my pupils, especially into fulfilling any prophecies that should go unheeded otherwise."

The precise distinctness of the voice she heard could belong to no one but Severus Snape, her Head of House. Now she was interested (as well as feeling quite guilty for listening) in on what was being said. What were they talking about that affected those in her house?

"While a bit unconventional herself, Sibyll's powers of prediction are undeniable. What she has prophesized both may or may not come to pass, depending on the circumstances and our correctness in interpretation. Even in light of the recent events which have taken form since the prophecy was made, we must be cautious."

Live frowned at hearing Dumbledore's words. What was this prophecy they were talking about?

"Albus, it hasn't even been a _year_ and the prophecy is well on way to becoming reality! If she isn't even allowed a chance to know what lies ahead--"

"Her knowledge of the prophecy does not matter! It will either come to pass or won't, and there's nothing to do about it."

"Severus! You can't be serious!"

Live was sweating a cold sweat, listening to McGonagall and her head of house duke it out verbally. She had a terrible feeling deep in her gut.

"Prophecies do not just come true. People make them happen, and telling rather more could only make matters worse!" Snape snarked vehemently.

"Sibyll made that prophecy in front of dozens of people! Those actually involved have a right to know!"

"Involving more in the subject is complete idiocy to the fact!" Snape interrupted heatedly.

There was silence in the room, no doubt the silence produced from Professors McGonagall and Snape glaring at each other. It was unnerving to the eavesdropper at the door.

"Albus," McGonagall started, sounding much more composed and calm, "since it directly involves the _mother_; since it's with the birth of her child…It's only fair she should know the prophecy just as much as the-"

"Weasley shouldn't have been told a bloody thing in the first place!"

Live's hands clasped over her mouth, eyes wide in trying not to cry out in alarm.

"It's the child of The Like-and-Like, the pure-blood, which is dangerous, Severus! As a twin from a pure-blood family that makes Weasley directly responsible and so I told him! He and his brother are The Like! He had every right to know as it concerns him! Just as your own student should be--"

"You shouldn't have told him anything! I will not make the same mistake you have."

"I believe it best not to allude to the prophecy any more than necessary," Dumbledore spoke up with a soft finality Live nearly missed. Her heart was beating in her throat loudly.

"Albus, there's no other half-breed _multiforme_ currently bound to any kind of 'mirror-image' other than the Hunter girl herself! _Destruction will come in a snake skin and pure-blood._ Were those not Sibyll's words? She deserves to know, if not put a stop to the prophecy herself!" McGonagall spoke with concern.

Live's legs were as jelly, and she slid to the floor, still listening with abject horror to the conversation, unable to keep herself standing of her own free will.

"There is little much we can do but hope the prophecy does not come to fruition." Dumbledore sounded weary and troubled.

"Headmaster, what of the law? Of hastening the separation and perhaps bypassing anything Trelawney has foreseen?" Snape asked with frustration of the marriage law still in effect.

"Though her love for him is strong, I myself cannot tell if it is only product of the magical transfusion or not." He was silent a moment in culpable thought. "I gave the girl a potion in her tea that will help her body sort out the boy's magic from her own and heal much more quickly. It may be unnecessary for us to intervene whatsoever if it is all a byproduct of…"

She didn't realize she'd moved from the door until she found herself bolting down the stairs in fear, panic, and terror.

Had Dumbledore indeed poisoned her? What was running through her veins this very moment, if not a healing agent? She wasn't at all sure if the Hemlock he'd given her was as harmless as he'd claimed it was, burning George forever out of her veins like so much acid down a drain.

She was breathing hard, already in a courtyard and feeling sick to her being. She bent in the bushes and threw up what she hoped was all the tea Dumbledore had served her. She felt betrayed, lost, cut deeply, and her stomach heaved with the knowledge that those she trusted had conspired against her. Dumbledore, even Snape. McGonagall at least wanted her to know, but know _what_? What had McGonagall confided to George that she didn't know? What child would bring destruction? She and George weren't even doing it for Godric's sake!

Tears were streaming down her face from being sick and from the terror she felt in her heart from betrayal. A hand on her back caught her off guard, and she shrieked with true fright.

"Whoa now, are you alright?" Jason Putterly asked from behind. "Been drinking a little early, huh?" he added with an attempt at joke when he saw she'd been throwing up quite a lot of liquid. "What are you doing out here anyway?"

Live's tears didn't stop. She couldn't even get a word out in her anguish, but cried instead into her hands and then Putterly's chest as he grasped her in his arms to comfort her. Her hard sobs could be heard to those passing in the corridor, some students ignoring the two Slytherins in strange embrace while yet others in house colors of scarlet and gold rushed off with shocked purpose.

sSs


	33. In the Lion's Den

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 33: In the Lion's Den

sSs

"I just don't know what to do," Live spoke quietly when she was able to once again form sentences. She wrung her hands in her lap to try to keep them from shaking, but she couldn't help it. A veritable bomb had been dropped and she had no clue how to survive it, let alone attempt to understand. Was her love for George burning away right this moment? The horrid thought had crossed her mind that, maybe to delay the pain it would cause her later, _she _and _not _some bloody tea should choose whether or not to end their relationship. At least she had control over that much of this problem. She couldn't imagine a life without loving George, let alone rejecting him, but maybe she could make _him_ not love _her_? Either way, the whole proposal stunk to her. She wished she'd never visited Dumbledore.

"It'll be alright," Putterly told her consolingly. "Are you sure there's nothing I can do?"

They were sitting on the stone steps of a dais in the courtyard talking. Once she'd calmed down enough to sit and talk, that is. She felt so utterly betrayed that she didn't know what to do, and no matter how she looked at him, she could at least _talk _to Putterly. He'd been there for her before when she'd been upset with George, and whenever Malfoy was being a little bitch, and he was being a good friend by being there for her now. He'd been supportive thus far whenever she needed it, and he was being terribly understanding in her moment of need. And right now she needed someone to talk to desperately, just to have them listen.

She didn't reveal too much to him, just enough to know that she'd overheard a conversation that had greatly upset her, and that she'd been betrayed by one she thought she could trust. She needed advice or some sort of suggestion, but all she'd offer him in way of information was that she didn't know what to do about the mystery. Anything he could offer her in that respect was greatly appreciated, even if it was just being able to have someone to vent to.

"No, it doesn't concern you, don't worry about it…" she told him, wiping at her eyes. "I just can't believe he'd do that to me…"

"Live, if that Weasley's been giving you trouble--"

"I told you, George has nothing to do with this," she affirmed for the third time. She didn't want to diminish Dumbledore in the eyes of anyone, let alone her friends, and so kept the identities of those who'd spoken of the secret problem. She felt betrayed by him, but her respect was so great for the man that she'd sooner curse off her arm than throw him to her fellow snakes. "It's bigger than that. I don't know who I can trust anymore."

"You can trust me," he offered chipperly. She merely smiled, but didn't respond. There were a select few people she actually trusted, and he wasn't on the immediate list.

She sighed, shaking her head sadly as she wrung her hands in anxiety. "It's just all going down hill…"

"Oi!"

Live looked up to see George striding quite purposely into the courtyard and towards the dais, flanked by Hermione and Ginny, both trying to talk some sense into him.

Live stood immediately, taking a step to put herself in George's path, swallowing the sorrow that threatened to choke her lest George decide to choke Putterly at seeing tears. She knew someone must have told him they were together out here, and that she'd been crying. Knowing George, he probably had murder on the mind and the wrong impression. The look in his eyes betrayed as much.

Damn gossip-mongers.

"George..." Her greeting came out more of a sad whine, and he instantly took her up in his arms while glaring suspiciously at Putterly, who was standing behind her on the steps of the dais. While Putterly wasn't forcing himself on Live and they were _not_ making out, as he'd heard, he was still fighting mad by the way Live trembled in his arms. He was holding himself back from pummeling the seventh year in front of him on sheer principle alone. The way Live was holding onto him told him something was quite wrong with her, and here was not the place to ask what.

"I told you she was fine," Hermione chided George as she stood with Ginny. "They're only talking."

Live noted the silence after Hermione'd spoke, and knew from her safety in George's embrace that the two boys were sizing each other up, and that no good would come from it. Another second and curses would be flying through the air.

"George, please, I need to tell you something," she pleaded in whisper for his ears only. She gave his shirt a tug to get his attention, and he looked down at her.

"Everything okay?" he asked, searching her eyes, and looking at Putterly with a fixed glare.

Though everything was decidedly _not_ okay, Live wasn't going to give George an excuse to pick a fight with Putterly. She nodded into George's shoulder, squeezing him tight.

"Okay," he responded dolefully at not getting a chance at the snake on the steps, and led her quickly away, not before giving Putterly a distasteful look. The Slytherin in question fixed him with his own nasty look and took his leave up the dais as George escorted Live away from it and out of the corridor.

"I swear, those boys are gonna kill one another over her," Hermione told Ginny as if she didn't even care to try and stop it.

"How romantic," Ginny responded in dreamy thought.

Hermione snorted. "I mean it, Ginny. Blood and curses everywhere."

"Well they need to grow up," the red head told her friend as they followed Live and George inside the castle. "Crisis averted…for now," she added with a smirk that promised there would be more crises to look forward to. Anything to add a little more spice to life.

Hermione frowned. "If I thought threatening them with being a prefect would make any difference, I would." She sounded bitter, yet long-ago resolved with that fact. The only one who had any effect at all on them was the blonde currently at George's side.

"…George, we need to talk…" Live whispered with weak determination, trying to hang onto her sanity lest she become sick all over again. "In private."

"Alright," he agreed stolidly. He didn't like the idea. It was the worst sentence to hear in the English language. Was she breaking up with him? Even worse, was she leaving him for Putterly? While he hadn't found her and Putterly in any sort of indecent manner, he was still insecure. Needing to talk was never a good sign. "We'll go to Gryffindor Tower."

She looked at him with unease, but didn't give him any argument. Of all the places she wanted to go, Gryffindor Tower was not on the top of the list.

Ginny looked at Hermione. "Is that a good idea?"

"As long as it doesn't interrupt my studying, I don't care a nit," she said with dismissal. "I figured she'd have to come in our common room at some point, knowing George." She bent to Ginny's ear. "We haven't seen Kitty-Nimbles in a while anyhow, so why not?"

Live was uneasy the entire walk to the tower. She felt nauseous with anxiety as well as completely lost in her chaotic ponderings. Was George mad at her? She thought he seemed distant.

"Headless Hunt," Ginny spoke the password, she and Hermione going in as Live gave George's arm an uneasy tug.

"George…" She looked at him, and her discomfort was fully apparent to him.

"It's as good a place as any," he justified with a shrug. She pouted to herself. "At least people won't lynch you for coming into _our _common room," he attempted at weak joke, but she didn't smile.

They went into the brightly-lit common room decorated in colors of scarlet and gold, and Live never felt more out of place, half using George as her shield so those occupying the common room wouldn't notice her. She didn't like being conspicuous, but while there were eyes that might mind her, there were several she counted as friendly.

Harry was in there playing chess with Ron, and Fred was sitting at a window with Kelena, reading the book she had in her lap. Kara was attempting to trouble Lee with a suspicious looking candy as he worked on a paper on the couch, ignoring her with admirable resolve. So busy was her little sister in attempting to pester Lee that Live was able to go unnoticed by even her. She counted it as a good sign.

"And as I was telling Susan…Oh. My…Who brought _her_ in here?" a voice unmistakably belonging to Lavender Brown asked. Live stopped, sharply turning her head in the direction of the snarky voice in the corner, and raised her lip in half a snarl. Lavender shut up, eyes wary yet resentful, looking about the common room for those who might agree with her outlook on Live's presence.

Live had a regal look on her face as if it were her god-given right to be in their common room. She felt a tug on her hand and returned her attention to George with reticence. She offered him a weak half-smile and followed him through the common room and up the stairs to his dorm. She didn't speak until they were shut in the room and the door warded. She watched him cast his wards as she sat on the chest in front of his bed, and felt herself being cast into despair once more. She was very worried.

"George…I need to…I heard…" She didn't know how to begin; how to tell him what she'd overheard, and how she could possibly accuse him of not telling her about McGonagall's words. It all hurt her. Every possibility of what to say to him. She wished she didn't have to mess with any of this.

"What's wrong?" he asked truly concerned, both for his own selfish reasons as well as for his concern of her. He didn't want her to tell him that it was him that was wrong with her. The Gryffindors who'd found him had said she seemed a little too chummy with Putterly out there. He couldn't handle her rejection of him, and after what Fred had told him especially, and the other students who had informed him of where she'd been and in who's company, he thought truly she might have reconsidered on him.

"What has McGonagall mentioned about prophecies to you?"

He gave her an odd look. This wasn't what he was expecting. "What do you mean?"

"I don't think they want us together…" she murmured, more in thought to herself than to him.

George had an indiscernible look on his face, and he met Live's eyes. "Do you…want to break up with me then?"

She looked up sharply. There were tears in her eyes and her stomach dropped pitifully. She couldn't do it. "Of course not!"

"Then what's this about?" he asked anxiously, coming in front of her and taking her hands, his worry mostly diminished, relief flooding his mind.

"Tell me what McGonagall told you about the prophecy," she cried painfully. "What is it?? What does it mean?"

"Prophecy? What prophecy??" he asked with utter confusion.

"George she said…!" She sobbed now. "She said she told you about it!"

"Live," George took her up in his arms, totally confused and perplexed. He had no idea what she was talking about. "The only thing McGonagall's said to me is to 'keep my hormones in check' or else it would spell my 'impending doom'…She even threatened she'd castrate me herself," he said lightheartedly with an amused smile, thinking his Head of House's words quite amusing indeed. "Personally I've no idea why, but that's it, I swear. Why? Did that Putterly git fill your head with this nonsense?"

She sobbed a little more, trying to figure out the things she had garnered from listening at the Headmaster's door. "But…the prophecy…she said she told you…" She tried to reason through her horror and terror. Maybe McGonagall was being cryptic to George? She wouldn't put it past the old witch to have warned George to keep his hands off her for a reason…but he wasn't aware of the reason then, or the 'impending doom' that would follow their union…

"What prophecy? What have you been doing all day? Weren't you supposed to have that meeting with Dumbledore?" He looked at her with such worry and concern. His heart went out to her with love.

"…I think he poisoned me," she ground out unwillingly, angrily.

"What?" He had an amused tone to his voice, as if she were playing with him. "Dumbledore?" His face took on a dark look. "Do you mean Putterly??"

"No George!" she said with exasperation, her voice pathetic with frustration. "I heard them all talking…about you…and me…and a prophecy…"

"Who?"

"McGonagall and Snape and Dumbledore…"

"What were they saying? Where was this? Are you sure you're alright?" He took her face gently between his hands in inspection, and she shook her head. No, of course she wasn't alright. She felt terribly.

"I left my potion in his office…I went to get it…and they were all in there…" She took a breath to try and calm herself down. There had to be some reason in this she was missing. The whole betrayal made her sick. "I was outside the door…Dumbledore…Dumbledore said…" She started hyperventilating with hard sobs and had to consciously attempt to breath.

"Hey, hey, it's alright," he told her comfortingly, petting her skin as he watched her with puzzled eyes.

She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his neck. "I love you so…."

"I love _you_," he told her fervently. "What is it?"

"I don't want it to end…and Dumbledore…he gave me a Hemlock tea…to make it stop…"

"What do you mean?" he asked, making her face him, searching her eyes in attempting to understand. She didn't want their love to stop? What made her think it would?

"They don't want us to be together…for me to love…" She started crying again, and he held her, trying to sort out her confusing information. "George he poisoned me! He poisoned me against you!"

"Dumbledore would never do that, Live," he tried to sound reassuring. "Why would they take an interest in us at all?"

"He _did_ George! He said he did!" she swore, voice becoming stronger with rising anger and anxiety. "They're all in on this! They're worried about some stupid prophecy coming true and don't want us to be together!!"

"Live, trust me," he said softly, looking at her tenderly, trying to calm her nerves, "No one's out to get us. And I'll never stop loving you." He embraced her gently as she still shook with tears.

"It's not you I'm worried about," she murmured dolefully.

He pet her hair and kissed her cheek while hugging her. "It's alright. Just calm down a bit. We'll go through this together, alright?"

Calming down was the last thing she wanted to do. She wanted to yell and scream and throw a veritable fit, but she knew it would get them nowhere. And besides, she was exhausted from throwing up earlier and all the crying she'd been doing. She hated crying.

She figured that, perhaps since she'd thrown up out of so much disgust, that maybe, just maybe, that Hemlock hadn't had enough time to be fully absorbed into her body. Maybe she'd stopped it in time? His magic was still in her veins, it had to be.

"I don't want to stop loving you…"

"Shh…"

He had her lie down on his bed as he sat next to her, talking her down and holding her hand while trying to give her mind some peace. Her fears didn't seem irrational, but they did seem more than a little paranoid. Honestly, he didn't think their professors paid that much mind to the love-lives of their students, let alone their Headmaster poisoning one of his own. And McGonagall, while acting overly stick-up-yer-bum and overtly mother hen-ish lately- especially when it came to chastising him and his hormones- hadn't alluded to any type of prophecy or anything he knew about. Alone from the now-usual threat he'd gotten from her about keeping his bloody hands off Live and being a gentleman, nothing else was out of the ordinary.

He didn't realize until a knock came at the door that she'd dozed off while listening to his voice. He smiled and threw a blanket over her, getting up to see who it was. He was surprised to see Neville at the door.

"'Allo Neville."

"George! Fred told me to get you! He can't stop laughing!" he informed through pants, as if he'd just run up the stairs.

"What?" George asked, stepping out of the threshold and closing the door quietly behind him so as not to disturb Live. If Fred had eaten something Kara had been working on, he wasn't going to help him. He knew better than to test Kara's candies. That was Lee's job.

"Well Lavender started saying stuff, you know, since she's in here," he said of Live, eyes going subconsciously to the door, "And well, then Kara started in on _her_," he explained, "but Lee held Kara back after she tore out more of Lavender's hair…but then she tried to curse Kara in the back…and well…Ginny cursed Lavender's bum together with something she says is more difficult than toffee plus taffy candy." George gave him a weird, if not impressed, look, and would have indeed gone to see the result of his little sister's curse if he didn't have Live in the room behind him. He didn't quite feel like leaving her. Neville picked up on his feeling. "She might wanna see as well," he said in reference to George's hesitation. "She suggested Ginny do it in the first place…the…candy-crack thing…" he said, his face growing red.

George laughed. By the look on Neville's face, it was obvious he hoped George would at least diffuse the situation if he wasn't going to enjoy it like his mirror-image suggested. He didn't want their house getting in trouble with McGonagall because of Kara's sister's presence, though he wasn't sure it was forbidden for Slytherins to be in their house commons anyhow. And being as how Kara supplied him with his root-beer fix, he didn't want Live to get caught on their account.

"Don't you worry, Neville. It's just a little fun." The fifth year Gryffindor looked at him with doubt. George warded the door behind him tight and safe, and grinned at Neville. "Maybe I _will _see what Ginny's been up to…Let's have Creevey get pictures."

sSs

Live woke with a start, and felt strong arms around her. "It's alright, just me," George said softly, kissing her temple as she relaxed in his arms once more. He was sitting next to her on his bed, his arms wrapped around her, and it took her a moment to remember where she was, and that she must have fallen asleep. She saw Ginny and Hermione standing at the front of the room, and realized the noise that had jarred her from sleep was that of the door closing.

By the chagrined look on Ginny's face, Live easily pegged her as the one responsible. Live frowned with interrupted sleep and looked at George with sore eyes.

"How are you, Live?" Ginny asked with careful concern.

"I wanted to put your fears to rest, love," George whispered to her in gentle explanation. "That's what this lot is for."

"I've been researching in the library," Hermione started, the book bag at her side bulging. Live wondered just how long she'd been napping, and whether or not it had been that lengthy, or if Hermione was just that good.

Probably the latter.

"Live, Dumbledore didn't poison you," Hermione started in an all-business tone. Live only frowned. "I looked up Hemlock in several books…_Potente Potions and Poisons_, _Deadly Plants and How to Grow your own_…Neville was quite helpful, actually…"

"This isn't what I want to hear…" Live murmured.

"No, no, it's really alright," Hermione assured. "While Hemlock is extremely poisonous in mostly every form--"

"Again," Live said, more than unnerved.

Ginny rolled her eyes at Hermione. "What she's trying to say, though she's failing dismally," Hermione shot her a look, "is that she did her homework on the subject, and you'll be glad to hear you're perfectly healthy…in your own way," she added with a smirk.

Live exhaled deeply, and George gave her an encouraging squeeze.

"Dumbledore gave you something very rare and very _beneficial _to one's health," Hermione informed chipperly. "_That_ Hemlock he gave you works to make your body less dependent upon potions and the like to heal itself. It works like a super-immunity booster. Anything unnatural in your system is burned out and your body is practically impervious to poisons! It's so potent that it's very rare for one to come by."

Live was giving her a sour look. So it meant that George was being burnt out of her system indeed. While she wasn't poisoned (in a sense of the word) she _was _being super-healed. That was almost worse. George's magic would be gone from her in no time.

Hermione took the look on her face for one of incomprehension. "It's like you're in a video game and you've just been given invincibility," she explained.

"What's a video game?" Ginny asked.

"For a time being, anyway," she continued, ignoring Ginny for the moment. "It takes effect as soon as you drink it, and burns through your system rather quickly, so it's safe to say it's probably already worked it's magic. How do you feel?"

Live wasn't sure how she felt. Did that mean that the tea had already wreaked it's havoc on her body? She'd thrown much of it up, she believed, so she couldn't even tell. She did feel a little stronger. But she still loved George. She still felt her love for him with all her being. Did that mean the potion had failed? Or did it mean that her love for him _wasn't_ just a byproduct of the magic he'd shared, but that it was the real deal?

She tried to suppress the large grin of relief that threatened to break on her face. Yes, she did feel invincible just now. But she had to be sure. "Hermione, just how fast does Hemlock tea work?"

"Well when did you first have it?" she asked.

"This afternoon."

"Oh, by now it's done anything it was going to do," she told her. "If you were going to mess around with poisons or anything else venomous today, I'd do so now while your immunity is still strong," she added in thought.

"Are you sure? Like, one-hundred percent positive?"

"We even asked Lee…well, after he let Kara g-mmffrrgh!!" Ginny was silenced by Hermione's hands. She didn't feel like they should share the happenings with Kara at the moment.

Live rolled her eyes. She didn't want to know. But she grinned in great appreciation. If there was anyone's knowledge and advice she thoroughly trusted, it was that of her little scholar and sexpert-in-training, Hermione. And with Lee training to be a healer, she had no doubt.

George whispered in her ear. "Better?" She grinned up at him. It was obvious that her mood had improved greatly, and that she was anything if not better.

"Thanks so much, Hermione," Live chimed in gratitude and dismissal. She gave George an utterly blissful look. Her love for him _was_ genuine. She didn't have to second-guess herself anymore. She loved him and nothing was going to put an end to that.

"I think that's our cue to leave," Ginny told Hermione. "I don't like that look in Live's eye."

At her statement, Live grinned and winked at Ginny, who stuck out her tongue. She'd leave well enough alone. She wasn't about to stick around for the display of affection Live obviously wanted to show her older brother.

With the shutting and re-warding of the door, Live sidled up next to George, touching her nose to his with a smile.

"You seem happy," he noted with a smug grin, glad he had something to do with it. Her mind had been put at ease, at least.

"…It's not because of your magic," she whispered her half-thought with a smile. "I love you. I love you and they can't ever take that away from me."

"Live-" he started with raised brow, but she cut him off.

"There _is_ something going on here," she affirmed, knowing now that Dumbledore hadn't poisoned her, and had told her the truth about what she'd been given even though he'd been sneaky about the whole thing, his purposes less than pure. "And I plan on getting to the bottom of it." She gave him a devilish grin. "But first there's another bottom that needs getting to," she told him, reaching her hands around him and squeezing his bum with delight. He snickered at her audacity and kissed her to distraction in the confines of his four-poster bed.

sSs


	34. Blood and Venom

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 34: Blood and Venom

sSs

"This belongs to you," George admitted with a soft smile, placing Live's Sexpert license in her hand. She lightly blushed at seeing the offending item which he shouldn't have had, and quickly tucked it into her robes pocket, too chagrinned to be mad at him. "I think you've enough on your mind without wondering where this has gotten to."

Though indeed she'd had plenty on her mind, her Sexpert license was the last thing she'd been worrying about as of late, so it surprised her to see it turn up now. She couldn't be mad at him. The gesture in itself only made her love him more. And especially not with the charming way he was smiling at her, though she thought she should give him a smack on principle anyway.

He cocked his head at her and drew her into his arms with a smile. "Judging from the look on your face, you'll understand if I hold onto these," he said, gently holding her wrists between his hands.

She pressed them flat against his chest with an amused smile. Yes, he was quite intuitive. "I bet you think you could charm a dragon out of its eggs with that smile," she told him with amusement, kissing him on the side of the mouth.

He grinned pleasantly, and allowed her free so that he could stroke her cheek. "If by eggs you mean robes, and by dragons you mean yourself, then yes, I would say that's on top of my To-Do list."

She couldn't help but giggle as she swatted at him. "You're terrible! And you're going to be late. Do you really think Angelina will forgive you if you miss Quidditch practice? Let alone forgive _me_?"

"Are you saying we should take another day to stay in bed?" He grinned wolfishly, and it took all of her collective will not to seriously consider that idea, the sport of Quidditch be damned. "I can think of no better way for working up a good sweat."

She grinned at his brass, and looked about to make sure nobody else had heard that.

They were standing outside the Gryffindor common room entrance together. George had Quidditch practice with the rest of the Gryffindor team today, who had already left for the pitch, and he had taken his dear sweet time getting ready as well as delaying their eventual separation as long as possible.

Live had smirked to herself as she had shamelessly watched him dress from her comfortable position in his bed's pillows, not just for the free show, but as well as the fact that he knew well what he was doing, even though her sense of propriety (whatever little she actually still possessed) had made her want to look away. But she'd taken his impish grin as a challenge, and watch she had. Little to say, she'd never had a more enjoyable time in the Gryffindor commons. She knew now that she'd never get the image of him out of her head. Naked from the waist up, clad in only his Quidditch pants and boots, every muscle on display to the delight of her eyes…She was sure he had been flexing and stretching more than was necessary to get dressed. Oh how she'd nearly pounced him, her hands itching to trace and re-trace every toned muscle on that delicious tanned body, not to mention that those muscles were just begging to be lick--

"Your face betrays your thoughts, my love," he had told her with a mischievous grin. She had immediately reddened in being caught, though he had looked quite pleased with himself, the sneaky git. No doubt the lecherous path her thoughts had taken had been all part of his plans. Dammit.

What he hadn't counted on was the fact that she _would_ pounce him, making him even later for Quidditch practice than he already was. It had been the best wasted ten minutes he'd ever spent.

He grinned at her and she smirked. "Don't fall off your broom, George," she told him, knowing full well his mind would be anywhere but the pitch today. He groaned as if in pain. He didn't feel like practicing, and he knew Angelina would give him hell for being late. "I'd come down and watch if I didn't think the shock of my beauty would surely knock you off your broom," she joked, jabbing at him to get him to lighten up.

He gave her bum a squeeze and she shrieked. "'t wouldn't be so bad," he affirmed her with a grin. "You can tell your team how badly we're going to cream them in the upcoming game." She stuck her tongue out at him in displeasure, and he quickly caught her mouth in a kiss that took her very delightfully off-guard and left her rather light-headed.

"George!" Lee shrieked in extreme agitation from down the hall.

George looked up, his hand still gently cupping Live's chin, who was quite faint with loveliness at the moment. "What?" he asked his friend.

"What?! What do you mean 'what'?? You were supposed to be on the pitch half an hour ago! Angelina looks close to having a fit! And I would know!" Lee harangued. He liked to watch their practices, not to mention that he was there in case any of them had post-practice pains that he could heal. It helped him refine his skills as a healer, he'd said. And another five minutes and he'd been dealing with Angelina's brain aneurysm.

George gave Live an apologetic look as his fingers caressed her hand. "My lady, I must bid you adieu."

She gave him a side smile and a quick kiss on the cheek, whispering for him to focus, even though she knew he wouldn't be able to.

He grabbed his broom from its rest against the wall, gave Live one last longing look, and took off with Lee, who was muttering random obscenities and haranguing George the whole way there. Live giggled at him, but she had things to see to, and that meant searching out the ever-elusive DADA professor.

sSs

"Honestly mate, with the way you played today I'd swear it was Ron swinging at those bludgers," Fred told his twin as they were heading off the pitch to the lockers.

"Hey!" Ron shouted indignantly, frowning and aiming his broom at Fred's head.

"Don't," Angelina stopped him with a hiss from behind Ron, who was quite red in the ears. She wasn't in the best of moods herself. "And you, George-! The way you played today shows me we need a lot more practice if we expect to beat Slytherin in the upcoming match! If they didn't have the pitch right now, it'd be your arse out here for three more hours! Your skills have gone to crap!" There were multiple groans heard.

"Yes, George, why weren't you on top of your game today?" Fred remarked with an obviously knowing tone, trying to cause trouble for his twin.

"It's being on top of something that has him so unfocused," Harry murmured to Ron with a grin. Ginny gave him a jab in the back for his cheek.

"I mean it!" Angelina said with feeling.

"The match'll go better than practice, Ang," Katie assured her. It hadn't been _that_ terrible anyway. She smirked at her friend and said more quietly, "It's that new girlfriend of his. The Slytherin." Angelina couldn't help it, and both of them broke into giggles. So _that_ was why George couldn't focus. Everyone knew how wild Slytherin girls were, even if she happened to be Kara's sister.

"Hey, she's not like that," Ginny said, coming to the absent girl's defense. She then gave her brother a scrutinizing look.

"Don't look at me that way, Gin. Makes me want to join a Monastery to get rid of all these naughty naughty thoughts," George teased in horror, tapping his head. She rolled her eyes at him and ran ahead to the lockers, more than finished with her big brother's disturbing company.

"Trust me, mate, memories are all you'll want once she starts harping in on you," Fred advised. "It's all Kelena's been doing lately. Honestly, I'm only one man!" he cried, as he threw his gear to the ground outside the lockers emphatically. He held onto his beater's club an extra moment and pantomimed smacking his darling woman upside the head, emblazoning his wood-carved name into her skin. He nearly hit Harry in the process, who was trying to make his way into the boys' showers.

"Watch it! Injure our Seeker and we'll lose for sure," Ron affirmed, still unconfident in his Keeping abilities. Harry patted him on the back and swore that he wasn't as rubbish as he thought. George only grinned, adding his own club and equipment to his twin's pile, his mind hardly on the lockers and back to the subject he most fancied to daydream about.

sSs

"Professor! Professor!" Live called after Tonks as she caught sight of her. The elder witch didn't turn, and Live rolled her eyes while jogging over. "_Tonks_."

"Huh?" the multi-colored-haired witch answered with surprise, turning. She hadn't heard Live, and was still adjusting to responding to 'Professor'. Live was huffing indignantly, and Tonks only grinned. "What's up?"

Live was about to say something snarky, but thought better of it. "I need to ask you something. In private," she told her. Tonks raised her brows, and then gave Live a wink. "And it's not concerning anything going through that Metamorphmagi head of yours."

Tonks merely giggled. "Fine fine. Wanna follow me to my office? I was just headed there anyways." Live nodded and followed, making small talk about the weather, the stultifying students, etc.

Once warded safely inside the office, Tonks leaned against her desk and smiled at Live. "So, what's up?"

"Do you know anything about a prophecy?"

Tonks gave her a blank stare, and then appeared bemused. "Well I know seers make them, and that they're sometimes a little-"

"I'm talking about the prophecy involving me and George," Live said point-blank, knowing her professor-friend was trying to throw her through a loop, and honestly, she didn't feel like beating around the bush. It became obvious as much to the elder witch that Live had somehow come to such knowledge, and was too smart for such deceptions anyway.

Tonks looked at her with mixed pity and guilt, a knowing look replacing the fake, absent one on her face. "I was hoping you'd never have to find out." Live was relieved that she knew what she was talking about. Tonks gave her a look. "How _did_ you find out?"

Live looked guilty, yet determined. "I overheard Snape and McGonagall talking in Dumbledore's office." She felt betrayal once more rise in her. How could they not tell her?

"I figured you'd find out one way or another. Dumbledore asked us not to mention it. After your accident and all in Hogsmeade, especially, he thought we should leave well enough alone."

"You're the only one I can turn to," Live pleaded, suddenly fearful that she wouldn't give her the information she so desired. "There's no one else I can trust anymore."

Tonks didn't want to meet her eyes. She felt bad that the witch seemed to feel so full of betrayal. "Live, I'm so sorry. It's just…you can never be sure with prophecies. It was decided that you ought not know. For your own good." Live looked at her beseechingly. "But since you know anyways, I might as well tell you." She looked at Live with pity. "There was some party in the very early summer. A bunch of us Order members were there, a few goblins, some of the older wizarding families and their kids, and of course, ministry officials. Trelawney was there, too." Live was listening very intently, putting it all down in memory. "It was getting late, and Trelawney had had a few," she alluded to the Divination professor's drinking problem, "when she suddenly went all rigid. Ever seen someone give a prophecy?" Live shook her head, and Tonks looked uncomfortable. "Well, it's not pleasant to watch. She got quite a few people's attention, though I think more than enough of them just figured she was drunk.

"I can't recall her exact words, but I clearly remember something about the offspring of the Like-and-Like and pure blood and one of rare status and something about a _multiforme,_" she listed. Live felt her stomach drop. "If I owned a pensieve, I'd show you. I'm sure that would show more accurate than my telling. I'd had a few myself…"

"I'm only half-blood," Live suddenly pointed out in dawned realization.

"I know," Tonks said as if it made no difference. "But you're also a _multiforme. _And you're the only half-blood in Slytherin, you know. That's rare status if ever I heard it."

Live couldn't help smirking in thought. "Yeah. Kara swears that the sorting hat put me there because I'm so wicked they _had_ to let me in, regardless. Even if there was a chance I might take over." She laughed mirthlessly. "What else did it say?"

"Well, the destructor will come from the first seed in virgin soil. From snake-skin and pure-blood. George is pure-blooded, and you're obviously the snake in all this. And if we gather from that…" A wry grin suddenly spread across her lips, and Live prepared herself for the nosy question she was about to be asked in the damn sing-song teasing tone of Tonks. "Have you and George _doooooone _it? Are you a _viiiiiiiirgin_?"

Live felt her cheeks getting hot, and she frowned. "No we haven't done it!" she assured stolidly. It suddenly made very clear sense to her about what McGonagall had told George about keeping his hands off her and his hormones in check. She had more than one reason for not wanting Live's virtue besmirched, and by dear George of all people. Tonks grinned cheekily, and Live couldn't meet her eyes for what little modesty she possessed, even if the witch's cheek was amusing. "We _both _are."

Tonks gave a little happy squeal that caught Live's horrific attention. The elder witch was clasping her hands together under her chin with bright eyes and a wide grin, her hair taking on an even-lighter bubblegum pink color. "How _cuuuuuuuute_!!!"

Live couldn't help but snicker in mortification, even as she rolled her eyes. Tonks' mood was as mutable as her hair indeed.

"And you're in _looooooove_!! You're so adorable!" Live looked away, and Tonks suddenly got serious. "Wait, but then that means if you _do_ do it…I mean, it's implied that…" Live felt her face flushing again at the subject, but Tonks continued most seriously, trying to make sense out of this realization. "I don't think it really matters whether George is a virgin or not, but the fact is obvious that once _you_ do it, since, I mean, you're the one that has the baby, not the dude, that you're going to breed the destructor of the wizarding world," she said as if even _she _thought it stupid and preposterous. Live looked horrified. Tonks grinned with sudden cleverness and said with true exaggeration, "Sorry to deny you the wonders of sex my dear, but it's the fate of the wizarding world at stake."

Live looked utterly horrified, and Tonks wasn't sure if it was because of the prospect of never getting to experience sex or of the possibility of having Rosemary's baby. "Oh the wizarding world can shove it up their ass!" Live declared vehemently.

Tonks grinned, but Live looked truly upset. "I'm sorry honey, I was just kidding," Tonks sincerely apologized as she bit her lip. "I know this is all confusing."

"This all sucks, is what it is," she muttered.

Tonks grinned heartily. "In all seriousness, it's part of the reason why I'm here, teaching." Live gave her a peculiar look. Tonks looked at her helplessly. "Mad-Eye had one of those feelings he gets, about doom and all, and with what Dumbledore is already dealing with concerning Harry alone, he wanted extra protection in the castle this year. Especially after those things that attacked you lot at Arthur and Molly's." Live thought back to how the Weasley's home had been overrun by creatures whose presence still couldn't be explained. She thought Dumbledore smart in that respect. "He thought you were all in especial danger after the state Kingsley was put in by those things, and he _knew _what he was doing."

"You still don't know why those things were there? What they wanted?" Live asked with offhand interest. Anything to get her mind off the horrid subject of her future offspring.

"It's still being investigated as to exactly what they wanted. Since then and the possible You-Know-Who scare for Harry and you all, I had literally two days notice to be here." She rubbed the back of her neck in weariness. "There was something, though, in the prophecy about the special attraction of malevolence to the _multiforme_…and those things weren't exactly on the side of light, were they?"

Live's face fell, and Tonks looked regretful in having to be the one to deliver this news.

"I didn't want you to know," she gave Live her explanation. "You weren't a _multiforme_ at that time. Nobody even considered the possibility…You could have only been a _duoforme_ at best, then. And no one was aware of _that_…" Seeing the look on Live's face made Tonks heart bleed. "I don't want you thinking you're locked into some prophecy that we don't know much about for certain. We know it's been made about you, but so have many others for other people! And nothing has come of them! They gather dust at the Department of Mysteries…" She tried to comfort Live. Prophecies didn't have to come true. They didn't rule people's lives. And even with all the definite signs pointing at _this _prophecy, it still didn't mean it was written in stone.

"Am I not gonna get to have children because of some damn prophecy?" Live murmured with true misery. She wanted children badly. Not at the present time, of course. She felt she was too young. But she knew her life would be empty without babies in her future. And she knew enough about the wizarding world and prophecies to know to at least heed them if one could. She felt near tears. Tonks gave her a hug.

"Listen, you know what, maybe you shouldn't worry about any of this. Just pretend you never heard of it or anything. Maybe it won't happen if you don't try to prevent it. It's a definite possibility. You know how these things work sometimes," Tonks said with regretful consol. A sob escaped Live's throat. "That's what Snape figured, anyway." Live stiffened. She still felt betrayed by him. "And I guess Dumbledore feels that way too, at least."

"Dumbledore tried to separate me and George for all his 'knowing'," Live ground out in bitterness.

Tonks looked at her, taken aback. She knew how the young witch must be feeling, and felt she owed her own explanation to their secrecy. "He's had us all watch you two very carefully for a while, but we were unable to really tell. And you know gossip around this castle. He needed to know if your attachment to George was real or not. I'm so sorry Live. It's not fair for all this secrecy and, I know what must feel like betrayal, to fall upon you. But he needed to know if it was real."

"And what then?" Live asked, suddenly furious, stepping away from Tonks. "What if it is? Is he still gonna try to separate me and George?! For the good of the wizarding world?" She felt suddenly desperate. "We'll elope. That'll show all of 'em!"

"Now don't get hasty," Tonks said, trying to calm her down. "Dumbledore would never separate two people in love if he could help it."

"It's his helping it I'm worried about," she said bitterly, though she doubted Dumbledore would deliberately ruin her happiness, even with all her misconceptions.

"I don't want to give you false hope, Live, but prophecies are misinterpreted all the time. Though I think it safe to say it clearly involves _you_. There's been too many signs to think otherwise. But maybe it doesn't involve George at all, and maybe you two _can_ be happy together. Maybe 'like-and-like' is referring to something else."

"I don't know. What else could the Like-and-Like be if it's not referring to George? McGonagall said he and Fred were the very definition of it," Live said with hopelessness.

"Well it sounds to me like it's referring to more than one person, like, the context is that there has to be two of something for this to come to pass. That's what Dumbledore thought, anyway. He thought that maybe 'like-and-like' was talking about twins. And Fred and George are both Gryffindors on top of that." She looked thoughtful, analytical. "But what if it's _not _talking about twins? It _is _implying that a like-and-like is a two-person context, isn't it? What ways are you and George similar that could account for that? Maybe you and him make a like-and-like thing? That would mean a kid from the two of you, instead of it being _necessarily _a kid resulting from him being the father and a twin," Tonks thought aloud, ready to brainstorm ideas, though she was even confusing herself as her mind turned. She gave Live a sad, but alternative thought. "Maybe you could still have kids, but it can't be with George?"

Live frowned at the thought. "Well we're about the same age even though he's a seventh year. That would make us alike. I was a late-bloomer," Live explained, now trying to think scientifically and distance herself from the problem. _Her_ problem. "Though the difference of our house years…"

"No, that still wouldn't account. I think that's kinda a stretch. That could apply to anybody, really."

"Well what about our House _differences_?" Live repeated in hopeful contradiction, trying to disprove the theory that she and George were alike in some way. "We're not alike there," Live pointed out hopefully. "And he's a twin, I'm not," she added, thinking up any other significant way they were different. "I'm blonde, his hair's red…" she was grasping at straws. "I mean, come on now, if anything me and George did _eventually_ resulted in children, how on earth would they be wicked? Babies aren't born evil, and George is so good…" she spoke from her heart. Her babies wouldn't be evil. She wouldn't allow it. Damn this stupid crap and damn Trelawney for making the prophecy. She stopped for a moment of thought. "There's plenty of ways we're dissimilar when I think about it." She gave Tonks a thoughtful look.

Tonks had a disappointing look to meet hers, and said very gently, "You and George share a like magic-type." Live's face went blank, and then fell. "You're identical there. The silver."

"But that was so recent! I mean, what the hell kind of time frame does this prophecy refer to anyway?!" Live looked quite angry. "George and I _couldn't _account for a like-and-like! We're in different houses! That's a big enough difference that our kid couldn't be a 'destructor' or whatever you called it ! It wouldn't be the child of a like-and-like union if we're so different! So this prophecy can shove it!!"

Live was thinking hard, her mind racing at the possibilities of this and not sure if she was trying to convince Tonks, or herself. She was keeping her mind away from a very real possibility: that she just couldn't opt to have children. Period. If like-and-like was referring to she having shared characteristics with another, then it could mean anyone at all, not just George. If she had something in common with anyone, something that this prophecy referred to specifically, things could turn out bad. She didn't like the thought. She wanted to be a mother some day.

A boisterous laugh escaped Tonks throat, and Live shot her a very dirty look that demanded her laughter be explained. Her future motherhood was not cause for amusement.

Tonks thought that, as a professor, she shouldn't take such a vindictive, wicked look, but as a friend to the ailing young woman, she couldn't help but feel for the poor girl.

"I just thought of another tragic way you and George are both alike," Tonks said, trying to remain serious while making light of the situation. Live scowled at her, resistant to her baiting, as the smile broke from the elder witch's face. "You're both VIRGINS!!"

She was pointing accusingly at Live and laughing, and Live's scowl quickly turned droll, rolling her eyes at her laughing professor. She had to give her credit though; she was trying to make the situation less serious for Live's sake. She appreciated it greatly, but still felt every right to be snarky.

"Oh shut up. If you think it would be beneficial, maybe I should just sex the first guy that gives me the time of day and do away with that tragic fact. There are several ways we could get rid of any similarities me and George share. We'll just see what this damn prophecy thinks of that!"

Tonks giggled and snickered helplessly, knowing it was most improper with such a serious subject weighing down on Live. Even the blonde witch's sarcasm was amusing. She couldn't help it. "I'm sorry," she snickered, "that wasn't right of me. Forgive me."

Live dismissed it. She knew it was a funny observation. She had to give her that much credit. Even as worried as she was, she still appreciated a good jibe once in a while, and it was meant well, in the quirky witch's own way.

"You know what, I bet we're thinking way too hard about all this!" Live affirmed stoutly, shutting her mind to it. "I bet this damn prophecy is ridiculously simple and we're looking too much into this. Hell, it wouldn't be the first time something like this had happened."

Tonks nodded, her mirth subsiding for an understanding smile. "Just ignore it, Live. That's the best advice I can give you. Just pretend like you never heard of it. Don't worry about this. Live your life, Live." Tonks smirked, thinking she was clever.

"Very original," the blonde witch remarked sarcastically. She had a weak smile on her face. "But I can't just ignore it. Not with everything I already know. But I'm going to try and live around it." Tonks gave her a sad smile, and Live looked at her determinedly. "I still want to hear the real thing, word-for-word," she affirmed, "but for now, I'm just not going to worry. I'll put it out of my mind for the meantime. And so help me god, if I _do _decide to sex George up, no one and no bloody prophecy is going to stop me!"

Tonks gasped at her audacity and tried to stop the laughs coming from her throat.

"And you can tell that to all the other snooping professors too! I know how you all gossip!" she declared adamantly, taking her leave of Tonks' office dramatically, leaving the elder witch to subsiding giggles until she poked her head back in to wave and say thanks, then left for real.

sSs

"Oh! Hermione! Kelena!" Live exclaimed in nearly running right into them.

"Geez, Live, thank the good lord you don't own a broom, or I'd be run down!" Kel declared.

Live stuck her tongue out, but remembered suddenly the item in her pocket. "Kel! Look!"

"Where the devil was that license?!" she inquired, snatching it up and inspecting it for damage, wear and tear, and true authenticity. She gave Live a look. "George had it, didn't he? Where was he keeping it? Fred had mine in the wall. Prat."

"He just gave it to me."

"_Gave _it to you?! Where's Fred?! I'm gonna smack him so hard…"

"Kelena, I don't think that's a good idea what with the game against Slytherin coming up," Hermione noted. Kelena looked exasperated and went on her way, leaving Hermione to meet her in the library.

"She seems a little…_crotchety_, these days," Live commented.

"Sexlexia, an advanced case," Hermione told her with all seriousness. "She and Fred. In all honesty, I'm quite worried about them. Fred swears he's going to divorce her, and she swears they'll stay married just to spite him."

Live frowned. She forgot she was married to George, whether or not they were only 'going out'. She smiled slightly in thought.

"Ginny says they get along on their own, though," Hermione confided. Live brought her focus back to the bushy haired Gryffindor before her. Hermione winked in hint.

"I'll have to work on a better cure," Live promised with a grin, which led her back to her original train of thought. "D'you know where George is? Is quidditch practice still on?"

"He's most likely still on the pitch. Angelina is dead set on kicking your Slytherin arses," she told her friend with a sporting grin.

Live smiled back. "I wish your team the best of luck, though I think it will make no difference in the outcome," she said in a friendly, teasing way. She honestly didn't care that much about quidditch. Hermione laughed. "But I think I'll check the pitch then," she said confirmedly. "Oh, and I want to talk to you later, okay? I need your opinion on a few things," she added seriously.

Hermione nodded in understanding, and Live took off, subconsciously navigating her way through the castle. Up stairs, taking shortcuts, down again, through corridors. Her muscles knew where she was going, but her mind was on other things, and how she would reveal to George what she had been told by Tonks. She didn't know how to tell him, let alone imply that they could never have babies or get married or anything.

Not that she _considered _the idea of marriage. No, of course not. Not at all.

"Oh! Excuse me!" Live genuinely apologized in bumping into someone in her hurry. Her mood quickly changed and she frowned when she saw the side-smirking face the body belonged to. There was no mistaking the countenance of this man for any other than the despicable thing he was. She was startled from words, her body reactively recoiling.

"Unnecessary, Miss…" He waited for her to introduce herself, though she'd rather kiss a slug than make this man's acquaintance.

She gained back the use of speech, as well as deep seated loathing and a death glare to make even Snape proud. "Hunter, Mr. Malfoy," she replied curtly out of sheer manners and good breeding. It was startling, how much Draco looked like his father. She suppressed a shiver. Saying she didn't like either of them was being kind.

His eyes perused her-- a little too long, or was it her imagination? -and he held out his hand for her to shake. "It is a _pleasure _to meet you, my dear. I see my reputation precedes me."

The way he said pleasure made her uneasy, and she hadn't imagined _that_. She didn't want to shake hands with him, but he didn't look about to retract it any time soon, daring her to exhibit rudeness. Out of pride alone she abruptly kept her manners, raised her head with regality. "In volumes, sir," she replied sardonically, quickly shaking his hand and moving to retract it, but he didn't let it go so easily. She gave him a scathing look, hoping she froze his icy blood in his veins, though a spike of worry lanced through her.

He merely stared haughtily at her, trying to intimidate her with that cold smile. "Live Hunter. I've heard so many things about you. Draco says you're quite talented." She felt a shiver go up her back, and removed her hand from his grasp with a jerk. "For a half-breed," he added with a holier-than-thou smugness, retaining his elegant posture. She was keeping her anger and pride in check. She'd walk away, but she didn't trust exposing her back to his wand. She didn't like the look in his eyes. "Amazing you even made Slytherin House at all. Mother's a muggle, isn't she?"

"It doesn't matter what she is," she affirmed with cold rigidity, unnerved that he knew of her heritage.

"And yet you're a _multiforme_, aren't you?" he asked rhetorically, his interest in the matter barely concealed, looking her over once more. She was surprised that he knew such a thing about her. "Yes, yes, that's a very rare trait indeed. Especially for a half-breed such as yourself. Rumor has it you possess skills Slytherin himself would be wanton to employ."

She crossed her arms protectively over her chest, refusing to be made uncomfortable at his weak innuendos and perusal of her feminine attributes. She wished now that she hadn't made herself up so good for George.

There was no doubt that the son got his characteristics from the father, and if Draco had learned anything from his father, Live had much reason to feel fear and threatened. "Rumors say a lot of things, Mr. Malfoy. I'd think you of all people are aware of that fact."

He fixed her with a cold stare, she referring to the scandals that he'd been involved in left and right according to the recent papers. Not to mention the bribes and other corruption that the general public was privy to knowing. He sneered at her. She'd obviously struck a chord in him, picked at his reputation, the ministry giving him more than enough bother, and he was done with the act of politeness and manners. "Rumor also has it you're trying to marry up into pure-blood. No wedding ring, even? Pity, to think, those penniless blood-traitors were the best you could do."

She felt deep-seated ire rise in her, afraid of what she might do if her hand twitched one more time towards the wand concealed in her pocket. She knew that while a vast store of spells were at her command, she wasn't going to fool herself in believing he didn't know more, and would think nothing of it to employ some of the nastier ones, if not unforgivable, dare she attack him. She didn't want to think what he would do if provoked. The thoughts in her mind made her shiver. Not to mention what trouble she might be in if she dared curse one of the governors of the school.

"George Weasley is more man than your money can ever attempt to make you," she spoke with cold, hard precision, meeting his eyes with bravado.

He smiled with ugly challenge and surprise that she'd dare speak to him in such a way, superiorly looking down upon her with those piercing eyes. She began to feel very uncomfortable under his gaze, and it was the most threatened she'd felt since he'd begun exchanging insults with her. She didn't want to know what he was thinking as he looked at her snidely. "It plagues me, Miss Hunter, to know what other rumors I've heard about you which prove true."

Her eyes widened subconsciously at the indirect threat, and she felt alarm as he gazed at her with cold, wicked eyes. Something black and foreboding suddenly caught her eye, and she was never more glad to see her Head of House coming her way. She couldn't believe her good luck, relief flooding through her.

She met his eyes as he came through the corridor, feeling helplessly trapped and looking at him as if to say 'please, help me'. His eyes settled on the form of Malfoy senior, and he didn't need any further appeal to aid his student, eyes glued on the blond man on the stairwell. Malfoy had no business speaking to her about anything, especially with the events that were currently in motion. What was he up to?

"Lucius," he addressed with deadly care as he walked up to the side of the fair-haired man. Live took a subservient step back, view of her form half-way obstructed by her god-sent Head of House. She still felt mild betrayal by the man hiding her, but she could ignore that for the safety net she felt he cast around her from the present company.

The blond man in curious view smiled falsely and greeted the potions master congenially. "Severus. I was just getting to know one of your students a little better," he informed with cold pleasantry, his voice full of suggestion.

Live suppressed a shiver. It would be a cold day in hell before she allowed him to know her in any way, let alone 'better'.

"Run off to your common room, silly girl," Snape commanded with a derisive look behind as if to say 'why are you still here?' Without second thought she obeyed, though she walked as opposed to run like he suggested and her instincts demanded. She wasn't going to show Malfoy that she was afraid. Rather, she'd show her pride and continue to her destination without another look back, as if he didn't bother her at all when really she wanted to race away. Her show of bravado cost her the crawling of her skin.

Lucius watched her go, and Snape scrutinized him with agitation.

"Sharp little bint," Lucius remarked to Snape, his voice not without undertone. The dour man next to him was not interested.

"What are you doing here, Lucius?" he asked sharply, but discretely.

Mr. Malfoy commanded back his sense of propriety. "Seeing to business with your employer." He smiled snidely as if delivering a most witty insult to the potions master.

Snape looked mildly annoyed. "The law?"

"The Governors are not pleased with this marriage law, Severus, as I'm sure you're well aware. We're doing everything in our power to put an end to it. Though the ministry is giving us more trouble than mere gold can easily fix." He acted all business and propriety.

"I fail to see where that involves harassing my students," Snape told the man with silky quickness, annoyed at the very least that Lucius even dared to mess with the students of Slytherin House. They fell under Snape's jurisdiction and his alone.

Lucius merely smiled, raising one eyebrow. "My, my, Severus. Have you lost the lust for sport?"

Snape gave his 'friend' a disinterested look. "The dunderheads of this school are hardly what I would call sport, Lucius, let alone the vices of a sixth year."

He grinned smugly in thoughtful consideration, then his face went sour. "We will put an end to this law, and then plans will carry on from there." He cocked his head to the side in acknowledgement and respectful dismissal. "Until then, Severus."

Snape nodded in false-interest, and Lucius Malfoy took his leave of the man. Snape watched the blonde man until he was well gone, and thus went off to seek other devices of his own.

sSs

"Lee Jordan!" a jovial voice boomed.

Lee nearly jumped out of his skin, so jarred was he from his thoughts as well as from the great voice. He turned with a smile, and shaken reverie, to the Hogwart's groundskeeper.

"Hello Hagrid," he replied, face turned upwards to greet the large man.

"'Ow 'ave yeh bin, lad?"

"Good enough, and yourself?" Lee asked, wondering where this was headed. Had Fred or George experimented on Hagrid's pets again? It wouldn't be the first time. Or did this have to do with some side business they were currently pursuing?

"Oh good meself. Bin busy, what with the unicorn's matin' season and all. The poor fellows keep injuring' each other fer mates, yeh know?" Lee nodded and Hagrid smiled toothily at him. "Actually, I was jus' wonderin' how that white wolf of yers was gettin' along." Lee gave him a blank look, then he blanched and mentally cursed Kara.

"Um, she's, uh, fine," Lee stuttered, praying there would be no follow-up questions.

"I bin workin' on a salve fer her fur. Pr'fessor McGonagall said she was shaved completely bald." A loud snicker suddenly escaped Lee's throat, and he started making coughing noises to cover it. He couldn't help but remember how Kara had looked utterly bald. And she had been so livid…

He coughed more to suppress the snickers, and Hagrid patted him heavily on the back, nearly making him drop all his things.

"Alrigh'?" Hagrid asked.

Lee took a deep breath and grinned. "Yeah, fine." Hagrid looked expectant. "Oh, um…she lives in the forest, you know. Pretty wild," he offered, back on the subject at hand. There was no way he would be able to steer conversation with Hagrid where dangerous beasts were concerned.

"Can't say I've had the pleasure of meetin' the little thing yet," Hagrid said with what sounded disappointment.

"Uh, she runs wild with some of the other wolves…and, um, she's vain, so since her fur is gone, she won't willingly show her snout for a while more."

"Well my salve should 'elp 'er grow that fur back, as well as get rid of anything odd that the wraith caused. Dumbledore said it was bad, that." Lee merely nodded. "So when yeh have the time, come by my hut and we'll get 'er fixed up."

"I-I'll do that first chance I get, Hagrid," Lee promised. Hagrid nodded happily, and left Lee to his devices.

Lee smiled until Hagrid was gone, and left to find Kara with irritation in his veins.

"Ah-- uh! Er, sorry Live," Lee muttered with annoyance as he ran into her. He kept on his way, quickly by-stepping her, and Live called out to him.

"Seen George?"

"Lockers probably. Slytherin's taken the pitch. Seen your sister?"

"Not recently," Live replied with disinterest as Lee took off for Gryffindor Tower, no doubt to deliver some sort of justice to her little sister. But she didn't bother with that now.

Heading towards the quidditch pitch helped to calm her mind and crawling flesh somewhat by the time she was actually outside. The fresh air served to soothe her nerves, smooth her skin, and she didn't feel as hasty, but more methodical. She felt in control again, renewed, her thoughts pushing away the severe discomfort she had felt around Lucius Malfoy. She wasn't going to let the bastard get to her. She had bigger fish to fry.

And while telling George what she had learned from Tonks was a major priority on her list, she was going to go about it slowly and thoughtfully, fully in-depth and scientific. She had to realize that she had time. She didn't have to rush through everything sloppily. It wasn't as if any old prophecy was gonna jump her from behind any moment and the whole world would come crashing down. She had to be logical. Think.

The world wasn't coming to an end. It was only in the _process_ of coming to an end. She had to distance herself from the problems she faced, think, and she'd no doubt come up with a solution.

A familiar face caught her eye, huddled next to another, and she grinned, calling out. "Viv!" Her friend looked in a pleasant daze that caused her to smirk as the other witch came closer, dragged by Rebecca. "What have you been up to with that look on your face? Or should I say, whom?" she asked, feeling cheeky.

"She keeps distracting the team. I had to get her outta there," Rebecca informed.

A foxy grin came to Live's lips. "Been ogling Pucey's bum, eh?"

"Oh Live, you're so lucky you have George!! They all just look so delicious in their quidditch outfits!" Vivian declared with dreamy envy. Live knew the benefit of such a statement directly. George looked damned good in his quidditch gear. And Pucey _did_ have a nice bum, she had to admit. Though it was nothing compared to the vision George conjured in her mind, half naked and faintingly dishy to boot.

She got a dreamy look on her face, one to equally match Vivian's. But Rebecca's voice cut through her reverie.

"She _flashed _him. He nearly fell off his broom."

Live's eyes went wide. Vivian looked sheepish.

"Stop giving me that look, Live. You've done worse," she remarked, still sheepish.

"We'll lose for sure," Live remarked accusingly in jest. Vivian didn't look the least bit repentant, just dreamy. "So our team's on the pitch now?" she queried.

"Yeah. Why?" Rebecca cocked her head in a playful way. "Gonna sell us out to your boyfriend's team? Tsk tsk, Live," Rebecca chided sadly. "The day I saw you spying for Gryffindors was the day I swore Vivian would pass Arithmacy." Vivian looked offended and smacked her. Live scoffed at her friend.

"Have you seen George?"

Rebecca shook her head. "Pucey's seen a lot today-" she received another jab from Vivian, "-but we haven't seen George. Maybe he's still in the lockers? I don't know. When we got there, they were off the pitch already," she remarked of their team. "…though we nearly suffered casualties…" she muttered for Vivian's ears. The wound-up witch poked Rebecca disdainfully, but with a grin.

"It would have been worth it," Vivian promised with a smirk. She straightened up and gave Live a friendly smile. "Wanna eat early dinner together? You know, before you disappear for hours on end with George…"

Live nodded with an unapologetic smirk, and all girls said their goodbyes as they parted, Rebecca and Vivian squabbling over Pucey's "hot hot bum" and nearly getting him killed as they disappeared into the castle.

Live grinned to herself as she made her way crunchingly over the grass. Maybe the rest of the Gryffindor team would be out of the lockers by now. She hadn't seen them…But perhaps George was still showering…

She felt a wicked grin slide into place with her hot cheeks. She hoped she'd catch him unawares. During practice and games, passwords for the lockers became unnecessary anyways since they were always coming and going, so she could slip right in without his noticing.

Feeling quite naughty with cleverness, and purposefully unacknowledging of any stupid prophecy or 'horrid forewarning', she sped up her pace a bit. Her enjoyment of her naughty ideas momentarily sagged as she saw a tall male figure coming towards her, her sight slightly obscured by the low sunlight. But though he held George's height and stature, she could tell it wasn't George, and her joy for her naughty shower-plans once again rose.

"Jason?" she muttered to herself, seeing who it was.

"'allo, Live!" the voice of Putterly greeted her. She smirked as he got closer.

"Hey," she greeted. A playful smirk came to her face. "Don't tell me you've been ogling Pucey's bum too."

He looked momentarily surprised, but then grinned and shrugged helplessly. "What can I say?" he stated innocently.

She smirked. "Hey, have you seen George by any chance?" she asked hopefully.

"I've been too busy ogling Pucey, thank you," he told her acerbically. She rolled her eyes. She knew they didn't like each other. Oh well, who was she to expect them to get along? Ha.

"Well I'll leave you to it then. Hopefully you didn't get flashed by Viv, too," she told him as she dismissed the conversation, eager to get to George…'s quidditch clad body…

"Wanna catch up on all that potions work you've missed? Tonight?" he suggested more amiably, more or less shouting at her back to get her attention as she walked towards the pitch.

She turned with a grin, walking backwards as she called to him. "Even though I've missed a lot, I think you could use the studying more than me," she called back, playfully jibing him. He gave her a grin and the finger, to which she laughed helplessly, flipped him off the same, and stuck out her tongue. "I can't cover your ass every class session," she called. "Study!" she hollered in command, then turned and happily sped up her walk once more, hoping to catch George in his skivvies at least.

She heard hollered, indiscernible profanities, to which she grinned at having agitated him, and jogged the rest of the way to the pitch.

In approaching the field she could see the players flying about in their green robes on the pitch. She only hoped George was still down here abouts. Though her hopes of getting him alone faded, since she seriously doubted his teammates would leave him to walk back alone, especially when her team held the pitch, unless he was wallowing in self-pity or something akin to stories of old she'd heard...

Memories caused her to grin. She'd heard rumors that the graduated Gryffindor Oliver Wood had once spent a whole afternoon trying to drown himself in their showers after a horridly lost game. She found it funny, but she didn't really know if it was true. When it came to quidditch, she didn't much care for it, but others staked their whole lives in it. She'd rather be playing than watching, and many a time during games she'd stayed in the dorms reading. So who knew what really went on down here?

Going to the entrance to the Gryffindor lockers, she found herself barred from entering. She tried passwords past with no luck, and figured she must've missed them. But George's beater's bat was still there, lying near the entrance wall. She picked it up and played like it was a sword, making swirly motions with it. The damn thing was heavy. No wonder George was so strong and wonderfully built. It caused her to grin. Yes, she had one hell of a strong, skilled Beater, and she liked it.

She waited, figuring he was still in there somewhere, taking his damned time, for five, ten, fifteen minutes, watching her housemates fly about when she'd catch a glimpse from her otherwise unadvantageful vantage point, wondering if she could possibly get away with cursing Malfoy from his broom, as if anyone could even see she was down there…Anything to entertain her while George must be finishing up. No chance of sneaking up on him now…And she could always blame it on the spectators. There were _always_ spectators.

She sighed and walked about the structure of the building, kicking at dirt and grass, smacking his club against the wall, hearing her housemates getting shouted at by their captain. She grinned, tracing her fingers over the carved swirls of George's name on the bat. She wondered if he'd done it himself.

She screamed as she was grabbed from behind, the sound muffled by angry shouts of captaining from her housemates aloft, loud jeers from those watching the practice, the beater's bat falling from her grasp from shock.

She made a feral noise and elbowed George in the belly on principle alone and turned to wallop him upside the head.

"_Oi_!" he shouted, shielding himself with both arms.

"Damn fuck-fucking-_fuck_ George!" Live stuttered in anger, giving him another adrenaline-prompted smack. "You scared the fuck out of me!"

He looked agitated, about to go off on her for smacking him when he had merely hugged her in surprise, but decided to tease her instead, looking exasperated and horrified. "Really? Well damn it all, that wasn't my purpose!!" He made the most forlorn expression he could muster.

She opened her mouth for another round of florid cursing, but stopped as she got his teasing innuendos, her relief in that it had only been him, calming her down. She smacked him again, but lighter, a slight smile on her face, the adrenaline ebbing in her veins. She thought someone else had grabbed her. After her encounter with Malfoy senior and what Malfoy-the-ferret had done, she had every right to be jumpy.

"I could kill you," she told him on principle, feeling stupid for having screamed so, panting from the surprise.

"And all I ever wanted was a hug," he said extra pitifully. She couldn't help the wide smile claiming her face. He was too irresistible with that impish look, his hair wet from the shower, clothing clinging to him…she could smell the clean scents of soap and water on him, and the smell of his musk was all over him from the gear he still wore.

She raised her head up to his and pressed herself against his chest slowly until she was as close as she could get, looking at him with a tight-lipped smile, but not kissing him. His arms were well ensconced about her waist by now.

"What were you doing out here anyway?" he asked with an amused grin.

She lightly rolled her eyes at him, very lightly touching him, tracing her hands down his back and over his glorious bum, down more heavily to the back of his thighs. "You're thick sometimes, George," she told him with playfulness, giving him a squeeze he reacted to almost immediately. He frowned at her with a smile, then snaked a hand up the back of her head, bringing her lips forward to meet his with purpose. He devoured her mouth like he hadn't seen her in weeks, and though the kiss lasted only a few moments, she melded to him like putty, every nerve in her body set on fire. He felt very much the same. He'd be a fool to try and act like she didn't cause him to unwind.

"…I love you," he murmured. She could only sigh in response, clinging to him lest her jelly-legs drop her to a useless puddle on the ground.

A wolf-whistle reached her ears, and Live's attention was brought to the form of Adrian Pucey hovering aloft on his broom, looking down at them through the vantage point in the air with a wide grin, doing grand thrusts on his broom vulgarly, mocking them with delight.

Though his peepery should have pissed her off, Live snickered, her cheeks red, and gave him the finger while laughing and wondering how he was doing that and still managing to stay on his broom. George, too, gave Pucey the finger, raised high in the air so the other boy might see it. Pucey quickly stiffened on his broom and did a sort of sloth-roll, narrowly avoiding being hit by a bludger. He got back on top of his broom, only for loud yelling to reach their ears. He zipped off on his broom.

Live smirked.

"That bastard git," George remarked, letting Live go, and grabbing his own broom, which was resting against the wall. He felt like teaching him a lesson.

"He's just being funny, the ass. But he's not so bad," she offered. For the usual gits in Slytherin, he actually _wasn't_ that bad. That's why she teased Vivian so extra mercilessly. "He had a near-death experience when he nearly fell off his broom today. Got flashed by Vivian earlier," Live told George nonchalantly. He cocked an eyebrow at her, and she grinned, her blood still boiling for him. "Like this!" she said with naughty intent, pulling her blouse down in front to flash him.

Eyes wide, they were locked on her breasts for the moment she exposed them, then he looked up to the sky to make sure none of those gits had gotten a peak. She was giggling, and he let his broom fall indifferently to the ground, grabbing her and pinning her between him and the wall. He was never more grateful for her taste in stretchy, form-fitting materials

His mouth was on hers quickly, hungrily, and she greedily devoured him as well, her hands in his hair, his robes, all over him. She entwined a leg around his to bring their bodies closer together (damn his heavy quidditch gear now!), her blood racing, heart pounding. George moved to her neck, and she moaned loudly, her hands grasping at him through his robes. She wanted him closer.

He was pressing her hard against the wall, nibbling at her neck, his hands inside her robes, up her shirt, down her skirts, groaning himself, nearly biting her, and she loved it all. He was pumped from practice, she was delirious with pleasure, sure she'd become blind from the sheer ecstasy of him.

It was a moment before she realized he'd stopped, one hand flat on her belly, keeping her in place between him and the wall, looking skyward with dilated eyes. She looked, too dazed for her own good, to see Pucey, once again high above and this time clapping as if he were watching some show. George had a hand raised skyward in the universal gesture, and Pucey put his hands around his mouth, shouting at them to get a room.

George might have ignored him, _or _taken his suggestion to heart, or he might have used his wand had he thought of it, but when the captain of the Slytherin team came to personally smack Pucey upside the head, not to mention see what the hell was so interesting, George decided to give up.

"Damn bloody Slytherins…" he muttered, grabbing Live's hand in his and pulling her into the shadows where they couldn't be subject to perusal.

She snaked her hands back under his shirt to feel his skin, the both of them a little less frantic in their movements. She raised her face to his to be kissed again, which he obliged, but not for as long as she preferred. She frowned, coming back to her senses.

"To be continued?" she asked cheekily. He groaned as if being tortured, and she grinned, pulling his hips to meet with hers. "Should we take his advice?" she offered with a cocky grin.

He raised a brow at her, and looked skyward as if ruing the day. "Don't tease me," he told her.

"Who's teasing?" she asked rhetorically, the teasing tone gone from her voice. He looked at her eyes, deeply green, heavily dilated; her lips were bright and tender. She smiled at him. "I happen to know Vivian and Rebecca are taking an early dinner…."

The sides of his lips twitched to a smirk. He knew how long those two took to eat. He regarded her with desire, his blood boiling for her, subconsciously thrusting his hips towards her making her mewl with delight. At that moment, he would have killed for her, died for her, done anything she asked him regardless of the consequence. She'd utterly bewitched him and it was driving him mad. "I mean it, Live. _Don't tease me_."

She felt a naughty streak growing in her a mile wide. She let him go and picked up his broom from the ground and swung herself upon it, pushing off from the ground and hovering there before him. He was watching her every move with hard interest. And she knew he was too. "It's not fair with you boys and your quidditch. Nothing beats having a broom between your legs for hours on end." She looked at him seductively, all determination and desire, smirking devilishly. She would refuse him nothing, and she fancied he knew that fact.

He moaned at that, and tried to grab her off the broom and tumble her to the ground. So help him, Pucey and the whole damn Slytherin team could watch, he didn't care. Sadly for him, she pushed off just beyond his reach, then hovered back down when the wolfish look in his eye had taken on a little less predatory gleam. She got off the broom and held it, watching him as hungrily as he was her. "Get your gear, George. Let's go back to the castle."

He approached her, and she didn't try to get beyond his grasp. He wrapped an arm about her waist and looked deep into her eyes. It was almost her undoing.

"I love you," she whispered.

He barely touched his lips to hers, causing her to sigh with longing. "Ooh I love you, too."

She smiled, and then took his hand in hers. "Come. Let's go." He gave her a hungry look. She smirked. "I don't think we should give Pucey anymore free shows today." He grunted in agreement, barely listening. He couldn't take his eyes off her and the naughty, dirty things he was thinking in his mind. "Your bat, George," she reminded him. He blinked, blank. "Bat," she repeated, pointing to the item that had long since fallen to the dust.

As if suddenly waking from a dream, he blinked at her with a goofy grin. "Oh yeah," he muttered. She snickered as he bent to pick it up, and she admired his backside with shivers. She wanted him. God she wanted him. There was just something about he himself combined with quidditch gear that drove her nuts. He grabbed his bat, and her view was sadly obscured.

"Got everything?" she asked with a grin. He grinned mischievously back, and pinched her bum with his free hand, which caused her to shriek and run from his grasp.

He let out a shriek of his own as his bat started twisting in his hand, reforming and taking shape as a hooded snake. He tried to drop it, but it quickly twisted about his hand, coiling and hissing, until it was looking right at him, fully poised.

It was a cobra. George had a large, black cobra coiled tightly around his wrist.

The blood drained from her face. Live didn't know what to do, and she didn't have time to think. The snake lunged at George's face, and he dodged it, shaking his arm and shrieking guttural noises, trying to pry it off without getting bitten.

As he grasped at it, trying to quickly fling it off, it sank its fangs into his arm. George's yelps of pain made Live's blood run cold, and before she knew what she was doing, her wand was out and pointed at his arm. She cried _serraté!_ and the upper body of the cobra was seemingly hit with invisible razors, serrated chunks and pieces of its flesh splattering the wall, pieces of it turning back to wood and sawdust, the smaller blood spatters staying crimson on the pitch. The huge lump of cobra flesh still wrapped around George's arm twitched and writhed with dying nerves.

George was on his knees trying not to cry out, gritting his teeth and hissing in burning pain, grasping his arm and shoving the remnants of the snake off him. He was now lying on his side on the ground, grasping his arm and writhing in pain, crying out as Live shook with panic.

She was grabbing at his arm, trying to get to the bite before the poison had chance to spread, but he kept shaking her off and grabbing at the wound rigidly. "George! George!" she shrieked to get his attention. He was too strong for her and kept pushing her away, writhing as the fire in his skin crept up his arm.

Live was base thought and pure instinct, forcing him to stop moving, trying to soothe him, making him lay flat, still. She knew he was spreading the poison as he writhed. She cried out to him again, and caught his eye. "Give me your arm!" she demanded, grabbing it and wiping his own and the spattered snake's blood from his arm to reveal two angry looking punctures leaking blood. She wrapped her own arm around his to keep it steady, and locating the puncture wounds, latched her mouth onto it and sucked at the holes.

George writhed even as he wanted to jerk his arm away, trying to remain still, biting his lips so he wouldn't cry out, tasting blood in his mouth. He felt short of breath and slightly dizzy, panicked. She sucked harder on the wound, and he cried out in such pain that it tore her heart in fear and panic. She held his arm tight as she let go, spitting the mixture of blood and venom upon the grass. And once again, she latched her mouth over the wound, the skin around the punctures puffy and red, and she sucked hard, tasting his blood and sting of venom, turning to spit the poison and once again repeat the process. What else could she do? What spells did she know that could help? There was no spell for snake bites. She had to get as much venom out of him as she could.

She heard a wolf-whistle once more, and looked up to see Pucey grinning down. His eyes widened, his jaw dropped when he saw her mouth smeared with blood.

"Pucey please!!" she cried to him. "Help me!"

He looked behind him at something, and she turned her attention back to George, who was trying not to writhe, but the pain was near unbearable, tears in his eyes from the burning. She latched her mouth onto the wound once more. She didn't know how much venom snakes pumped into one when bitten, but she wasn't going to take a chance with most of it getting George, and a cobra's venom at that.

She spat the blood once more onto the grass, and this time upon Pucey's quidditch boots. She looked up in fearful panic and surprise, gratitude for his presence.

"What the hell did you do?" he asked with alarm, his eyes dancing about the scene as he stood with broom in hand.

"A-a cobra--!! Please, I can't explain--"

"Sit up, Weasley," he commanded, moving Live out of the way and grabbing George's bitten arm. George was panting, lightly sweating now from fear and the poison.

Pucey held out his hand to Live. "Give me your bra."

"What?"

"Give me your bra. Now!"

George tried to wrest himself away from Pucey. "Who do you think--"

"Shut up, Weasley. Do what I said, Live," Pucey demanded, his grip tight as a clamp on George's arm just above the bite. He was trying to stop blood flow and the poison from spreading. Live quickly writhed out of her bra and gave it to Pucey, who tore it for the elasticity and wrapped George's arm tight. He crouched and attempted to get to his feet.

George rubbed at his drooping eyes with his hands, trying to focus his vision. "I can't see straight," he ground out. He seemed feverish. Live put her hands to his face in fear, inspecting him without any idea of what to do.

"Give me my broom," Pucey told Live. She grabbed it from where it lay in the grass and gave it to him. When it became clear his intent was to ride both he and George on it, Live looked incredulous.

"Can you--?"

"I can fly, you take _his _broom," Pucey commanded.

"Just take him quickly--"

"I can hear the poison in your speech, too. Hurry up," he commanded, pushing off unsteadily, hanging on tightly to his field rival.

Live thought a moment. She wouldn't have noticed before, but since it was brought to her attention, her tongue felt numb, like she'd been to the dentist. And her throat burned. It couldn't be a good sign. She grabbed George's broom from among the blood, wood, and remnants of her bra, making to fly after Pucey. She heard angry, inquisitive shouts from above and behind her, and saw her other housemates shouting curious things, and curses most vivid. But she didn't pay them too much mind. She had to concentrate on flying, following in Pucey's wake over the grass and high into the air, circling the castle. She was too worried for George to take notice of how high up they were flying, nor to let her fear of heights get to her now. The Slytherin in front of her disappeared through a window, and she followed mindlessly, landing moments later in the hospital wing with Madam Pomfrey's indignant shouts of care and irritation reaching her ears.

George was propped up on a bed, still grasping his arm, looking about to throw up sick, still crying out in pain. He kept saying that he couldn't see; his vision was blurry; was Live with them?

She came to his side, and tightly grabbed his hand. She felt dizzy. Nauseous. Pucey grabbed her and forced her on a cot next to George, and went sprinting from the room as Madam Pomfrey forced a foul-tasting substance down her throat. She found it very hard to swallow. Hard to breath even. Her mind wondered if she hadn't swallowed some of the venom in her verve to help.

"Madam Pomfrey--!" Live cried for her attention, sitting back up.

"Mr. Pucey said a cobra," she inquired of Live as she was undoing the quick job Pucey had made of George's arm, replacing the homemade tourniquet with her own magical gauze and splits.

"George's beater's bat turned into one right in his hand! Out on the pitch," Live tried to elucidate. Pomfrey's nervous clucking worried Live. "Is he gonna be alright?"

"I'm going to have to give him a few potions. Unfortunately, I have no anti-venom sorts here. Mr. Pucey's gone to fetch Dumbledore."

Dumbledore? Why him? How bad was it?

By the time Pucey showed up with Dumbledore, Live had worked herself into a fit of tears.

The ancient wizard regarded her with a concerned look, but once his attention was focused on George, Live had to deal with Madam Pomfrey's over-zealous concern for her and her fussing and potions which made her sleepy. Once Dumbledore had had his time with George, and the Gryffindor was sleeping soundly and safely, propped up against his bed with numerous potions and healing agents pumped _into _him and _on/around _his bite, the old man gave his attention to Live, who eyed him with anxiety.

"George will be okay, won't he?"

He took a moment she was sure he'd utilized only for suspense, and nodded, which caused her some relief. With the assurance that he was going to be okay, she regarded the old wizard with suspicion and a skeptical look as he sat on the end of the bed with tired movements indicating his age-weariness.

"I'm not going to poison you, my dear," he told her in response to the way she figured she'd been glaring. She lowered her eyes, but his voice commanded her attention once more, and he was utmostly serious. "I need you to tell me what happened."

Guarding her thoughts of the passion they'd nearly shared, she told Dumbledore all she could about what had happened with George, all the conditions, everything. He listened intently, and when he'd been told all she could give him, he offered her a smile and an invitation to tea, leaving her once more in the hospital.

She spent the rest of the afternoon and most of the next day by George's side, though she needn't have stayed for her own health at all. She promised Madam Pomfrey she'd be good and quiet, allowing him to rest and let her potions do their work. Cobra bites were not a daily occurrence, nor did an individual, magic or not, completely heal in under 24 hours. So Live was quiet and hopeful, and spent her time just being next to him until the sedatives wore off (she was sure Madam Pomfrey drugged him extra since he was one of the rowdy Weasley twins), and waited for his health to return fully to which she could finally speak with him on matters most serious, not to mention smother him in love.

Until he was well again, she refused to move from his side, and being that she was the more (perceivably) docile one of the couple, Madam Pomfrey allowed it. Besides, being as how she was stubborn as hell, there wasn't much anyone could do to make her leave when she felt it her privilege and duty to stay with him, 'guard' him in a sense.

Hermione had come and gone, as well as George's other siblings and Gryffindor chums who'd checked in on him (though Live had had to keep Fred from drawing things on his incapacitated twin's face).

Hermione had brought up several points that had gotten Live thinking, as well as dreading. While it was a good idea, she didn't much want to speak to Dumbledore about the whole prophecy as well as everything she had been sleuthing around for and he no doubt was aware of. As an alternative, the young Gryffindor witch had suggested that Live ignore the prophecy in total otherwise (Hermione wasn't a fan of Divination or forecasting the future anyhow). While her council proved beneficial and lucid, Live wouldn't decide her full actions until she had George's full thoughts on the matter.

But that would have to wait until he was released. For now, she had to resign herself to watching him and thinking hopeful (read: naughty) thoughts.

sSs

_A/N: With the original breakdown of four writers to one, some obvious changes and whatnot were made over the three years this has been written, some characters given less screen-time just because they were superfluous and I didn't feel like continuing writing them. So, some might be wondering, what happened to and where is Terry?_

_Brazil._

_-FireV._


	35. Resonance

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 35: Resonance

sSs

"Hey Live, how are you?" Vivian asked after class. She hadn't seen much of her friend in the past two days.

"Good. George is out of hospital now," she told her wearily.

"That's good. I heard you saved his life." Vivian smiled at her friend's blush and natural resistance to such a statement. "Pucey said so."

Live's eyebrows rose with interest, glad for a chance to sway the current topic. "Been talking to Pucey, eh?" Now it was Vivian's turn to blush. If she'd had time, Live would've pursued the subject, but for now she was satisfied with the red in Vivian's cheeks. "Listen, I've got to go see Snape about something, and then this meeting with Dumbledore, soooo…"

"Yeah," her friend said with contrite understanding, "I'll talk to you later, then." The two girls hugged before parting ways, and after shooting a too-nosy kid a particularly nasty sneer, Live was once again left with anxiety fluttering about in her stomach.

For one thing, she didn't know what Snape wanted, and was partially afraid it had something to do with her chance meeting with Mr. Malfoy a few days previous. And for another thing, she just didn't feel like dealing with her Head of House right now.

But in much the same manner she dealt with everything else in her life, Live decided to steel herself and face the music. She was at the dungeons quicker than she had anticipated, but she was ready for whatever lied within.

Live knocked on the door and peeked into the classroom. She saw Snape in the middle of berating a young Ravenclaw boy who had spite and disdain written all over his face. Snape turned his attention to Live, and the boy took advantage of this moment to fix the professor with a twisted face, his hands stuck in his ears waggling about right behind the potion master's back.

"I will be with you in a moment, Miss Hunter. You may wait outside."

"Yes, sir," she replied with distraction. She couldn't believe the gall of the kid behind her Head of House. His thumbs in his ears, tongue hanging out his mouth, nose scrunched up in silent taunt. She certainly didn't have the guts to try that, let alone the courage. No one was exactly certain the dour potions master _didn't_ have eyes in the back of his head. She had to hand it to him though, that little Ravenclaw had some spunk.

Snape walked two steps and shut the door behind Live, but not before she heard "And I can see that you idiot child!"

She was smirking to herself, standing in the middle of the hall and facing the door with giggles, considering whether or not to listen in. Poor kid was gonna get it now...

"You seem in a good mood, half-breed, for one whose lover was nearly killed by a snake," an arrogant voice startled her. Live spun on her heel, eyes narrowed looking up at the self-pleased grin on Draco Malfoy's face.

"Fuck off ferret boy," she said with feeling, her heart beating fast, fingers twitching towards the wand concealed in her robes pocket, mind wondering if she'd need it.

"But maybe I should be thanking you," he said as if pondering the merit of such a statement, taking a step towards her.

She had her back against the door and wand pointed towards his throat in moments. His eyes were wide with surprise, body stiff with fright, but then a look of calm appeared over him, that damnable smirk haughty on his face.

"With Weasley out of the way, Gryffindor would have to forfeit the quidditch match coming up. That was your plan, wasn't it?" he asked, piercing eyes locked with her angry, frightened green ones as he took another step too close, her wand mere centimeters from his throat. He saw in her eyes that she was processing the thought, possibly wondering if it was just him, or a rumor being spread around about her.

Regardless of what she might be pondering, she wasn't going to take this treatment. "Go away from me right now, Malfoy, or I _will_ put you in the hospital."

His left eye twitched. He could tell she meant every word, and he was well aware of her skills with a wand. He didn't move closer, but he didn't back away either. He raised his chin pompously.

"You wouldn't dare lay a hand on me." He had a condescending look on his face, arrogance reeking from the frown he held. He wasn't entirely sure she _wouldn't _lay a hand on him, given his personal experience. At least, not the kind he'd please to make her. Anyway, he fancied himself a good few inches taller than her and therefore her superior in this matter. Her behavior wouldn't be tolerated.

A sly grin came to his lips, and for the moment she held back on cursing his brains out his ass due to the fact that Snape might come out the classroom any minute.

She hoped he would, and deal with Malfoy himself.

"Or maybe I haven't given you the proper chance to know what _real_ pureblood feels like."

She shuddered at his tone, looking away from his leering grin with disgust, skin crawling at his suggestion. She felt verbally violated, heat coming to her face from this indignity. He wouldn't be allowed to get away from this unscathed, that was for certain.

He smirked, pleased with himself in her reaction. She would be fun to tame. "You may be a half-blood, but you have _some _value that could be retained. You could still be my whore," he stated the proposal in a business-like manner. She stared at him, too shocked to speak. He leered at her salaciously. His tone was mean and nasty next, his demeanor as if he thought he was being gracious. "Of course, you'll have to make amends for what you did to my head last time I had you like this."

Her wand was digging deep into the flesh of his neck in seconds, the black palm wood pressing into his throat so that he wheezed with fear. Her eyes were murderous, memories both humiliating and shameful flashing through her mind. Malfoy had the decency to look scared, backing up until he no longer could, the wall opposite the hall to his back.

She was incapable of speech or human thought, instinct acting to protect herself. It took every ounce of her control to not murder him where he stood, all her focus on not jamming her wand into an artery. But she continually forced it deeper into his skin, the precursor to a bruise already forming, and he had nowhere else to back up into to escape it.

Creaking behind her made Live jump in fear and shock from her focus. Immediately turning towards the door, all the tension fled from her body.

A much-chastised Ravenclaw exited the room quickly looking quite glum, and Snape followed him out with a scowl, arms folded on his chest as he stood the beacon to his classroom. He looked at Live, noticed the unsheathed wand in her hand, and then his attention went to the boy behind her.

She turned her head with minor dread, wondering what Snape was looking at so intently, and saw Malfoy straightening up against the wall, rubbing at his neck with agitation most severe. Snape, however, didn't press the platinum-haired Slytherin for an explanation, nor make Live explain her wand. He didn't say a word to what he must have known she'd done, or was about to do, but merely ordered her in the classroom as he himself went back in.

Live cast one last glare at Malfoy before turning her back on him. The latter proved a mistake.

She stiffened, a moment later feeling his wand tip in her back. And then she realized she couldn't move. She was paralyzed on her feet.

He put a tight, wrenching grip on her shoulder, digging his fingers into her skin through the fabric of her robes and spoke in a whisper too close to her ear. It made her nauseous. "I'll wait for _you _to come to _me_, half-breed. And you're _really _going to have to make it up to me now. I won't be half as generous as you've experienced thus far," he promised. "And you _will_ come to me. But I'll give you something to think on until then…"

Her eyes widened as much as they were allowed as his hand moved for the buttons at her top, going for her breasts. She couldn't scream, couldn't call out to her Head of House only footsteps away, but was frozen in helplessness, everything seeming to go slowly as she watched in abject horror. He was nearly at her shirt, and her body and magic rebelled against such shameful treatment. With a great force he was thrust away from her and slammed against the opposite wall. The door in front of her slammed against its wall as well from such forceful expulsion.

She was able to freely breath and move again, feeling slightly light-headed, a little sick. Ignoring this and not about to leave her back exposed to Malfoy for a second time, she quickly spun on her heel and shakily held her wand.

He was against the wall, looking at her with wide eyes. As her wand found it's direction pointing at him, a very illegal curse on the tip of her lips, he took his chance to jump up and speed from the hall, retreating from the scene.

"What in the name of Merlin was that?!" Snape demanded, striding out of the potions classroom with severe agitation and offense. Malfoy's footfalls were only just beginning to fade. She just gapped at Snape. "Well speak up, girl."

"I, uh, accidentally slammed the door…I-I'm sorry professor…" she muttered, looking down and by-stepping him to enter the classroom, face flushed with shame and hands shaky from distress.

Snape regarded the hallway with a general look of disdain and dissatisfaction, disappearing through the door and magicking it shut this time, warding it against intrusion. Live was sitting on the edge of a table wringing her hands, but he made to stride right past her and into his study without a look.

"My office, Miss Hunter," his voice reached her through the classroom. She hopped off the desk, more than a little uneasy, and obediently entered his office. She was quite worried of what he might've seen. She didn't think she could take the stress of another lecture from him on things she'd rather put from her mind.

Snape was behind his large desk, a small familiar bottle of sorts in his hand. "I believe this belongs to you, Miss Hunter?"

She looked at him blankly, then comprehension dawned on her face. It was her anti-apparating potion. It had been from her mind the past few days what with George being in hospital. She had no doubt how Snape came about it, nor the fact that Dumbledore was behind this little set-up. Now she had a chance to speak to her Head of House about her potion and its uses, though she wasn't exactly in her rightest of minds to do it. She'd have to thank Dumbledore next chance she got.

Bloody meddling well-meaning man.

"…thank you, sir," she said quietly, eyes low as she took the bottle from his proffered hand. She wasn't ready to have a little chat with him. Not only was the man intimidating on his own, but she still felt betrayal towards him and his retaining of the information of a certain prophecy that was screwing up her life. As her Head of House he should have told her and saved her a lot of grief and headache. Though it would probably be a cold day in hell before he set about to feeding students information they truly desired, it would have been nice to at least know he'd been rooting for her team.

"I take it from your current behavior towards me, Miss Hunter," he began with silky cold precision that immediately set her senses on high alert, "That you are more than aware of the prophecy concerning yourself and Mr. Weasley."

She felt the blood drain from her face. How? How did he--? Oh, wait, the other teachers and their bloody gossiping.

_Tonks you nark_, she thought.

"Yes, sir," she admitted, wondering if Tonks had let it slip that she'd gained such information from eavesdropping. Bloody witch.

"And it is also my assumption, being the intelligent little witch that you are, that you must also be aware of my reasons for not wanting you to be informed," he continued in that same voice, eyeing her speculatively.

She wasn't sure if she had just been insulted or complimented by the intelligence part. He was right, though, in the supposition that she had figured he hadn't wanted her informed because he didn't want her fulfilling any prophecy on accident. She'd gathered as much from listening in days and days ago.

She knew also that he owed her no explanation for his actions (as he was certain to think he owed no one anything) and that he was being very respectful towards her right now, at least, as respectful as he could tolerate towards any student. She respected him as such for explaining himself (if that was what one could term this little chat).

Bloody Dumbledore.

"Yes sir, that did cross my mind," she admitted guiltily. He was silent a beat too long, so she spoke out of discomfort, playing with the bottle in her hands. She had to ask him about the matter weighing most heavily in her subconscious. "But that prophecy…I mean, it doesn't have to be referring to me at all, does it?"

He had his elbows on his desk, his slender fingers entwined in one another at chin level. He gave her a thinking frown. "The Headmaster believes so, Miss Hunter," he replied, looking at her with contemplation. She felt anxious under his gaze, her frustration with that general consensus more than apparent on her face. He addressed that immediately. "Do not let your emotions get the better of you…and be careful with that bottle!" he warned.

She looked up and followed his eye-line to the bottle in her hands. The contents inside were bubbling, though the glass was temperate to the touch. The boiling bubbles stopped a moment later.

"Urrmmm…" she murmured aloud, as if it explained the bottle, though she had no clue why it was behaving like that.

"What is contained within that bottle, Miss Hunter?" he requested, though his tone implied that he demanded to know. She knew at that moment that Dumbledore hadn't explained the nature of it to his potion's master, leaving it up to the man's curiosity as well as Live's own communication skills to discuss her little development.

Bloody clever old wizard.

She took a breath to clear her head. "It's a potion I've been working on for some time, sir." He gave her a look that seemed to wonder if she were actually dimwitted enough to state the obvious, or if she'd been hanging around Gryffindors too much lately. She frowned and decided to skip the introduction and blast him with disbelief…she hoped. "It's an anti-apparating potion, sir. Spritzed on the right thing and it is unable to apparate with a person." It was a minor change in his expression that conveyed he appeared impressed. Or maybe it was agitation. One could never tell with Snape. "I've already had two successful field tests," she informed him.

He rose from his desk to come around to her. She held the bottle out for him to inspect, and inspect he did, with quite a look of disdain. Ah, here came the criticisms. "Have you recorded these tests and their results in the proper manner of documentation?"

She chewed on her lips, sudden frown on her face. "Well…no…not ye-"

"And I wonder if you still possess the items which you have conducted your experiments on, and if they have been stored in the proper way to reduce the risk of contamination and proper observation for side-effects?"

"Well George stills wears his-- I mean, well the potion's ingredients aren't harmful or as unstable as some of our daily-use variety…Just a bit more rare…" She felt color rushing to her cheeks under his speculative gaze. He seemed unsurprised with her mutterings. She tried to defend herself against the look he was giving her. "Sir, I have an ironclad memory when it comes to my potions and experiments, and the ingredients are hardly dangerous or harmful to the health. It's just a matter of putting the things on paper--"

"Clearly, Miss Hunter, you do not take potions as seriously as I assumed you did."

"But I-"

"Any fourth year knows the proper manner of which to conduct and record experimental potion making," he continued in smooth tones that made her feel ashamed. "You yourself are surely aware of the laws and restrictions against underage experimentations, not to mention the risks which go with it."

She met his eyes with a frown. "I'm already of the majority, sir. I'm as old as any seventh year and twice as serious about potions. And I'm well aware of the laws regarding potion making," she told him defiantly with chin high, basically admitting that she knew that she required certain permits where certain procedures were involved, and that she was willfully breaking wizarding law. He scowled right back at her, unsure of what to do about this. She lowered her eyes, still frowning. "I just thought you might have some insight or something on it…"

That little sentence surprised him. The fact that she openly admitted she wanted his help even though he'd basically insulted her abilities showed him that maybe she was the student he'd hoped she'd turn out to be. Even hanging around that Gryffindor rabble, she might still have hope in the world of potions.

"I thought it could help against You-Know-Who," she added after a moment, muttering about the potion dolefully. A little gasp of shock escaped her throat as he curtly took the bottle from her hands, walking over to one of the cabinets he usually kept locked. She felt heartbroken. Was he confiscating her potion? She'd have words with Dumbledore about this.

She leaned to try to see what he was doing, but see she could not. She was only able to hear the slight clink of glass against glass, a liquid noise.

He turned back to her after locking his cabinet back up, and he handed her the bottle, which was now about half-empty.

"I've taken a sample of your potion, Miss Hunter, which I will examine at my leisure to ensure that it is safe against most risks." She tried to contain her smile. He gave her a disgusted look. "Since it is of the unprecedented variety, I will allow you to keep that original in your possession for the time being. And it would do for you to put your findings somewhere other than your mind in the mean-time. As I told you before, keep your emotions in check at all times."

She slightly frowned, but allowed her moment of confusion to pass. "I have _two _versions of the potion, sir. One is thicker, like more cream-like, but I don't have it with me. Anyways, I already have a few things about it written down here and there, but papers can be stolen, and potions duplicated. My mind," she tapped her head with her finger, "can't. I wish to keep that much safe."

He was watching her with uncertainty. She had much to learn about protecting herself. She _should_ be aware that minds, like locks, can be picked. "You think you can guard your mind against unwanted intruders?" he asked with cynical doubt, voice cold.

A look of befuddlement passed through her eyes, unsure of what he was referring to. "Well I-"

Greenish light momentarily filled the room, followed by the voice of the Headmaster. "Severus?"

They both turned towards his fireplace to see the disembodied head of Dumbledore looking quizzically at them with a twinkling in that flaming eye. He looked quite pleased with himself, and Live was quite sure the flesh and bone Dumbledore looked much more cocky in person. Live snorted.

"Yes, Headmaster?" Snape inquired of the flaming head.

"I was just wondering if I could see Miss Hunter in my office when you are through with your visit?" he asked pleasantly. His words made Live picture herself and Snape discussing the weather amid tea and biscuits. She could've smacked Dumbledore, he thought he was so clever. Dammit.

"We are quite through here," Snape informed, turning to Live with a dismissing look. She hefted her bag on her shoulder and made to leave.

"You can send her through the floo, Severus, if it's not too much trouble?" Dumbledore asked kindly.

_And after that me and Snape can briefly discuss fluffy kittens and daffodils_, she thought to herself. She rolled her eyes. Dumbledore was one of the most powerful, kindly old wizards she'd ever met, but damned if he wasn't wickedly manipulative at the same time. That power came with the wisdom of age, she figured.

"Yes, Headmaster," Snape allowed, and the flaming head of Dumbledore disappeared from the grate. Snape cast his cold gaze on Live, who felt horribly inconveniencing on her Head of House. "Do you know how to use the floo-network, Miss Hunter?"

"Yes," she told him. He looked satisfied enough with her answer, and moved aside so she could go through.

Whether it was Fate, the improper placement of fireplace-architecture, or her own clumsiness, Live stumbled when she arrived at the Headmaster's fireplace.

"_SHITE_!" Live cursed as she hit her head coming out of the floo. Her hand immediately went to her mouth to cover it in shock of what she'd said, looking about the Headmaster's office to see the damage her sailor-mouth might've had. Several portraits looked offended, murmuring amongst themselves, and one red-faced wizard portrait with a stein in hand was chuckling to himself. Oh how she loathed traveling by floo.

Live snorted blithely and found George sitting in a chair, looking nervous, surprised, and horridly amused by her little outburst. He gave her a silent wave over and a warm smile, motioning her towards the chair next to him.

"I didn't know you were here," she murmured, moving towards the proffered chair.

She felt a bit relieved, but it didn't last for long. She didn't know George was going to be here, and for whatever discussion she'd expected to have with Dumbledore, she'd assumed it would be her alone. What did that old man have planned?

"Just a bit of a chat, my dear," a kindly voice addressed her from behind. She squeaked slightly in surprise, and was confounded to hear the Headmaster, as well as some smarmy portraits, chuckling as he walked past her, no doubt amused that he had startled her. "Please, have a seat," he offered as he moved to his own chair. "Care for a bit of tea?" Live looked at him in a way that brought an amused gleam to the old man's eye. "No, I don't suppose you do." He looked to George who, with a look in Live's direction, graciously declined. It earned another smile from Dumbledore

Live looked at George speculatively, sitting in the chair next to him and putting her bag on the floor. She played with her half-empty potion bottle safe in her lap, and looked to George for some sign of assurance. He extended his arm towards her, and she took his hand. He gave it a reassuring squeeze and let her go.

"Excuse me, sir, but what is this about?" she asked Dumbledore with curiosity. He took a sip from his own teacup and brought it to rest on its saucer.

George leaned forward in his chair, hands on his knees as he regarded the old wizard quizzically. "We're not in trouble, are we, sir?" It made Dumbledore smile, and he shook his head lightly.

"No, not in trouble, my boy," he told George, who looked greatly relieved, if not slightly confused. Live wondered what he had to look so relieved about, but he just grinned at her impishly. "There are several matters I'd like to address over tea, but first things first. How is your arm, Mr. Weasley?"

George grinned and rolled up his robe-sleeve. "Just fine," he said as he turned and flexed his heavily-bandaged arm in proof. Live grimaced at the site. She knew what it looked like beneath the bandages, and how chewed up and discolored the flesh was.

"George, easy on that arm," Live said in concern.

He grinned and rolled the sleeve back over it. "Still a little sore, but it'll be fine in time for the match," he informed Dumbledore.

Live had a fretting look on her face, and Dumbledore focused his attention on her worry. "My dear?"

Live looked up, startled from her thoughts. "Oh, I'm sorry, yes?" she said apologetically, lost in concerned thought.

Dumbledore smiled in having relieved her from her frowning reverie, and turned back to George. "It is still not clear who was behind that attack on your person, dear boy. Pieces of your bat, as well as what was left of the snake, were examined, and we found that the bat was intended to harm whomever touched it. But because it was _your _bat, Mr. Weasley, it is safe to assume that someone was trying to harm you personally. Until we have further information, I'm going to have to ask you to stay close at hand and any future quidditch practices you have to be supervised by a professor at length."

"Tonks would love to do that," Live volunteered her vindictively, hoping to get the little professor back for all the narking she'd been doing lately. Dumbledore regarded Live with a thoughtful smile.

"But sir," George questioned, minorly confused, "Live touched that bat too. She was handling it long before I came in contact with it." She looked at him, alarmed that he'd suddenly drawn attention to her, as well as what it sounded like he just accused her of. "If my bat would've hurt _anyone_, how come it didn't harm her?"

"Thanks a lot George…" Live muttered. It earned her a grin from her dearest love, and she raised her lip in half-hearted snarl, then rolled her eyes. She slowly drew her gaze to meet that of Dumbledore's, and was troubled finding him looking her over speculatively. "I didn't do anything to that bat," she affirmed defensively. He regarded her with a smile.

"Relax, my dear. You are not on trial here." He smiled warmly, but she was still quite unnerved. Did everyone think she had sabotaged George? "You have my word, I do not believe you would harm Mr. Weasley."

_Thanks for the vote of confidence_, she thought glumly.

"But how is it that she's not hurt? And anyways, who would want to hurt me? I'm so lovable," George declared with a gesture, trying to lighten the mood.

Live snorted, not sure whether she wanted to laugh or strangle him.

"Well, the reason you were harmed and Miss Hunter was not," he looked pointedly at Live, "is owing to the recent shift in magics the both of you have experienced. Live's magical faculties protected her."

Live's brow furrowed. "My shift in magics?" she inquired.

He nodded. "You're a _multiforme,_ my dear. That is one of the rarest magical affinities one may possess, and there are not many in the world. Normally, _multiformes_ such as yourself do not last very long in this world. Until recently, we did not have a thought as to why, but considering what we know from your interaction with that wraith, and the reason it had come for you, we now know why there are not many wizards or witches with a multiple-variety magic-type still living in our world."

Live's eyes were wide. "Will it come back??"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I do not think so. Wraiths are creatures of a darker plain, but they are still bound by the rules of creation. Each wraith has a purpose and only one purpose. Since the wraith which was called forth to gather _you _has been disposed of, I believe you will not have any further trouble from such creatures."

Live let out a relieved sigh.

"Sir, my magic changed too, but it still got _me_," George spoke, still puzzling about it.

Dumbledore chuckled. "You're a _duoforme, _my boy. While your magic too has changed, it hasn't changed you half as much as Miss Hunter here. And _duoformes_ are not in terrible lack of supply. For your bat to attack you was luck of the draw."

Live frowned in thoughtful alarm. "Just how much have I changed?!"

Dumbledore tried to look consoling, knowing he was alarming, if not confusing, both of them with such information. "While you are still the same person, my dear, your magic is recently of a deeper kind. I suspect that you have been a _multiforme _since the attack of that wraith, and if so, your magic will be tied to you now at a more base level. Reactionary magic, it is sometimes called. Most witches or wizards experience this in the form of wandless, uncontrollable moments of magic, usually in childhood. It is our wands which help us to channel and direct that uncontrollable energy which you will now be in hearty supply of. If it hasn't begun to happen already, it shall soon."

She frowned, thinking heavily, her mind racing about with her thoughts. "What about George?"

George had an eyebrow raised, looking at the old wizard expectantly. "His magic is stronger, more mutable, but not at near the level of transformation as yours. Sorry, my boy," he said with a chuckle as George looked quite put off.

"And what about the person that bewitched my bat?" George asked, the both of them firing question after question. Dumbledore didn't seem to mind at all.

He looked at him kindly. "For now, caution."

Live was fretting terribly. She sat up straight in her chair, the realization dawning on her. "Wait, Lucius Malfoy was here that day! He was here in the castle!"

"What was _he _doing here?" George asked, a bothered frown on his face as he sat up straight in his own chair looking Live over.

"I…I sorta insulted him right before everything with George happened…" she admitted to Dumbledore, not looking at either man. George had a thinking smirk on his face, and she felt Dumbledore's eyes on her as well. She didn't meet his eyes for the discomfort her admission brought with it. Although her insulting had been well-earned, she had acted disgracefully to a school governor- one whom had some sway over Hogwarts.

"Well it _did_ take the form of a snake," George pointed out, his mind considering the very-real possibility that Lucius Malfoy had been responsible. Live's ears pricked up at his agreement.

"And he _does_ have that snake cane," she pointed out, not at all having trouble incriminating him. This screamed a Malfoy. Dumbledore gave her a standing expression. "As a matter of fact, our team was practicing at that time! He could have been down there watching Draco!"

George suddenly had a realization. "Hey! Draco Malfoy _was_ on the pitch that day! And this practically screams that a Slytherin did it!" George pointed out as he gestured to his arm. Live suddenly blanched in thought.

Dumbledore shook his head. "Before you get carried away, Professor Snape has already informed me that Mr. Malfoy is not responsible for the attack on Mr. Weasley, nor is it being planned to do you any ill will," he said looking at George. He was referring, of course, to Voldemort and His devices against them.

"…any out of the ordinary, anyways," George grumbled.

Live gave him a look with worry. "But Draco _was_ there. He had tons of opportunity to--"

"The Slytherin quidditch team has already been questioned on the matter, Miss Hunter," Dumbledore said in impeding her wild thoughts. "Draco was nowhere near the Gryffindor changing rooms. Mr. Pucey personally attested to that."

Live frowned, looking down in thought. Pucey had _saved_ George. He wouldn't turn right back around and lie for Malfoy, would he? She didn't think he would. Pucey was many things, but he was not a liar.

"Which brings me to the main reason for having you both here," Dumbledore continued through George's agitated mutterings. It brought Live's focus out of her lap and back to the discussion. "It has been brought to my attention that you've both become more than aware of the prophecy which was made earlier this summer by Professor Trelawney."

Live looked at George with a sort of 'I-told-you-so' expression. He hadn't much believed all the craziness surrounding this prophecy business even though she'd told him what she knew not much over a day ago. Now they would get information straight from the horse's mouth.

"I must also explain my reasons for keeping the both of you in the dark until now," he explained, continuing. Live chewed her lips, feeling quite guilty for all her prying, though she was now reaping the benefits of her snooping. George himself looked contemplative, full attention on the old wizard before them. "For this, you need to understand the nature of prophecies, and I will try to explain it as clearly as I can.

"To begin, you must appreciate the fact that prophecies serve many purposes. One is the widely-thought foresight which some prophecies widely anticipate. Another is an inherent warning they deliver. Prophecies are, in essence, warnings of things to come," he told them as clearly as he could. Live was nervously tapping her fingers against the glass bottle in her hands, glancing at George. He was paying rapt attention, leaning forward in his seat.

"The actions people take which run parallel with certain events is what a prophecy consists of. Most prophecies are vague, while others are unabashedly direct, and all fall into a scale from unimportant to imperative. There are countless antiquated, unfulfilled prophecies in the Department of Mysteries even as we speak. Some are as minor as what one might have for breakfast, or that a person will be late for their train. In essence, some prophecies are harmless, and many a time a witch or wizard has decided a prophecy about a chicken pie is actually foretelling the end of the world. Herein lies the problem within prophecies: Point of View, my children."

Live was frowning. "…oh bollocks…" she muttered, still feeling lost to the whole mess.

"So how do you correctly interpret a prophecy?" George inquired, an analytical frown on his face.

"With great luck, some might say," Dumbledore said, a kind smile on his face. George half-smirked. "You see, my boy, that's the problem. Some prophecies are incredibly effortless to understand-"

"Like, _dinner will be served at four_ means _dinner will be served at four_," George offered with a grin. "Not that the world is gonna flood or something."

Dumbledore chuckled. "Yes, exactly. And another problem is timeframe. Some prophecies foresee events that will take place in a week, a year, or even ten years time. And even then they can take years to reach their fulfillment. For instance, the prophecy that Lord Voldemort was so interested in overhearing years ago is what is responsible for the ongoing battle he persists in having with dear Harry. But it is because he acted upon the warning of that prophecy which is responsible for everything up until now. This is one of the reasons myself and the other professors did not want you two to outrightly know."

Live got up from her chair, startling George, and fiddled with the bottle in her hand as she paced. She could no longer sit still. "Sir, what if you can't help but set things into motion?" she asked nervously, too bewildered to bother if her change of place was seemingly rude or not.

Dumbledore smiled kindly. "That is what we refer to as self-fulfilling prophecy, my dear." Live snorted. She knew all about that. "Also why Professor Snape did not want you to know especially, Miss Hunter, and why Professor McGonagall hinted at it to Mr. Weasley. She thought _he _might be the trigger to fulfilling the prophecy, so she implied converse action without informing him directly. I didn't want any chances to be taken otherwise."

George nodded, and had the decency to flush red straight to his hair, remembering the 'no hanky-panky' warning McGonagall had given him. Live felt her own cheeks going red, but ignored it best she could, realizing what the old wizard had just implied.

She licked her lips, becoming impatient and worried. "But what if you couldn't help it? What if one set it in motion unknowingly? And without _any_ prior knowledge whatsoever?" Live asked with important elaboration, gesturing wildly. "Being responsible without knowing it?"

Dumbledore smiled, folding his hands in his lap. He regarded her quite astutely, gauging her explanations for the current problem and how she felt so guilty, hoping that he might somehow forgive her for something she had no control over. If she'd never become a _multiforme_… He wished he could soothe her mind. "Some might say it was simply meant to happen, my dear. A true prophetic vision of Fate."

The realization that she was possibly completely powerless in this struck a major nerve. A quick intake of alarmed breath and a shriek of surprise came from her as the bottle in her hands exploded, the glass tinkling as it shattered. She shrunk back from it instinctively in fear that she'd be cut, and opened her eyes a moment later to survey the damage. She looked at George, who had jumped immediately to her side and was surveying the damage with stunned wonder, his hands clasping her shoulders with awe. She gazed at her hands, clean, unharmed. But it was the remnants of her potions bottle that had her slack-jawed in bewilderment, gaping along with George.

Floating midair in sparkling fragments were the pieces of glass, suspended in time and still spinning from the initial explosion. Various-size droplets of potion were undulating in place, everything contained within a sort of spherical area. An involuntary shiver of disturbance at such a sight went up Live's back, and the whole mess succumbed to the force of gravity and splattered to Dumbledore's rug with a clinking, liquid noise.

George looked from Live, to Dumbledore, and to Live again, uncertain. Live was gazing at Dumbledore as she chewed her lips, and looked at the rug with guilt. No doubt it was ruined. She looked at him with guilty confusion as he sat as nonchalantly as ever in his chair.

"Your magic has been taken to an instinctual level, and it shall become more unstable as time presents itself, reacting to your instinct and emotive states as opposed to your will." She opened her mouth, but lost all words. She was flummoxed. "I will help you in gaining some control over things, but until then I must beseech you to take care with your magic and emotions."

The only thing she could manage was a frowning nod of agreement, her mind flying to earlier outside the potions classroom. She was shocked with this, some part of her relieved.

George squeezed her shoulder gently. "How did you do that?" he asked curiously.

"It's her self-preservatory instincts kicking in," Dumbledore elaborated, trying to help them understand. George looked up with puzzlement and curiosity. Live just stared at the mess on the carpet. She wondered if she should clean it up. "Please Miss Hunter, don't worry about the mess. It's of no consequence," Dumbledore offered. Live smiled half-heartedly and re-took her seat. George decided to stand behind her, interested in what the old man had to say.

"Self preservation?" Live said in looking up, eyeing the Headmaster as she tried to take this in.

He nodded, pleased she was following. "I'm afraid that little is known of _multiformes _except for the rarity, as I've said, and that the made ones live quite short lives, excepting what we now know. And there hasn't been a born _multiforme _in the wizarding world since Merlin. In your case," he gestured fluidly, "your forms were brought on by death and revivifying, and an experience with a wraith. Death is a very serious modifier when it comes to a witch or wizard's magic. You've had two literal brushes with death, neither fatal."

"My red magic type," Live supplemented.

"Yes," the wise old wizard said with a pleased nod. "And as the old adage goes, 'what does not kill me makes me stronger'." He was pleased to see the light of understanding in her eyes, and he continued on for benefit of both. "With each succession of _forme_, the user's magic undergoes a slight change, and each change is unique unto a person. Your magic protected you against that beater's bat which injured Mr. Weasley here; it was your magic acting in the interest of self-preservation, not allowing such harmful magic to take form. I even suspect, though we shall never test it, that cursed items would not affect you at all."

A disbelieving huff left her lips, a sardonic smirk on her face. "So what, I'm at invincibility level now?"

"You are quite vulnerable to many things still," he replied quite seriously. "Certain creatures, magic, potions…Your magic is tied to your instincts and emotions both. It is unique unto yourself. I believe you must be in the extremes for it to be properly provoked. And no _multiforme_ has ever before triumphed over the faculties of a wraith, my dear. It is my theory that because your magic was changed in the advent of death, it will serve its purpose in trying to keep you alive at all costs, even if it means draining you to the point of exhaustion. This is why I must advise you act in supreme caution with your moods."

Her eyes were faraway as she thought about this, wondering how to triumph over her mood swings which had become a source of legend. George looked to Dumbledore quite seriously. "But she's technically more powerful, right? Her magic protects her," he asked. He had cause for concern after what had happened with Malfoy. If she had let him have his way, she'd be living it up in Gryffindor Tower right now.

"In a sense. But with increased power comes danger."

Live looked up from her reverie at that, and Dumbledore caught her eye. "You will be more dangerous, Miss Hunter. If someone amply surprises you, it could end in disaster. For the both of you."

"Oh god…" she muttered to herself, looking at her hands, palms open on her knees. "I'm a bloody time bomb," she said with surrendered acceptance as she closed her hands to fists.

"It's alright, you'll just have to be careful," George said from above her chair. She looked behind her with the semblance of a side-smile.

"I will assist you in matters, to be sure," Dumbledore affirmed. "We don't want your magic to materialize in a way that would be harmful."

Live's head was spinning with errant thoughts. It made sense now, what little she knew of the prophecy. _Destruction will come in a snake skin and pure-blood…_That single line haunted her mind. _She _was becoming dangerous. Her magic was on the verge of being subject to emotion, and she already had crazy mood swings. She now understood how any child she might someday have could be dangerous…a destructor…She was on the verge of being the destructor herself.

"We want to hear the prophecy," George said determinedly. His tone had an edge to it.

Live looked up at him sharply, eyes wide with shock at his suddenness. His jaw was set stolidly, watching the wizard behind the desk. She looked back at Dumbledore to find him smiling resolutely.

"I thought you'd never ask, my boy," he said kindly, getting up from his chair.

Live released a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding, and looked back behind her at George. He was grinning down at her impishly, and she rolled her eyes at him, but put her hand over his which rested on the back of the chair.

She got up, side-stepping the mess her dearly-departed potion had made, while watching Dumbledore open a sort of cabinet he had closed. She thought afterward that it was quite lucky indeed that Snape had taken that half-bottle sample from her.

"Are either of you familiar with a pensieve?" Dumbledore asked.

"I've only read about them," Live offered. George just sort of nodded his head and grunted.

"Then this should be an interesting experience for the both of you. I want you to keep in mind that nothing in the pensieve can ever harm you or cause you physical injury." Live frowned, hearing much louder the words he wasn't saying.

"Please," he gestured them towards him to a swirling stone basin he had in front of him setting carefully upon a pedestal. They approached it with cautious curiosity, silvery light coming in whisps like fog or water from the peculiar bowl. There were runes and symbols upon the basin that seemed familiar to Live, but she couldn't read them. She thought it was quite pretty.

"Do we just, dive in, or what?" she asked with a bemused air.

"Not quite," Dumbledore told her. "If you'll both approach the basin and just lean in a bit, I've summoned the appropriate memory."

"Like this?" Live asked, peeking into the basin as a warm, colorful scene rose before her eyes. She had her hands on the pedestal, looking in curiously as the silvery strands formed and reformed before her eyes. Her whole body went limp, leaning against the pedestal as her head lolled forward on her neck, the light gone from her eyes as she stared blankly into the basin.

"Is she alright?" George asked, leaning forward to examine her face, waving his hand in front of her eyes. He looked to Dumbledore for an answer.

The old man merely smiled. "If you'll care to join her, I'll be with you in a moment."

George furrowed his brow with uncertainty, looking at Live, and then back to the basin. He squinted deep into the silvery substance glowing with color, not sure if his eyes were deceiving him or not. He suddenly felt like he was being cast into a cold, deep whirlwind, and he found himself thrust into the colorful scene he had seen moments before.

"George!" Live exclaimed with relief. He felt her arms pulling him up off the floor where he'd landed.

"Where are we?" he asked. He looked around, a big grin on his face. "Talk about trippy…is this really what a memory is like? Dad always said it was like being in a waking dream."

"I dunno," Live remarked. She surveyed the room. Large, but not overtly. Several halls led from it, no doubt to other larger rooms where the party continued. She could hear the haunting music wafting through the way. "Oh, there's Dumbledore. Sir?" she raised her voice to get the Headmaster's attention, but he didn't acknowledge her. "Professor?"

"I don't think that's _him_ him," George offered.

"Memory Dumbledore?" Live pondered. "Oh, and there's Tonks." The witch in question had a large grin on her face and a drink in her hand. It made Live smirk. "She looks like she's having a good time."

"Reminds me of someone I know," George teased with a grin. Live elbowed him playfully, surveying the room. Minister Fudge was there, not looking too pleased, and a few professors she recognized from the school mingled with the other guests while a group of rather agitated-looking goblins seemed to conspire together in the midst.

"Trelawney seems to be having an _awfully _good time," George noted, the Divination professor hanging about the refreshment table, a smile on her face as she tried to engage a man in conversation.

"…but the inner eye can see the truth!" she insisted sloppily as her conversation mate moved away from her in what he must have thought was an inconspicuous manner. He nearly fell over, and Live jumped out of the way so he wouldn't fall into her. He passed right through George, who gave a nervous laugh and an uttered "cool".

Live turned back to see Trelawney all alone. She felt awkward that they should be allowed to see one of their teachers in such a state. Surely Dumbledore didn't intend for them to see her like _this_, and she felt it was improper for her to observe. She looked away, hearing Trelawney's sloppy voice declare a great misfortune she saw in the dregs of her wine glass.

Live instead focused her attention on the other people in the room. A young woman was flirting ostensibly with a man across the room while the woman next to her, most likely her mother, gave her a chastising prod in the ribs. Two men in fine business robes exchanged handshakes and feigned laughs while casting suspicious glances towards the group of goblins minding themselves. There was a brown-haired woman with agitated, pursed lips who took her husband's arm out of duty as he escorted her towards the door to sit while he sought his coat. She fixed her shawl upon her bare shoulders with ire. Minister Fudge seemed annoyed as well, but rather with the goblins than anything else, messing with his lime green bowler hat as the man mussed past him, straightening his sloppily-tied bow-tie. A woman in a slinky green dress bumped into Tonks, causing the Metamorphmagus to spill whatever had been in her drink all over her bright red t-shirt.

"Egh," Live reacted, looking at the shirt in vexation. That stain would never come out.

George snorted in amusement. "Why do you think Dumbledore's letting us see all this?" he asked, turning to Live.

She faced him with a shrug. "I have no idea. I know poor professor Trelawney has a drinking problem, and Tonks is a bloody mess…What kind of party was this?"

"Political."

They both turned to see Dumbledore standing behind them. Live's look of alarm turned to a sheepish smile; George looked peeved.

"One of those gold-exchanging parties, then," George stated, his tone annoyed and flat.

Dumbledore inclined his head with a conciliatory nod. "Corruption is widespread where wills are weak and pockets light."

"All these people are taking bribes?" Live asked with affront.

"Taking, and making. Sad to say, this is one of the smaller venues of persuasive parties that often take place, with government knowledge." Live snorted in disgust, and Dumbledore smiled. "Glad you feel that way, my dear. Several guests are ministry officials, most from older families. They influence certain bills and laws depending on how much gold their pockets are lined with by the end of the night."

"And your influence makes them think twice about that," Live remarked. She then looked self-chastised for being so bold. Dumbledore chuckled.

"Dad says it's gotten really bad. No one works the way they're supposed to anymore," George informed with insult.

"Your father would be most right in that assumption," Dumbledore wholeheartedly agreed with a smile. "It is men like your father that instill hope for the Ministry to one day reach its true potential." George looked pleased.

Live watched more closely, and this time she saw the exchanging of small purses, handshakes that were too hearty…the goblins' obvious agitation and watchful, sharp eyes. No wonder. Only the drunks seemed to be having any semblance of a good time. Granted, it seemed like the party was at some sort of an end. One of the goblins put a long-nailed hand over his face in blatant perturbation as Trelawney went down, unable to stand in her drunkenness.

Live hissed in empathy, and slowly turned towards Dumbledore to see if he'd caught that she'd seen. He actually drew attention to the matter.

"Poor Sibyll," he remarked sympathetically as Tonks helped the booze-filled professor to her feet. Live felt awkward. She didn't know what to say. She didn't feel it was her place to remark upon it.

"C'mon now, Sib, time to go home…" Tonks said with very carefully formed words, trying not to slur. She helped pull the professor to her feet. McGonagall suddenly joined at the other side to take her other arm. Memory Dumbledore looked very sad; his expression matched the current one on the real Dumbledore's face.

Memory Dumbledore approached Minister Fudge, who shook his hand while the other declared his good-byes. The agitated man with the mussed up bow-tie brushed past the Minister brusquely, but Fudge merely rolled his eyes. Dumbledore bade him farewell, apologizing for not staying, and falling in-tow with the three professors in front of him.

Trelawney suddenly went quite rigid between the two professors, her voice taking on an eerie, ethereal tone.

"_The path will be secured with the union of the Like-and-Like. The one of rarity reborn through water and darkness is the flame for malevolence. Evil in blatant disguise will plot the union with the mirror-image…Multiple forms the one will take, but in the sands rise the truth. When the false seed is planted in virgin soil, the veiled will seek desperate vengeance upon the feigned mother to secure his place. The birth of her child will assure the fate of the father. Destruction will come in a snake skin and pure-blood."_

She sneezed and hiccupped and relaxed in her compatriot's arms. Tonks' face was pale; McGonagall's serious.

"Had a bit too much, eh, Sib?" Tonks informed loudly, patting the professor on the head as one would humor a child. Trelawney merely hiccupped and went into rambling about the position of Mars. Tonks smiled nervously at the guests who were paying them any mind as the both of them urged Trelawney onwards towards the door. Dumbledore smiled at the guests as he nodded goodnight.

"Time to go," the real Dumbledore told them, touching both students' shoulders. The memory faded and dissolved in front of them as they were whirled upwards. They suddenly found themselves back in Dumbledore's office, looking over the stone basin.

"…whoa," Live uttered, swaying a minute.

"…that was weird…" George said, straightening. He turned to find Dumbledore already at his desk. He looked resigned to himself, if not a bit weary. No doubt he found the prophecy troublesome as well.

Live was muttering something to herself, and George turned to her. "What?"

She shook her head. "It's everything I was afraid of."

"Bollocks," George denied. He looked to Dumbledore. "What did that all mean, professor?"

"At the present, Mr. Weasley, your guess is as good as mine. Though I trust you now see why I believe the prophecy to be directly related to you and Miss Hunter?" George furrowed his brow with a nod. Dumbledore continued with instruction. "This memory will be yours to keep for a small time, but unlike the original, it will fade over time. Perhaps you can better understand it than this old man." He smiled nicely, though he was as troubled by it as they were.

"Well George is obviously the mirror-image…" Live spoke up dismally.

"As I also currently believe, and being of a Like-and-Like status of twin, it would make perfect sense," Dumbledore remarked with speculation. "Though George's role is not as assured as yours. Being that you were reborn through means of water, being revivified during the summer, as well as changed once again through the wraith, it is my sincerest belief that _you _are the rarity the prophecy speaks of. It goes beyond mere coincidence when speaking of the ways to which you came to be a rarity in our world."

"…_and_ I'm the evil in disguise…" she muttered.

"No you're not," George affirmed, crossing his arms defiantly. "And you haven't been plotting anything, as far as my knowledge goes."

"She said '_evil in blatant disguise_', George." He regarded her blankly. "My name backwards…If that's not wickedly obvious…" He rolled his eyes, putting it off to a fluke of coincidence. "And I did sort of plot the whole situation we're in." She was referring, of course, to the legal marriage, consequence of the panty-raiding and panty-questing. "We were plotting that for hours. You know, when me and the other girls had to, uh, get our property back." There was no way she was going to mention her panties in front of Dumbledore. She'd kiss Voldemort square on the lips before doing that.

George huffed, unsatisfied with her reasons and disbelieving of her conclusions. He leaned against a cabinet, looking annoyed and pensive. She looked at Dumbledore dolefully. "I don't _feel_ evil."

"I do not sense any amount of evil in you, my child," Dumbledore reassured her with sincerity. "And though it is a possibility we cannot rule out, I would think it would not be as obvious as all that, nor as simple as the spelling of your name."

She was already resigned to her 'evilness', but George snorted in agreement with Dumbledore. "But what about this children thing? Father? Mother? What's that on about?"

Live didn't know why she flushed. She kept busy looking very interested in her hands.

"It could be an analogy," Dumbledore considered. "The prophecy speaks heavily of forms, and the familial unit of mother, father, and child could be referring to a bigger picture. Such as in reference of the Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, if you are familiar. Three entities but in essence one form."

"So if it speaks about multiple forms…That's referring to me in some way, isn't it?" Live enquired, wishing away the heat in her cheeks.

"Being that you are a _multiforme,_ I considered that deeply, but I am still not decided." He looked deeply troubled, and sighed. "The prophecy Sibyll foretold tells much in allegories, which unto themselves can be unclear. You, my dear, are no doubt the flame for malevolence, which is your tell-tale moth. It would explain the attack on Mr. Weasley's house during the days of summer, and the general attraction wickedness has for you." She looked alarmed, and he wished to ease her nerves. "I do not know why darker creatures are attracted towards you my dear. It could be that you have already passed through the realm of death once, and conversely had it pass through you."

Live shrugged. She had no idea what to make of any of it. And the clarity she thought would come with hearing the prophecy word for word? She was more confused now than ever.

George looked thoughtful. "Okay, so many forms _the one _will take. Live's gone through several magic-types already this year. She could be this 'one' it talks about."

"That is very plausible," Dumbledore said with a nod.

Live had a thinking frown on her face. Yes, she had taken many forms through magic-types…_and_ she was an unregistered animagus…Up until now she had taken her shape-shifting for granted…Was it referring to her? Damn her and her illegal goings-on.

"Though 'sands' refer to The Sands of Time, and the magic-form changed the both of you. What has been done cannot be undone, with the exception, of course, if you were somehow able to gain a third magic-type, Mr. Weasley," Dumbledore finished. "There is nothing more to be revealed on your part, Miss Hunter," he addressed Live. "No further truth to be found, as you are unchangeable in such a way."

She looked at him with a mix of worry and relief. At least he didn't believe it was referring to her.

"What about the literal sense of it?" George asked, a light flush coming to his cheeks.

Dumbledore smiled with amusement. He knew what George was asking about, but the young man was too diffident to ask directly.

"There is the matter of your children…"

Live let out a little shocked noise, turning sharply to look at Dumbledore. Her cheeks were crimson. Dumbledore only smiled.

"The prophecy warns against your union," he continued, un-phased by their mutual silence and horridly flushed faces. "You are absolutely involved Miss Hunter, and through careful deliberation, we have decided that Mr. Weasley is the closest choice to your better half, and with your union to the Like-and-Like, he being the mirror's own image--"

_Dear God_…Live thought with horror. She put a hand over her face to somehow shield herself from the mortification she was feeling. She didn't dare look at George. The last thing she ever needed was a sex-talk from Dumbledore…yet again.

"--and a pure-blood, you should be wary." Live knew he was speaking in the 'you' plural, that they should both show caution in their 'attentiveness' to one another…she was ready to die. She and George hadn't even gone through this discussion, not even beat about the proverbial bush with the subject. "The path will be secured with the union of the Like-and-Like. Destruction will come in a snake skin and pure-blood. The two of you together would qualify as the variables in that piece. And should the two of you decide to become--"

"Ah!" Live let out an involuntary shriek of distress as the subject took it's turn to 'intimacy', and she clasped both hands over her mouth as both men regarded her with odd but understanding looks.

"As I was saying," he continued, unable to suppress the amusement in his voice, regardless of how it was quite a serious matter, "The prophecy hints that your first-born child brought into the world would bring about and thus secure destruction. Until we are better informed as to what type of destruction this entails, I must advise against giving in to temptation and acting against impulse for your safety and for the safety of others."

Live was as close to having an apoplectic fit as she'd ever been, breathing deep and trying not to let her emotions get the better of her.

"And just how long do you think this prophecy will apply to us?" George asked in quiet tones with perhaps too-interested curiosity, his face red with awkwardness.

Live buried her face in her hands in mortification. Why oh why was he saying this to Dumbledore?? Now the Hogwarts staff would think they were _both_ pervy hormonal teenagers who couldn't wait…bloody hell…the way they all gossiped.

Dumbledore chuckled even as he surveyed Live's loss of face. Ah, to be so young again.

"It is implied that this prophecy will come to fruition with the birth of a child, and that in itself has a certain time limit. But for now with our uncertainty-," he began to put a time-counter on Live's reproductive future. It was the last straw for her poor nerves.

"You know what?! It's MY womb!" she exclaimed adamantly.

George's eyes were wide in shocked surprise at her outburst, and Dumbledore's smile was fixed firmly in place. He would remember this poor girl the rest of his days, to be sure.

"Exercise control, judgment, and caution," Dumbledore told them both concisely. Live was breathing heavily, refusing to look at George, and instead was interested in staring down the portrait of Phineas Nigellus, who was smirking and chuckling from his frame. "I'm afraid that is the only advise I can offer to you, my dear. Otherwise, we're quite done here." He pulled out a fine peacock-feather quill and wrote something on a small sheet of parchment. "Would you mind taking this to Professor Snape, please? I hate to bother, but I believe he should be made aware of your potion accident, being he has the only remaining bit of it."

He held out the note to Live, and she blinked momentarily before taking it as Dumbledore offered her the floo to use. She knew it was his way of letting her off with dignity, as well as he must have something he wanted to discuss with George...no doubt about pulling in the reigns on his 'wild' hormones.

_I don't care, fine, have whatever talks of abstinence and control with "horny-perv-boy" George all you want…_ She rolled her eyes at her own sarcastic, mocking thoughts as she stepped into the fireplace. _If Tonks so much as mentions one word about this…Just let me hide under the bed rest of term…_

With a muttering of Professor Snape's office, she graciously left in a blaze of green flames.

sSs


	36. Retribution

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 36: Retribution

sSs

"And promise me you won't take a bludger to the head--"

"Yes."

"And that you'll pound Slytherin--"

"Uh-huh."

"And that you won't psych-out Ron."

"Dur."

"And do you remember what you get if you knock Malfoy off his broom?"

It was an hour before the Gryffindor versus Slytherin quidditch match, and Kelena was grilling Fred on his game before he had to head out to the pitch. Angelina kept shooting him dirty looks as they waited about the common room, refusing to leave without her full team in-tow and thus keep matters well within her control. It was game-day, and they had no time to waste.

Fred grinned wolfishly into Kelena's furtive face. "Madame Honeycut?" The Gryffindor witch smirked, and inclined her head in agreement. Fred looked immediately ready to pummel Malfoy from his broom first chance he got.

"Who's Madame Honeycut?" Harry asked Ron, who was pacing with anxiety.

"You don't wanna know," Ginny answered with a sly look, a blush stealing to her cheeks.

"Can we get a move-on here?" Katie asked, tapping her broom impatiently. Angelina huffed with tolerance, pacing in small circles. She was trying to keep her mind clear for the game. Pucey had recently seen some improvement, and she'd have to be on the top of her game. George was sitting on the arm of the couch, deep in thought, broom and school-borrow bat in hand. His arm still had the bandage on it.

"Is Ron alright?" Hermione asked Ginny. He was pacing back and forth and muttering, punching one fist into his palm as he moved. She'd rather not ask him herself.

"He's just nervous," Harry remarked, waving it off. Ron was always edgy before a game, and things didn't much improve walking to the field.

"That, and he's worried about the way George is gonna play today," Ginny told Hermione quietly.

"His arm?" the bushy-haired witch asked, looking at the twin sitting on the couch. "I thought it was healed."

"Mostly. It _has _been a few days, but Ron's worried George'll throw the game or something 'cause his girlfriend is Slytherin…"

"How could he even think that about his own brother? He would never!" Hermione said with stunned surprise. Ginny nodded in agreement.

"I know, but Ron's so worked up 'cause of those rumors, and with everything George and Live said about that prophecy, plus the extra close-eye George has been keeping on Live with everything, and the inner distraction…Oh, you know how he gets before a game…" she said offhandedly of Ron.

"I know, it's been stressful…Kara said Live isn't even going to watch the game. She thought George would be distracted in a bad way, but don't tell him I said that…"

Ginny shook her head. "No. She's not a huge quidditch fan anyway, but she doesn't want to get overly excited and end up hurting someone. And Kara said she's been trying to focus her magic in the last few days, though I heard Snape is working on a potion to help suppress it's wildness…" She regarded the elder witch before her. "Where is Kara anyway?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Lee grabbed her and headed off to the forest. He said something about a salve and a shave, but whatever Kara's gotten herself into, I don't want to know about it…"

Ginny giggled in terrible thought, all sorts of things running through her mind.

"Hey Fred, _any day now_," Katie said with impatience. Fred turned and shot them all dirty looks over his shoulder from speaking with Kelena.

"Kiss for good luck?" he asked Kelena. She rolled her eyes, but got on tiptoes to reach his cheek. He took her face between his hands and sealed his lips on hers.

"Hey Fred, save that energy for the field! Let's go already!" Angelina shouted with utmost seriousness, rallying her team from waiting around, and popping out the portrait hole.

"See ya on the field!" he called to Kelena, who stood there with a dazed, yet pleased, scowl on her face.-

"AH! Stupid cat!" Fred shrieked as he nearly tripped over the orange tabby that jumped through the portrait hole. It hissed at him and came to rub up against Hermione's legs as the portrait hole swung shut on Fred's profanities.

Kelena bent to scoop up the cat in her arms. It looked at her imploringly. Kelena rolled her eyes. "Be right back…"

A few moments later, they were carefully ensconced in Kelena's dorm.

"So, what's up?" she asked Live, picking up a few stray items about the room. Kara must have been rooting around for her chocolates again…

"It's time," Live told her dramatically.

Kel was bent over, her arms filled with clothes and books. She looked at Live, one eyebrow cocked as she waited for explanation. "Eh?"

Live smirked, but let it fade. "It's far past due that Malfoy gets a little dose of his own medicine. I'm so sick of all his crap…He needs to know how it feels to be properly victimized. And let _him_ take a spin at the rumor mill."

Kel had a sour look on her face, and dumped her laden armful haphazardly onto the bed. She hoped she would remember that there were potentially-sharp things there before she decided to lay down later. "Are you sure? When? Is it really what you want to do? I mean, I'm sure we could get Hermione to conjure up something really nasty and more permanent…And what if it backfires? I don't want you getting hurt as a consequence."

"No," she said with firm determination. "He has to know what it's like to feel utterly humiliated."

Kel shrugged, looking a bit sick. Live was truly twisted. Slytherin would be proud. "As long as you're sure, then…"

Live smirked sardonically, clasping Kelena on the shoulder. "Think I have enough time to catch up to George?"

"Gonna wish him to break a leg?" Kel asked peculiarly. Live rolled her eyes. "Literally? Who _are_ you cheering for this match?"

"Ha, don't talk sports with me," she responded uncaringly. "Even I'm not sure in that respect. Besides, I'm not gonna watch…I might blow a gasket or something…" Kel giggled. "Think I could head him off if I take that passage by that ugly witch's picture?"

"If you hurry up and pop into Kitty-Nimbles…Lord knows your nunga-nungas weren't made for running," she confided to her friend, looking at her ample chest with a teasing grin.

"Ha ha ha," Live said sarcastically, poking her friend in her own ample bosom. "Yes yes, my cups doth runneth over…" She popped back into cat-form as Kelena threw a few more items on the bed, and let her out. Kitty-Nimbles zoomed down the stairs, nearly knocking over Lavender (_heh heh heh_), and scratched at the portrait hole to be let out. Hermione rolled her eyes, scratching Kitty-Nimbles behind the ears (to which Live nearly forgot what she was doing in her pleased purring) and let her out with a smile.

Zipping down the corridors and through the feet of several first years who shrieked with surprise, Live was making great time in Kitty-Nimbles' skin, following George's musky scent for the most part, making time-saving detours where necessary. After all, she had quite a ways to go if she had any chance of catching them before they were outside.

She slowed down in coming to the portrait of what they had appropriately deemed the 'ugly witch' (for her boils, lack of hair, and generally unkempt appearance) and looked around, sniffing to see if anyone was near. She was panting with her running, kitty-cat muscles aching. But sensing no one, she quickly popped back into human form (still panting quite shamefully) and slipped behind the portrait, racing herself through the passage and hoping she'd be in time to wish him good luck. Furthermore, it was going to be difficult as she could no longer smell him out, and she had no clue if the other side was clear or not.

Oh well.

She slowly, carefully, and holding her breath, peeked out the opposite end of the passage behind a large knight, and seeing no one from her very small peep-hole's perspective, she slipped out and wedged herself between the wall's ensconced hidden door and the cold metal knight that was blocking it. It was a tight fit, though it hid her well. She vowed to go on a diet. Or at least to stop sampling Kara's experimental candies…

Now, to wait?

"…slaughter Slytherin for sure!!" an echo came. It sounded like Fred's voice. She must have just made it.

"Shutup shutup shutup!" Ron's nerve-wracked voice followed the echo.

Poor thing, but it would mean victory for her house, and that was good point-wise. She smirked wickedly, but wished him well anyways.

The sounds of footsteps came louder on the stone, the team getting closer, Angelina's voice reaching her from behind the knight.

"…give it your all. We have to show the other houses Gryffindor's still the best, regardless of the rumors. I don't want the idea of us going soft on Slytherin to even enter anyone's mind! This is about more than quidditch!"

Live frowned. What was she saying that for?

"No one will think that, Angelina." Ginny's voice.

"We'll do fine. Just let me get in a few good goals before you get the snitch, eh Harry?" Katie chuckled, her voice full of confidence. They were approaching Live's hiding place.

"And I gotta knock that git off his broom," Fred added happily, smirk apparent in his voice. Harry chuckled. Live smirked and wished Fred the best from behind the knight.

"You'll do no such thing if it costs us a fault. I want you to play clean, no fouls," Angelina said as they walked past the knight. "…unless it's necessary." She and Katie were in front, Harry and Ginny conspiring in the middle while Fred prodded Ron and tried to encourage him towards the back. George was bringing up the rear, a solemn look on his face. It occurred to her that she had never really seen how he looked before a game. She wondered if it was the one thing he actually took seriously in life.

They were past the knight, and Live squeezed out of her hiding place as the team was rounding the corner. She came slowly behind them, sneaking and hiding the sound of her footfalls as she hoped none of them would chance a look back.

"_George_," she hissed quietly, trying to get his attention without surprising him.

He turned his head, not sure if he'd heard his name or not. Upon seeing Live, he grinned and rounded, making sure the team didn't see him. He didn't need Angelina lecturing him before a game.

"I thought you weren't going to watch?" George said with a pleasantly surprised tone.

She had her hands warmly on his forearms, deciding to ask him about the rumors later. "I'm not. I just wanted to wish you good luck."

He smirked, one eye squinting in amusement. "Wish me to win against your own house, eh?"

She rolled her eyes and smacked him playfully. "Just have fun, and be careful with your arm," she told him with loving concern. She slid her own hand down his arm to slip it under the sleeve and run her fingers over the bandaged wound that was mostly healed.

"Aw, it's alright." He withdrew her hand from his sleeve to clasp it in his own. She looked into his eyes with worry. He grinned at her. "Just don't worry."

She looked away, remembering Dumbledore's words. "I know."

He tipped her chin up at him with a smirk. "How's about a kiss for luck?"

Her half-grin easily turned into full, and he claimed her lips as he drew her near. She got quickly caught up in him, the simple kiss turning into a mid-hall snogging session, and it was only Angelina's agitated voice echoing through the corridor that broke them apart.

"…_George Weasley_!!" came the echo down the hall, loud and angry, followed by the sounds of the other teammates calling his name. It made him snicker. It sounded as if they'd gotten quite a ways away before noticing he was gone. So much for team camaraderie.

Live was smiling in amusement at him.

"Guess I've gotta go, eh?"

She inhaled deeply, biting her lower lip in delight as she pressed her cheek to his in affection. He still held her close, grinning like an idiot. It made her giggle, and she was ever glad to be so close to him. It made some of her worry dissipate. No one would try anything with so many people watching. He'd be fine. "You know how much I like this uniform…" she murmured as she fingered the fabric at his collar with a smirk.

He raised an interested brow. "I'm quite attached to this uniform, actually…So attached, in fact…you might even have to rip it off me to admire it," he told her with hopeful insinuation.

She gave him a wicked look, bringing her lips close to his ear. Two could play at this game, and here there were no losers. Like strip-poker. "And perhaps I can admire you in turn?" She nibbled his ear suggestively. A shiver ran up his back, and she grinned as she heard his sharp intake of breath.

"I can fake an injury and we can be back in the tower in ten minutes flat!" he declared with exaggerated fervor.

She snickered and laughed. "Angelina sounds like she's about to have a fit," Live noted of the rising sound of her agitated voice and repetition of his name getting louder.

George rolled his eyes. "If I must…" he said dramatically. She laughed and kissed him once more, mouth and cheek. "Com-_ming_! I'm coming!" he shouted gruffly up the hall, running his fingers across her skin rhythmically.

More inaudible, agitated echoes.

"Play good, and be careful. Whoever hurt your arm is probably going to the game. Don't leave that bat or anything anywhere unattended."

"Don't worry about me, love." He kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you later."

He took off at a jog down the hall, hollering a lie to Angelina that he was tying his shoe. Live grinned wide, watching him go as the heat in her blood simmered. She stood for a few moments collecting herself, listening to the distant growing murmur that was the agitated Gryffindor captain and team. She loved him so. She hoped he would play alright with his arm.

"Who's side are you on, anyway?"

She turned in startled surprise to find Putterly striding down the hall, all decked out in his most Slytherin-esque apparel, no doubt on the way to the pitch for a front-row seat.

She turned to face him, a light blush creeping to her cheeks, wondering how much he'd seen. She waved him off carelessly. "That's a stupid question, Jason, and you know it." She turned to leave him, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. She really needed to check before she decided to snog the daylights out of George.

"You didn't answer the question," he retorted, causing her to stop with agitation.

She turned back to him with offense, blonde hair flying with the force of her head's turning, her mind racing for a proper reply. "Such a question merits no response. The very idea is insulting."

He looked completely undeterred. "You know they're saying that you've been feeding Gryffindor information about the team. If we lose, the fault _will _be on your head."

"I would never!" came her immediate reply, offended and surprised by such a statement, even if the idea had not originated from his mind. She had more house pride and loyalty than the most fervent supporter. "And if we lose, it's 'cause we have an idiot for a seeker that we're too dumb to replace."

He smiled fully and moved his head. "Haven't you heard the rumors?" He laughed with worried surprise at her look. "Live, the way you and Weasley carry on, they're saying you're right buddy-buddy with Gryffindor."

She snorted at the statement and rolled her eyes. "_As if_. People are sheep."

He grinned. "You need to show your snake pride, Live. Rumor has it you're not even going to watch the game."

_How the hell did that get out?_ she thought.

He frowned. "It's true?" He saw that she was calculating, trying to defy this rumor that she had no knowledge of, and was apparently true. He fixed her with a puzzled gaze.

"I don't care for quidditch, you know that. You boys can have your sports, I'm much happier in the library when it's at its quietest."

"Even that mudblood Granger takes a break for quidditch," he said with exasperated surprise.

"Don't call her that, Jason," Live chided with disappointment, her mind working. Damn, there wasn't much she could do if people thought she was buddy-buddy with Gryffindor House. Her sister was a Gryffindor, as well as Kelena whom she spent a lot of time with, and her own protégé was both a Weasley and a Gryffindor. No, the Slytherins wouldn't be happy with her, would they?

"I'm sorry," he said, running a hand through his hair. "It should be one hell of a game, though, considering. And don't you want to support Weasley?"

She knew he was trying to catch her in some contradicting statement as to where her loyalties lay, so she just gave him an unimpressed look, her cheeks hot. He sighed.

"At least come to put some sort of damper on those rumors," he cajoled tiredly. "Come. You can sit with me. I've got good, proper seats, right where we're likely to get more than a chance glimpse of Pucey's bum," he teased. She snorted with a laugh and rolled her eyes at him. If it was anyone's bum she'd be looking at, it'd be George's with all the naughty thoughts running through her head. "Besides, I'm afraid what people might do if we lose. Best to show your support just in case."

_Do _to_ me_, she thought dismally. "Are the rumors really that terrible?" she inquired sincerely.

"In all honesty, my dear, I hope you know more than a few good walking-wards. Never know when a spell might catch you unaware. And you know how these quidditch fanatics can get. I hope no one turns on you before the day is out."

She sighed, a little tempted, but thought better of it. Now she had an actual reason to bide her time in the library- to research a few things and watch her back. It made her mind sick with thought.

"I think I'll stay here. I'll get too agitated if I go." He gave her a dissatisfied look. Of course, he wasn't aware of the reason why it was so potentially dangerous if she got so agitated, so he didn't seem very satisfied. "Do you honestly think I'll be able to enjoy the game, Jason? Knowing people are staring at me?"

He huffed with a shrug. "Fine, suit yourself, but don't say I didn't warn you."

"I'll see you later," she told him dismissively.

"Yeah. See ya later." He then left her alone in the hall with troubled thoughts.

But she should have seen this whole mess coming. She told George that if they became a couple, the other houses wouldn't let it stand…and now quidditch was brought into it, and that made matters worse. How funny a quidditch rivalry would spell her doom, though she wouldn't put it past her that regardless of the outcome, her name would be dragged through the mud by one house or the other. The question was, would she rather Slytherin hate her or Gryffindor?

She turned on heel in the direction of the library. She had a few new things to teach herself.

sSs

Surprised she'd fallen asleep in her own little corner study area, Live woke up amid the pile of books she'd been reading and memorizing. She nearly fell backward in her chair with a shriek as she opened her eyes to Kara's own wide, all-observing orbs all up in her business.

"_Just what in the hell do you think you're doin'_?" Live shrieked as she righted herself in the chair. She was breathing heavily with sudden adrenaline, alarmed. She hoped Madam Pince hadn't heard that. Then again, she was ensconced pretty good in the back of the area.

"I didn't want to wake you. You seemed so peaceful."

Live was _quite _certain the numerous chocolate frog wrappers strewn about the desk had nothing to do with her sister's uncharacteristic silence. Not at all. Kara was just caring, of course…

"You sneaky little bint, since when does the care of how peaceful I am stop you and your devices?" Kara gave her a big, chocolately smile. Live couldn't help but grin. She put a finger to her temple, hoping a migraine wasn't coming on. Only Kara…"How long have you been creeping about here? Does Madam Pince know _you're_ in here? I wouldn't have thought she'd allow you in. And what are you doing sneaking around anyway?"

"Oh, she doesn't care, really…and it was only a _little_ syrup on that book…And I've only been here about ten minutes…well, actually, the game's been over for about an hour. I was looking for you," she said in all honesty. Live furrowed her brow and checked the time. Before she could make her confusion known about just how long it'd been since the game had started, Kara spoke with much animation. "They went into, like, triple overtime. I couldn't believe it! The game just went on and on! Even after Fred knocked Malfoy off his broom--"

"_What_?" Live exclaimed with surprised smirk, wishing her overly-excited chit of a sister would slow down so her brain could try and absorb some of this.

"Even _you _would have enjoyed this game! Ooh he hit the ground so hard! But he's alright. Snape bollocksed that up…" she said with a pout. "Oh why didn't you come? It was a_mazing_! But then you might've panicked pretty badly when George took that bludger to the--"

"_WHAT_?"

"Oh he's alright, don't worry, nothing Madam Pomfrey couldn't fix. But it was so close!! The game I mean--"

"Well what in the world happened!?" Live pleaded under extreme duress. "Who won?!?"

A wide grin claimed Kara's face. "Harry got the snitch just in time, and we won!" Live grimaced. "But it was so close! We won only by ten points!" Even though the amount of points was small, Kara was obviously proud of such news. It must have been a very good game indeed. "Oh Live, the game was so amazing!"

"Sounds like you had fun. I wish I _had_ seen it."

Kara was grinning like an idiot, albeit a very pleased one. She smirked a chocolately smile at her older sister. "Aw, I'm sorry we had to cream your house, Live."

Live snorted. "I'd hardly call it creaming," she said with humble pride.

Kara giggled. "Now Slytherin leads third behind Gryffindor and Ravenclaw in the house running. Hee hee hee."

"Woooonderful…" Live pouted. She stacked her books into neat piles. "I guess these'll come in handy, now."

"No one thinks you'd sell out your house, Live," Kara consoled immediately.

Live looked at her sister with surprise. "You knew? About the rumors?"

Kara shrugged. "I only just heard. At the game. From a Hufflepuff."

"Urgh…" Live groaned and rubbed her face. "Dammit. Damn it all. AHH!" she shrieked.

She was embraced tightly from behind, nearly picked right up out of her chair. "DEAREST!! I was looking for you my love!!" She felt herself being nuzzled and cuddled from behind, the voice of her alluring beater boyfriend full of energy and vitality.

"…ugh…George…"

"Yes my darling?" he asked as he cuddled her close with delight.

"…breathe…"

He released her with an "oops!" and a laugh as she let out a breath and turned to look at him. He was still in his quidditch gear, a grin on his dirt-besmirched face, hair wild and disorderly, robes a bit dirty with perspiration and what had better not be his blood. She scowled at him, but she couldn't keep it up as she looked into his face. He was positively aglow with pride and exhilaration, and there was nothing she could do but beam back at him.

"See? He's as good as new!" Kara declared happily. George went back to cuddling and smothering Live, leaving kisses all over her face and hair as the Slytherin witch, grinning and giggling, tried to bat him and his hands away. He was obviously hyped up from the game.

"Kara said it was a good game," Live remarked nonchalantly as she pushed at him with hands, trying to keep his own off her with smiles.

"A _good _game? It was a BRILLIANT game! There's a party raging upstairs in the tower!" he declared with a motion of his head. He went back to grabbing at her as she giggled and tried to put him off. It was as if he'd never touched her before, or he was so exhilarated he couldn't _not _touch her.

Kara's ears pricked up. "Yeah? I haven't been to the tower since the game let off. Is there candy?"

George's voice was full of excitement and pride. He was definitely charged up. "Only the best from our very own stores!! I've been looking everywhere for you! Come on ladies! Let's have a night!" He slid his arms up underneath Live's before she knew what was happening, and lifted her out of her chair as she squealed in protest.

"Ack! George!" she protested with surprise, trying to put her feet back on terra firma and stand under her own volition. He wrapped his arms about her middle and buried his face in her neck and hair, overwhelming her with kisses that didn't completely un-affect her.

"I'm going to put you two out on the lawn if you don't stop that," Kara declared with a frown. George momentarily stopped to look at the younger Gryffindor with a wicked grin. She frowned as if she smelled something bad.

"George," Live giggled, pleased that he was so happy to see her as well as so pumped from the game, though she'd rather he not display his affection in front of her sister, who was miming gagging herself. Live wiggled and tried to get away from him to gather her books, but all she accomplished was turning in his arms. He had a habit of not letting her go when she wanted it.

She grinned into his beaming face. "Let me go. I need to put these books back. And I don't think I'm exactly welcome in the Gryffindor tower, George." She tried to put him off. Truth was, she didn't really want to be the model representative of the losing side at an all-Gryffindor function anyway, regardless if other house members were there. It was no secret that no house but Slytherin supported Slytherin. And what of the rumors? But he wouldn't be put off so easily.

"Oh sod it, I'm not partying without my girlfriend after one of the finest games Hogwarts has ever seen!"

"But I don't--whoa!! _George_! Put me down!" Live shrieked as she was hoisted over his shoulder. He grabbed her bag off the table and put it over his other shoulder, patting Live's rump as she squealed in tickled surprise, wiggling over his quidditch-clad form. He snickered impishly.

"Kara, grab the ones she checked out, please?" he asked the youngest witch.

"Which ones, Live?" Kara asked, looking over the books pensively.

"Kara! Make him put me down! _Help _me!" she demanded of her little sister. Kara only perused the titles, laying them out on the table. Live shrieked again as George trailed a hand up under her robes to caress her naked thigh with his callused fingers. He snickered as she squirmed.

"Come along Kara, there's debauchery afoot!" George declared as he began walking away from the area with a hearty step. Live was making affronted noises as she squirmed on George's shoulder.

"Live, you want to check these out later?" the blonde sugar-piston asked quickly after seeing her sister had indeed checked out none.

"Dammit Kara! _Blood before books_!" she ordered her sister to her aid. Kara only grinned at her widely, baring both sets of teeth as she followed in George's wake, talking to her elder sister.

"You think Madam Pince will mind if we leave those? I mean, there are so many others that need re-shelving," Kara noted as Live bobbed up and down with each step George took.

"Oh dear god, George, what if she sees?! Put me down! I don't want to be banned from the library!!" Live pleaded hopelessly.

"No one's ever been banned for being whisked away by their boyfriend," he declared with a smirk in his tone. Live reached to grope his bum and hopefully make his drop her in surprise, but her shifted her on his shoulder knowingly, patting her bum. "Been eating extra desserts lately, Live?" he asked with chuckles to rile her.

"Why you little assh--"

"I knew it!" Kara declared, pointing at Live accusingly as they had already reached the outside corridors. "I knew that's where my treats went!"

"No I have not been having extra desserts!!" Live defended herself with a blush. George snickered and patted her on the bum as she let out a squeak.

"It's alright sweetums, more cushion for the pushin'."

Live went bright red with that statement, effectively silenced with shocked embarrassment of his implication, and Kara snickered to herself. She'd been teaching George fun new lingo and grammar usage.

Live didn't think he'd actually do it, but he'd carried her all the way from the library right to the Gryffindor portrait hole with much gusto, and only put her down so they'd be able to climb through. Live was certain she had motion sickness from all the bobbing she'd done.

"But _why_ didn't you see the bludger coming?" Kara asked George as they talked about the game. Live was silent with nerves, her cheeks still hot, trying to keep her resolve for in a moment she'd be amidst a party that was celebrating the defeat of her house.

"Collywobbles," George spoke the password, taking Live's hand in his with a great grin as he responded to Kara. "Well I just couldn't believe Fred had successfully knocked Malfoy from his broom, and then it just sorta got me."

The portrait hole swung open, and they were greeted with loud music and the boisterous antics of their compatriots. An enchanted flute was floating about the room with a joyous tune, small fireworks whizzing through the air. Someone was blowing multi-colored bubbles out their wand tip. And the alcohol was plentiful.

Live shrunk back behind George as she too hopped through, too in-love with him not to go through with this voluntary suicide. She tried to use him as a shield as he took her hand and led her through the room over to where Fred was doing some experimental fireworks with Kelena. She wished she'd had time to change into something less green as per her usual fashion, and more discreet. Like a neon-colored sign. She couldn't help but feel as if all eyes were on her, and many were.

"Look who I've got!" George declared pridefully, bringing Live about in front of him only to pull her back against his front, wrapping his arms around her possessively and quickly assaulting her neck with a few kisses. He wasn't about to hide her from anyone.

"Live! Girl you missed one hell of a game!" Kelena declared with joyful eyes.

Live shunted George off her neck, feeling entirely uncomfortable in the entire situation. "So I've heard."

"I knocked Malfoy off his broom!" Fred boasted with pride and excitement, looking at Kelena with a naughty grin. "And you know what Kelena's promi--"

"Shut up Fred!" the short witch demanded with color rising to her dark cheeks, throwing her palms over his mouth as he chuckled through them.

"Fred's our hero!" Kara declared from behind him. She was already nicking fireworks to set off and hand out to the room at large.

Fred puffed out his chest. "Someone had to do it," he remarked somewhat modestly, though more than proud for the chance.

"Yeah, and it's because of you that that bludger got me," George snarked to his twin.

Fred grinned. "I thought you were dying, mate," he said with wondrous smirk.

Live frowned. "How bad was it?" she eagerly became engaged in the conversation, taking no notice of the room or the Gryffindors that had noticed her as she looked at George behind her.

"Lots of blood, heavy bruising…" Fred listed off. "But don't worry, he'll still be able to have children," he added with a wink to Live.

She scowled, ignoring Fred and breaking free of George's arms to stand speculatively before him. "_Just where were you hit_?" she asked, looking him up and down, eyes more than lingering at his crotch in a tentative manner.

"Want to go to my dorm and inspect me for yourself?" George asked cheekily, waggling his eyebrows. "I could use a full-body physical." He grinned wolfishly.

"He took a bludger to the head," Kelena shouted over the noise of Fred's freshly lit firework. George shot Kelena a dirty look for spoiling his fun.

"Bludger to the _head_?" Live put her hands on either side of his face with worry, spreading her fingers on his flesh as he was inspected. A bludger to the head was serious. Those things were heavy in mass.

"Yeah, but I'm fine," he told her with a grin. "Just a little scar here," he said pointing to a place just above his jaw.

"Where?" she asked, looking at it closer.

"Just there, you'll find it," he told her, pointing once more. She got close enough to inspect his skin when he turned his face suddenly and claimed her lips possessively with a snicker at her surprise. She realized after a few moments that she'd been duped with the scar trick, but she was currently under the spell of his wondrous lips. He left her breathless.

She looked out at him from under half-lidded eyes, her fingers kneading his arms, twitching to touch him everywhere. He smiled smugly. "Want a drink?" She could only nod, and he entwined his fingers with hers as she was led to a little table being used as a refreshments stand draped in a beautiful red and gold cloth that was being stained by a few of the drunks.

"Firewhiskey or butterbeer?" he asked as he held up two bottles.

"Ogden's first," she replied softly, taking notice of the eyes that watched her with interest as to her presence there. She needed a good stiff drink. He held out a shot glass full of the liquid as she threw it back, cringing at the taste before setting it back on the table and accepting a butterbeer. The table lurched, and she jumped away in surprise.

"Oi, who's under there?" George called in question, lifting the tablecloth to find Ron on top of Hermione, arms holding himself above her as he regarded his elder brother with a severe flush of embarrassment. Hermione looked chastised and surprised that Live was there, and Live could only grin and look at her as if saying 'I know how you feel'.

He regarded them another moment more, both fifth years disheveled, clothing messy. They always seemed to think they were so good at covering up their snogging sessions. "Carry on," George said, dropping the cloth back into place. Live laughed at his audacity as he wrapped an arm about her waist, chugging a butterbeer himself.

"Har-ry! Har-ry! Har-ry! Har-ry!" came a chanting cheer. They looked over to find Harry sitting at a table, downing a butterbeer himself opposite Seamus Finnegan. They were having a drinking contest of sorts. Or celebrating Harry's seeker-talents. Any reason to drink.

"Oh dear," Live said with an amused smirk.

"Woo! Go Harry!" Ginny cheered from behind Seamus. She lifted her top crazily as she cheered him on, flashing him some bra that made him nearly choke on his butterbeer with wide eyes. Live nearly choked on hers.

"Oi, what's she think she's doing?" George remarked, letting go of Live as she snickered. He then swooped down upon Ginny, taking her butterbeer from her and scolding her, then Harry, and telling Seamus to shove off. Harry got up, but Kara took his place across the table with a new batch of butterbeer. Live put her hand to her temple. No wonder Kara's brain was half-gone, if she went around challenging Seamus to drinking contests.

"Hey Live! Having fun?" Lee asked as he approached her. She was glad he was there for her to talk to instead of having to deal with the judging, curious eyes scoping her out. Some were indeed just curious, others, she didn't like the look in their eyes.

"I think you might need to make a few sobering solutions, and make sure Kara doesn't get too wasted," she asked.

Lee snickered. "She beats Seamus every time. I wouldn't worry." Live made an affronted noise and he just laughed.

"Oi…you're…you're Slytherin…" a sixth year boy remarked as he came to stand in front of Live. She recalled his face, but not his name. "We…_we beat you today_!" he told her with a grin.

"I know," she said graciously, acting as if the conversation was perfectly lovely. This one was already way-drunk.

"But we _beat_ you," he said thinking, as if she didn't quite get his point. His brow furrowed as he looked slowly across the room to where George was berating Ginny. "Oi, you're our beater's girl…" He grinned and shook her hand. She tried to take it back politely, though he still shook it enthusiastically. "We won," he said as if thanking her personally. He was quite the sloppy drunk…

"You played very well," she offered, though she didn't really know. Was that why everyone was giving her weird looks? They thought she'd sold out her own team so George's team could win? Oh dear.

"Hey John, bugger off, will ya?" Lee told him.

"Eh, wot?" The boy squinted to see who was talking to him, and grinned. "Oi, Lee!"

"I'm putting this prick to bed," Lee told Live with a smile. She nodded with blatancy, watching as George made his way back to her person. Ginny was sulking, but she immediately brightened when Harry sat next to her with an interested grin.

George flashed Live a brilliant grin. "Alright?"

"I just met John," she remarked unpleasantly.

He smirked and gave her a charming smile. "Another drink dearest?" he asked at the empty bottle in her hand.

"And keep 'em coming, love," she told him. He grinned and took the opportunity to kiss her again, wrapping his arms about her and entangling his fingers in her golden hair. He took her breath away, his lips soft and wonderful as she yielded to him, thoughts fleeing her mind, he relaxing her utterly. She sighed and he possessed her mouth with his tongue in such ways that she wondered if it was the booze or _him _making her drunk.

"…George…" she sighed complacently as he gathered her to him in tight embrace. She laid her cheek on his chest as she buried her face into his neck, kissing and nipping as she held him close, momentarily forgetting where they were.

He grinned, utterly pleased. Today was a very good day indeed. "Mmm, you smell good. What is that?" he asked into her hair as he nuzzled her.

"Sunflowers," she told him with a grin, bringing her head up to smile at him.

"I like," he told her as he kissed her lips once. She giggled, and he got them both new drinks. She started in on it like a last meal. "Easy, Live. We're not in any lack of supply, and you don't want to get like you were in Hogsmeade," he snickered. "Careful."

She rolled her eyes, but laughed. "This way I don't care as much that all you Gryffindorks are staring at me," she told him.

"They're just curious," he said. "And you know most of them. It's alright."

She grinned, accepting his explanation. Not that she cared. She was downing such alcohol that her vision was already lagging, her mind relaxing from worry of discrimination and prejudice.

"I love you," he said fervently. "Thanks for doing this for me."

"Doing what?" she asked, playing with the hem on his robes.

"For being here. I know you don't like it here with all the Gryffindors--"

"Oh, it's alright…" she said, and it really was. She didn't care that she was here. The feeling of being watched would leave her after a while, and people really didn't care if she was there, other than finding it a bit odd…at least she thought so. Or if she kept drinking, she would _know_ so. "I don't mind, as long as you stay with me."

"Can do!" He grinned and grasped her hard and close to his body. A wave of pleasure hit her at making contact with his hard, quidditch-toned body. Mm how she loved the whole of him.

"Mmm I love you…" she said. He grinned as she fixed him with a subconsciously-wanton look. "Can we sit down somewhere?"

"Sure, wherever you want to sit, preferably in my lap," he told her cheekily, a mischievous grin on his face. She blushed, and he knew it was somewhat what she had in mind.

He took her near the window, both of them ducking as one of Fred's fireworks sparked through the air. "Someone's gonna get lit on fire," Live remarked, glaring at her little sister on the other side of the room. Kara was handing out fireworks and pocketing coins with a happy grin. The most recent firework turned into a type of sparkling fish before it went out.

George snickered. "Eh, it's okay. We've got loads and loads of new products to test out and sell, not to mention the experimental stuff. You wouldn't believe the things Kara's helped us to accomplish which we couldn't have done on our own."

Live frowned, but then remembered. She rolled her eyes. "…the merger…" she mumbled.

Laughing at her disgruntled tone, George placed her on the windowsill and gave her a kiss. "Business is doing better than we'd ever dreamed. Would you like to see something we've come up with for such special occasions?"

She nodded, then looked cautious. "What is it?"

He was grinning quite happily and looked over to his twin, who seemed quite busy accosting Kelena. "Fred! Oi, _Fred_!"

He poked his head up like a pheasant out of the grass. "Eh?"

"You got one of those shattered-light boxes we've been working on?"

His twin's eyes lit up and he immediately went to groping about in his robes, muttering and grumbling as Kelena looked quite put off for being suddenly ignored. "AHA!" Fred produced an apple-sized box out of his robes, and bent low to the ground, setting it down.

"What's he doing?" Live asked as her mind tried to catch up to her vision.

"Just watch," George told her, gesturing as his twin tapped the box with his wand.

Immediately, the box exploded into four parts. Three balls of shining light whizzed into equally-spaced parts in the room, the fourth piece settling itself smack dab in the center of the high ceiling. The lights focused themselves on the center, and immediately the room was covered in bright, spinning squares of light. Live found herself laughing very hard.

"What's so funny? I think it's brilliant!" George said amidst the cheers in the room, people extinguishing lamps and lights to further enjoy the magic of Fred's latest new toy. A firework zipped through the air, adding an orange glow to the décor of the room.

"Kara helped you make a magical disco ball!" she shrieked in laughter. "Oh George…a magical disco ball…too funny…" She took a swig from her drink through giggles, admiring the mirror-adhered ball floating and spinning on the ceiling. Everyone seemed quite entranced with it, and already she could hear the muggle-parented children remarking on disco balls, and the similarities to Fred's 'shattered-light box'. But it was quite pretty, to be sure. She had to hand it to Kara, the bint was quite clever, and Live felt quite assured she'd taken all the credit for re-inventing the muggle disco-ball.

"Why do you look so ponderous, my love? Thinking of getting one of those in the bedroom?" he whispered in her ear playfully. She flushed at his comment and playfully batted at him with a smirk.

"Shut up George."

He grinned wolfishly. "Ah, but why not? It would make things so much more interesting…" She sent him a simpering look, but he only grinned and kissed her lips. She set down her bottle and wrapped her arms about him, drawing him close and trapping him between her thighs as she sat on the windowsill. She didn't care whether it looked scandalous or not. The room was darker anyway. People were busy setting off their fireworks and little sparklers bought from Kara, others still drinking. The night was young and people were not yet as intoxicated as they were gonna get. The alcohol made Live not care a whiff about the other Gryffindors in the room, and she felt much more comfortable that way anyways.

She raised her face to him again, wanting to be kissed, and he grinned down at her, smug and pleased with his little blonde wonder.

"Oi George, isn't that a _Slytherin _you're sucking face with?"

Live huffed as her moment was ruined by another idiot seventh-year and his half-drunk victory-vibed friends. She should curse this one and have done with it. Stupid Gryffindorks. But she opted to snake her hand around the flat of George's back, glaring.

"Why yes, she is," George told the other boy indifferently, arms still around Live, waiting to resume where they'd been interrupted. Honestly, some people just had no manners. And this idiot, well, he could easily be the Gryffindor equivalent of a Crabbe or Goyle…maybe a _bit_ smarter, though. Or stupider.

"She do group stuff?"

Live blinked, a bit confused, trying to wrap her mind around just what he meant, for surely he couldn't mean what she thought he did. George just gave him an odd, uncomprehending look. "What's that, mate?"

"I mean, we did wallop her house. And any old Slytherin wouldn't _congratulate _us…but here she is…So, I mean, when _you're _done with her, of course--"

"I'm not a party favor," Live told him off with bitter resentment, focusing on the seventh-year who'd made the assumption, looking at him depreciatively. She was doubly-insulted by the fact that he was acting as if George were some pimp and she had no say in the matter, like property instead of a person. "And not for you," she added insultingly.

"…bitch," the one boy remarked with a dejected scowl and wounded vanity. Live was affronted, mouth agape at the jerk, ready to start her angry, alcohol-fueled barrage if not for George.

"That's my _wife_, mate…" George warned, letting go of Live as he turned to face the other boy, standing straight at his full height, which was tall indeed.

"Her? This is the one you're bound to?" the boy questioned, looking to his mates who were polishing off butterbeers like soda. It caused George to wonder how drunk or not the one who'd insulted Live was. Either way, he wasn't too smart. "I've heard stories about this one," he motioned to his mates with a leering grin. They'd all heard the stories about easy Slytherin girls, but _this _girl was one of recent notoriety. It was rumored that George had been bound to the wildest one of them all.

Live was frowning at the ass as she put her drink on the windowsill. She was sick of people rumoring about her. Apparently George wasn't going to allow it, either. "Want to make something of it?" George challenged.

"I think that bludger to the head really jarred your brains about," the other boy deduced as he laughed carelessly, having perhaps too good a time at their expense. The other boys must have drank their weight in butterbeer already. No doubt they were all drunken idiots. Not all Gryffindors were nice people. "You're lucky is what you are." He looked Live over in a way that had George standing in front of her, blocking her from view. He smiled back at George. "So, what I'm asking is, can I borrow her when you're done?"

George cocked his head, ready for a fight at the first sign the other boy was slightly pugnacious. His fists were clenching and unclenching. He so preferred to do his battle the muggle way…

Live had hopped off the windowsill, not daring to intervene. She was standing behind him, trying to take control of her senses as she lightly touched George on the back with her palm, as if it gave her some sort of reigns over him to which she could keep him safe from the folly of others.

"Get lost Williams," George warned as he looked at the other boy. There was very little restraint he had left to allow this prat to have insulted his girl. "And tell _my wife_ you're sorry."

The boy she now knew to be Williams took one look at Live with interested dismissal and turned away with a snort. As if he'd apologize to a girl, let alone a Slytherin. George took an angry step forward, grabbing him on the shoulder for his inattention when Williams spun around and decked George right on the jaw.

Live gasped and dropped to the floor to tend to George, who only sprang back up and launched himself at Williams. He and the other boy were once again acquainted with Madame Floor as onlookers laughed drunkenly, others starting to place bets and gather round, the rumors flying around with as much clarity as the music as to what started the brawl.

"Fred! Get in there!" Kelena demanded as it was brought to their attention, coming closer to see and prodding Fred.

"Nah, he's fine," he told her with amusement as his twin was pummeling the other guy. "Oi! George! You got that handled?"

"Got it!" he told his twin gruffly, punching the other boy in the stomach as he let out a loud "ooomph!" himself. They were pretty evenly matched, if not evenly drunk, and George was right pissed off, Williams right put off.

George pulled him to his feet as the other boy landed an uppercut to his chin, nearly knocking him over. He was laughing with glee as George stumbled down hard, when suddenly an empty butterbeer bottle was smashed over Williams' head. He stopped laughing as a dumb smile appeared on his face, and he fell to the ground in a heap.

George was panting, wiping blood from his mouth as he frowned, but grinned, accepting that the fight was over, and Williams had gotten a good warning. "Thanks Kara."

The young blonde just smiled smugly at Williams' unconscious form on the ground. She looked at George. "Oh I didn't do it for you. No one insults my sister and gets away with it." She looked at the remaining bits of glass in her hand, and allowed them to fall onto the unconscious boy. "Besides, I just happen to like you a little better than ol' Williams," she snarked.

Fred started laughing boisterously as Kelena smacked at him. Kara gave the unconscious boy a prod with her foot. His mates pushed him out of the middle of the carpet so he wouldn't get stepped on, and the glass was magicked away, but that was about it for their drunken care. But still, the party went on as if there had been no interruption, and people were chattering away in amused voices, gossiping. Several shot disdainful looks Live's way, accusing her silently with their eyes, but she couldn't care less.

"Oh George, your chin," she said as he came back to her, smirking. She raised her hands quickly to his face, but didn't quite touch him because she was scared to hurt him. She allowed her fingertips to gently touch his face. She hissed in seeing the smeared blood, and touched the area very gently. It looked painful. She frowned. "Are you alright?"

"I've had worse," he told her nonchalantly. Several people walked by, patting him on the back as they came to inspect Williams and collect bets. George smirked as he declared he wanted a share.

Live embraced him gratefully, hugging him close as she put her mouth to his ear. "Thank you, George." She kissed him. "No one's really ever stood up for me like that before."

He snorted in embarrassed pride. "If a man doesn't protect his wife's name, he's no man at all."

It was her turn to snort. "I'm not your wife yet, regardless of what the stupid ministry says. I'm just your girlfriend," she snarked.

"Yet?" he said with raised brows, grinning widely having caught her slip-of-the-tongue.

She frowned, realizing her error, blushing. "Oh shut up George. I'm drunk." She thought for a moment, trying to turn the attention back onto him. "And so are you!" she accused. He only grinned and brought his mouth down on hers without a care. He tasted of alcohol and blood, and she loved him all the more for his mark of battle.

"I love you so," he told her softly, his hand on her chin. She smiled back at him, her mind a drunken, love-filled haze.

"I love--LEE!" she suddenly exclaimed loudly.

George frowned at her playfully. "Woman…" he threatened, though he kissed the side of her face. She giggled and called Lee over again.

The healer-in-training looked amused and surprised. "What'd you do to your face, mate? You look like you've been run-over by a hippogriff."

Live snickered while George brooded. She was glad she'd spotted him coming down the stairs. "Lee, you know some healer stuff. Could you fix him?"

Lee nodded and got out his wand, but before he could perform any magic, George grabbed the end of it. "Have you been drinking, mate?" the fiery-haired, bloody-jawed seventh-year asked smartly.

"I had a butterbeer, but no, not really…I'm not going to ruin your face like you did Disfigured Dave…Now hold still…" Lee commanded.

George stayed still as Lee did what he could for the pain and the cuts, but the bruises would stay a bit longer. "How do you feel?"

"Like a million galleons," George exaggerated as he was coming off his adrenaline high and starting to feel those bruises.

Lee laughed. "Well have fun with that. But not too much fun!" he wished his compatriot as he went off to further investigate the gossip that was being chattered away. He wondered if he should check out the sixth-year laying unconscious on the floor.

Live put her fingers to George's face, tracing his jaw as she looked at him. "Are you really alright?" she asked lightly. "You've been more beat up by crap today than most people deal with in a week," she remarked.

"Only for people who aren't us," he told her with a smirk. She fixed him with doleful eyes, and he grinned as he held her to her. "Ah, I'm fine luvvums, but it's so nice to know you care!" he declared over-zealously, hugging her purposefully-hard to him, exaggerating all his moves as she laughed and smacked at him.

"George Weasley, I think you are drunk," she stated, not easy in staying upright.

He raised his chin haughtily. "Ah, but not as drunk as thee, Miss Slytherin my love!" he declared with a rigid finger.

She grinned, deciding to play with him. "I want you now."

He raised his eyebrows, shooting right back at her with the same tone of playfulness. "Now?"

"Now."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Okay," he obliged, capturing her lips between his as he sat her back up on the windowsill with a grin. She giggled and hugged him, kissing from his neck to his jaw, leaving a trail of kisses to his lips. It made him snicker as she nibbled his neck and pawed at his beater's uniform. He slipped his own hands up the back of her shirt.

"Oi, George, saw you knock out Williams! Great shot!" someone declared as they patted him on the back. That someone was obviously very drunk, having confused as to how the fight had ended, as well as intruding upon their moment.

Live huffed in annoyance as George's hands had paused at her bra-clasp. "Can't we get a little privacy around here?"

George lifted his eyebrows. She rolled her eyes at him, realizing how it had sounded. "To my room?" he suggested with a smirk.

"…_George_…" she said in warning tone, turning her eyes away as her cheeks grew hot, though she didn't think it a bad idea. Then again, she was drunk. So she decided she rather trusted him and his judgment, and while they had to practice 'control' where Dumbledore was concerned, well, tonight was a special night, of celebration and revelry. Plus, she didn't think they'd set off the stupid prophecy any bit if they had some naughty fun…

George grinned to himself, encouraged. While she'd had said that pitifully weak-sounding warning, she hadn't said no. And while she'd never soberly ask him to take her to his bed (only if she were stinking, embarrassingly drunk), he knew she'd go with him only if she really wanted to.

He took her hand with a grin and led her towards the staircase.

"Hey, where you goin'?" Seamus asked with a knowing grin as George passed him and a pretty Ravenclaw girl on the steps.

"Private party," he told the fifth year. Live blushed, and added, "Mind your own business Finnegan…"

Seamus shrugged and did as she told him, going quite happily back to his little Marianne.

Live knew the way to his room. She'd been in it plenty of times as Kitty-Nimbles, and had been in it once before in her normal skin. He grinned and let her in, warding the doors and digging around under clutter on the floor as she sat on his bed.

"Aha," he said triumphantly, tapping something with his wand as little balls of light swirled up into the corners of the room, the last lonely piece centering itself. Live giggled.

"Mood lighting?" she asked with incredulous, bubbly giggles.

"You know you love it," he told her playfully with a little self-conscious grin.

She flopped back on the bed with a grin, watching as the little lights swirled about the room and made changing patterns on the ceiling of the four-poster. "You're the biggest dork ever."

She saw his face above hers before she registered his weight on the bed. She decided she had had quite enough to drink. "And you're stuck with me," he declared with an impish grin, holding his weight off her as he grinned down at her. She grabbed his face gently and directed his lips to hers, kissing him greedily and happy to have one quiet moment alone.

He kissed her back with much more ardor, his hand in her hair, pulling her lips closer to his even as she was pulling him down to her. His weight was pressing her deliciously into the mattress and she sighed as he caressed her face with his gentle fingers. His tongue probed her mouth avidly, meeting hers in a rhythmic dance that left the both of them gasping. He grinned with dilated eyes as she raised her hips to his, and both of them were treated to some rather sensual grinding.

She couldn't pinpoint exactly when she'd become topless, or where her skirts had gone…nor when she had indeed stripped George of his quidditch gear like she had fantasized doing earlier…But one thing was certain, and that was that she was someplace between heaven and earth, her mind and senses reeling with nothing but George Weasley, his scent everywhere, his skin warm and wonderful on hers. She was drunk with love for him, wishing she could get closer, though his skin was already pressed tightly against hers, caressing and kissing one another in what she was sure was certified bliss.

George hadn't thought she'd literally rip his gear off him, nor the intensity with which he'd enjoy it. And her lips were so warm and pliable beneath his, her skin so soft everywhere they touched. And though earlier he'd teased her about the possibility of his seeing her hidden birthmark, he sincerely never held more love or respect for her as he did when she trusted herself to him so fully, allowing him, if that was indeed his wish, to behold it (though she had fiercely blushed, and he wouldn't dare take advantage of her bold acquiescence, though it was heartening to know she'd allow him to). He loved her so much, loved the feel of her body beneath his, that it was hard for him not to get enough of her while feeling like any more would surely kill him.

And many hours later, through alcohol-induced exhaustion and tired out from their pleasurable exertions, they slept entangled together in the comfort of George's four-poster bed in the Gryffindor Tower, snuggled and cozy while the party still raged downstairs.

sSs

Live woke with sleepy eyes, a bit confused as to where she was, and then remembered, happily, where she was and why. She snuggled up to George and watched him sleepily as she traced her fingers over his jaw. She cuddled up close to him, laying her hand on his skin as she lay their quietly, allowing herself to drift back to sleep and naughty-dreams.

Then she sprang up with sudden alarm.

"Oh shit! George! We're late for potions!! Get up!!"

"Grrmmm…"

"Wake up George!"

"…Ah Live, sod potions…I'm hungover…lay back down," he mumbled to her sleepily, groping for her to drag her back into the safety and darkness of the covers.

She poked her head out the bed curtains, grayish-blue light meeting her and casting her sights to Lee's leg hanging out his own four-poster. "Lee! Wakeup! We're late for potions! And I need a sobering-solution stat!"

"…I'm _hungover_…" George muttered. "…not drunk….bed, Live…" She felt his hands on the naked skin of her back, trying to pull her back to him.

She rolled her eyes with amusement. To her dissatisfaction, Lee only pulled the bedcovers closed and yanked his leg back into the four-poster with a grumbling noise. She sighed. "Well you can stay in bed all you want, but I can't miss potions! Not today!" She disentangled herself from George, giving him a kiss on the cheek to placate his sleepy form, remembering today was the day Malfoy got his payback…But that was after class, and she still had another hour till then. She nearly fell flat on her face tripping in the mess on the floor, and suddenly realized in chagrin that she was quite naked. But she was too agitated for modesty to care about fleeing back to bed. Lee's curtains were closed, George's was only opened a bit, and Fred didn't appear to be in. She stole George's sheet from him and wrapped it around herself, quickly grabbing up all her clothes. Pity she didn't have any of her body scrubs or anything with her. Oh dear, did she have any publicly-visible hickies on her? She hoped not. She didn't have her makeup to cover it. How would it make her look if she had little bruises everywhere? Fun, pleasantly-gained bruises. "Where in the hell is my bra??" she muttered with uneasy hurry.

"…_Liiiiive_…" George groaned.

"I'm using your shower, George, then I'm going to class. You can stay here or come with," she charged as she found what she hoped was a clean towel on the boy's floor.

George hopped out of bed and was right on her heels as she nearly fell into the tub.

"I meant come with to _class_! Get out of the tub George!"

sSs

It was too early for his own classes, but his seething mind and annoyed spirit had brought Draco Malfoy to haunting about the dungeons. He couldn't sleep due to recurrent dreams involving strange nightmares about that bastard Weasley and much injury to his beautiful face. And the whole thought of Weasley brought about thoughts of Live Hunter, which made him even angrier.

The little tart was at the Gryffindor party last night celebrating the defeat of her own house! The rumor had spread like wildfire last night, and was sight-confirmed by two Ravenclaws. She was a filthy traitor to her own house, a disgrace to their team and honor. She needed to be taught a lesson. She needed someone to put the Slytherin back in her, literally if necessary. And he knew a candidate right close to home…

Who did that bitch think she was? He was truly the best in all Slytherin, if not Hogwarts, a prime example of pureblood perfection, and here that bitch was going around with blood traitors and associating with mudblood trash, the likes of which praised the defeat of her house! She was a disgrace to the noble House of Slytherin, the pride she had in her half-blood heritage and blood-traitor boyfriend shaming the purebloods of Slytherin. It was a pity such talents and skills had been wasted on her, let alone good looks and a pleasurable body that Pansy certainly couldn't boast.

Weasley was dirt-poor, his clothes shabby, red-hair a ridiculous faux pas, and he was too tall and didn't possess any class or connections. The father was a disgrace to the Ministry of Magic with all his muggle-loving activity, and the mother had given birth to more children than even Draco's dog had littered.

And yet Live was giving it away to him free, gallivanting with Gryffindors while snubbing Malfoy right to his face. Making _him _look a fool. What she needed was to be taught a lesson. What she needed was breaking. The whole family was rabble and trash, and yet she'd rather wallow in filth than swallow her pride and bend to his will. It disgusted him that he wanted such a body, but it excited him at the possibility of having her under his control and his alone. The skills rumor spoke of that she possessed were positively sordid; the things she did would make even a Hogsmeade whore blush.

Yet it was only Weasley, just Weasley that she allowed to taste the talents she honed, and she treated Malfoy like _he_ was the filthy blood traitor.

The little half-breed bitch needed to be taught a real lesson. If she didn't come to him before he had to come to her, he wouldn't be half as pleasant about the retributions she'd have to make to him before they started a fresh slate. Granted, he still wasn't quite sure how he could go about it. She had some sort of power that he wasn't aware of, and she'd used it to slam him much against these very walls and break free of his body-binding curse. He would write his father some more about it. He needed to figure out how to get around it, but he supposed the answer would come in time. But she'd learn, whether it be the easy way, or the hard way. He hoped she'd choose the hard way.

"Malfoy!"

He turned, only to find the witch herself behind him in the corridor outside the potions classroom. She was antsy, and looked as if she'd been stalking around for quite some time. He narrowed his eyes. She was supposed to be inside the class, not out here. And _he _was a Prefect. He had power in this situation. Power he could utilize. "What do you want, Hunter?" he sneered with a powerful smirk.

The look of disdain he regarded her with was unsettling. She gave him a snide look and slightly circled him, a sort of glaring match as they sized one another up without wands.

She was much more confident this time around him, much more sure of herself than the last time he'd encountered her outside this classroom when he'd been thrown against the wall. The thought made his sneer turn into a scowl. Maybe he'd exact a little retribution while she was out here. What was she doing out here anyway?

She didn't like the considering look on his face one bit, but she'd promised. She'd promised retribution; a rumor to dispel all rumors about them, not only to keep them safe. One that would humiliate Malfoy in such ways that his parents would surely hear of it, and maybe even the Dark Lord. And one could only guess the repercussions that would have. She'd do anything for her friends and loved ones, but she never thought it would come to this, not this. He would think he'd won…The whole plan disgusted her.

She and Malfoy were completely alone in the corridor. It was too early for the school to be busy yet, and there were no other classes being held at this time in this part of the castle. And only a door away was Snape and a classroom full of her peers. Potions was to be dismissed in about three minutes, but knowing Snape, it would be more like five…The thought disgusted her even more, but she set her plan in play, vowing sweet vengeance for those she loved.

"Well?!" Malfoy demanded, taking an intimidating step closer. She took a step away, her back was to the wall, though she made no move for her wand. This in his mind, he felt triumphant, though he had his hands ready to go for his own wand if necessary. The chit was quick enough on the draw, and surprising.

"What do you think I want?!" she hissed quietly, obviously not proud of the statement, unable to keep his eyes for very long.

He took another invading step forward, testing, self in front of her, the wall behind as she leaned against it edgily. His arms were crossed as he glared right back at her, undaunted by her new show of demeanor. Did she think this new routine would intimidate him? This acting bold? He was Draco Malfoy. This half-blood was nothing more than scum beneath his boot to be used at his leisure. And there was no one around…no witnesses…to see if he did anything. Besides, who'd believe her word against his? His father had money.

"Finally come to your senses, eh? I know what a filthy half-blood like you wants from someone like me." He took a small step closer to her so that she could feel his breath on her skin, but there was nowhere to go between him and the wall. It took all her resolve not to dash. She looked to the left and to the right; still alone; empty corridor. But Malfoy interpreted this for something else. "You're not going anywhere." He put his hands to the wall, each aside her head, trapping her. He wasn't about to let her go when he had her in such a position of power.

"What makes you believe that nonsense?" she snapped.

"Because I know what you want, Hunter, and what you need, and you know that I'm the only one that can give it to you properly. You've known it all along, haven't you? Finally come to your senses? Weasley wasn't enough man for you, and we all know what a dirty slut you are. Say it. Just say it and I'll try to be a little more lenient. Who do you want?" he growled with demand, hands now hard on her shoulders, digging in as he was too close for comfort, and she knew he'd only get closer. It was the only way.

She closed her eyes, psyching herself up as well as maintaining a calm she'd been practicing for this very occasion. It made her sick to her stomach, which was flip-flopping somersaults. She thought of her friends before Malfoy's fingers began to hurt her, and drew strength thinking of the monster rumor this would create, and how maybe now he'd leave them all alone.

She opened her eyes, looked into Malfoy's with a defiant glare, her tone shaky and a little sickened. "Y-you."

He smirked in triumph, thinking perhaps to humiliate her a bit more as this omission obviously shamed her, but he was too excited by her confession to do much else but claimfully mark her. Grasping her to him wickedly hard, he was pleased that she put up no resistance, and sealed his mouth on hers violently. She tried upon try to maintain her calm enough for the change she'd instill upon him moments before Snape's class was dismissed, but she was so disgusted she was afraid she wouldn't be able to do it.

She concentrated like no one had ever tried to before. For one thing, she would not close her eyes, not when it was Malfoy who was kissing her and it was far from gentle or giving; something like kissing a fish and just as disgusting. When she wouldn't open her mouth for him, he bit her and pinched her skin, causing her to cry out in which he sealed his mouth back on hers, his tongue delving greedily as she tried not to scream in revulsion.

Having to endure only a few more of the most revolting seconds of her life, she heard the handle to Snape's class jiggle as she quickly made the change. Malfoy, bless the scum-eating bastard, was too caught up in his loathsome deed to take note of the changing atmosphere around him as well as notice the change in his victim. He was only all-the-more enthusiastic that now she was trying to get away, and he held her all the tighter for it, pressing his body fully and hard into hers as she writhed in skin-crawling nausea.

But if ever she wanted to grin in such a disgusting situation, it was now, as dozens of students poured into the hallway and suddenly caught sight of the scene.

"Oh dear God!!"

"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

"No bloody way!"

She flailed her arms about desperately, begging for help in her flamboyant way and trying to rip her mouth from his as Malfoy finally took notice and gave her a confused, then horrified look.

"Malfoy?! What the _fuck _are you doing snogging Pucey?!?!"

He let out a strangled scream as he looked at who he'd been snogging quite zealously. It was Pucey alright. Pale, shaken, eyes aghast holding something akin to horror and apoplexy as he whispered "no, no, no" over and over again, little strangled-noises escaping his throat. But no! It couldn't be!!

"I--It was Hunter! Live Hunter!!!" he bellowed with horror, face stricken with disgust and mortification.

"Oh god that's sick," Live muttered from inside the crowd, a look upon her face like she wanted to puke. All horrified eyes turned to her in a sort of proof-and-forget her, knowing that Malfoy was indeed sickening, and then back to poor Pucey, shaking in quiet outrage and dispelling the urge to vomit himself.

"Ugh, Malfoy--my God!!--UH! Who you fantasize about is your own business, but forcing Pucey into it?!?!"

"It was LIVE!!"

He looked with fury at Live, whose disgusted face held smug warning that he'd better not try anything. He took a deranged step forward, and George Weasley stepped in front of her, Jason Putterly doing the same to block the girl from his view. Lee Jordan was gaping at Malfoy in utter shock, the blond-haired ferret-boy turning and looking back at Pucey with dumb shock.

He took a step towards him as Pucey let out a traumatized whimper and slid down the wall in fear. Dear god, it really was Pucey!

He wracked his brains, too shaken to be smart and run from the onlookers and their sudden fits of laughter in the crowd and not-too-quiet whispers. He knew he'd been kissing Live, hadn't he?! He'd been teaching her a lesson in submission!! Her blond hair, cold green eyes, impending voice...

He ran screaming through the crowd (which had grown a few dozen people) while several Slytherins followed him with berating, laughter, and taunts.

Snape came from the classroom with a scowl on his face, demanding to know what was going on.

"Pucey just had a fainting spell, sir. It's alright, we'll get him to commons," someone volunteered with hardly-contained laughter. Snape stepped out to inspect Pucey with cold eyes, the boy not meeting his gaze. The dour potions master dismissed the bunch of them, taking off points before he closed the door to his classroom, not wanting any part in whatever was going on with his idiot Slytherins.

Pucey, or who he'd have better known to really be Kelena, Metamorphmagus extraordinaire, sat shaking on the wall, hands in fists to his...er, her, mouth, eyes wide with un-pretended fright and repulsion. Many stayed a few moments longer before feeling disgust and pity for the poor accosted Slytherin on the floor, leaving in droves rather quickly to spread the latest juicy, vicious rumor: some to the Great hall, others to their commons, and even more to the Owlery.

"Should we leave him here?" a rather kind Hufflepuff asked with disgusted concern.

"I'll take him back to his room," Live volunteered solemnly as a few others gave her weird looks. She quickly pulled their wandering minds to a halt. "Look, the guy here's been through something none of us hope to ever have to even dream about, so just cut him some slack. Alright?" Her tone was commanding, not requesting, and the remaining few onlookers scampered off with their gossip.

Live was left in the hallway with Lee, George, Putterly, and Puc--er, Kelena.

"Live, I don t think you should--"

"It's _Pucey_, George," she told him with total trust, the Gryffindor owing the real Pucey his life. "I can handle Pucey," she responded with ease, implying that the Slytherin was one not to worry about; one of the few good guys. Only she and her Gryffindor-in-snakeskin knew the truth.

"What the bloody hell was Malfoy doing _snogging _him?" Putterly asked aloud, too confused and amused by the situation to care that his company was more or less rival Gryffindors.

"_Maaaaaybe _someone used the Imperius curse on him?" Lee suggested through chuckles. "Malfoy?"

"Oh shut up Lee," Live chimed in disgust, helping the false-Pucey to his feet.

"I didn't see anyone else out here…Oi Pucey, why was Malfoy snogging you?" George asked, bending at the waist to look the other 'boy' in downcast face.

"Leave him alone, George, he's been through enough," Live told him kindly. George gave her a halfhearted smirk.

"Need help?" Putterly asked, looking askance at Pucey's limp form.

"No, I'm fine."

"Maybe we should take him to the hospital?"

"He needs a psycho-evaluation and prolly years of therapy, not a healer, Lee."

"We _can_ help you get him to the dorms…"

"It's fine, George."

"What you do with _your _tower is your business, but we're not letting Gryffindors into our commons..."

"I'd like to see you stop us!"

"Two against one, Weasley? Bring it on."

"I don't need Lee to take _you_, Putterly."

"Will you both shut up?!" Live shrieked with annoyance. "I don't need any of you to accompany me!"

"But Live--"

"What about--"

"Just shut up! Look, it's not like we're a million miles from the commons! Jason, you haven't had breakfast yet and you've been being smarmy all class period with hunger, so go to the Great Hall! Lee! Take George to the lake and throw in him to cool off that hot head!" she barked orders, hefting up the pseudo-Pucey and slinging an arm around his waist as they walked in the direction of the Slytherin commons. She needed to be brusque with them, the less questions and assistance, the better. She needed to get Kelena changed. George huffed but didn't complain anymore, supposing Pucey was an alright person for Live to be with.

She was incredibly surprised that the boys actually listened to her (at least, they weren't following her). She looked behind her to make sure, glared at all three ("What did _I_ do?!" Lee shrieked) and turned back to her friend with a grin.

"Is Pucey still unconscious in his bed?" Kel asked in whispered, ghastly tones. It made Live giggle to hear her friend's voice coming out of Pucey's lips.

"Yeah…he's there. That potion I gave him will have him sleeping through lunch, but it's okay…I'll have Vivian watch over him for me…But oh, I just barely got it in his pre-morning snack in time, almost didn't…You're brilliant, by the way."

"It s only 'cause I love you, you know," Kelena said with disgust. "Though I was afraid he'd recognize it wasn't totally your voice…I'm a good mimic, but not _that _good. But geez Live, he's really seriously after you or something…it's sickening…You need to be really careful, okay? There's mouth-wash in there, right?"

"Extra-strength," Live promised with a grin and a nod. She smirked in repulsion. "So what did he do?"

"I will never speak of it for as long as I live," she spat. "But I think on the plus, he'll be leaving you and George alone for now. People aren't going to easily forget this, and I think they'll forgive you for partying with us last night…or at least, it'll be out of their minds for a while."

She smiled, giving her friend a comforting hug. "I wish I could see the look on his parents' face when they find out."

Kelena grinned in Pucey's skin wickedly. "I wouldn't be surprised if the git's father paid another visit to Hogwarts itself!"

They both shared a private laugh as Kelena mimed hanging herself after such a ghastly ordeal. So far, everything she'd set in motion had gone quite according to plan. It was a great relief.

sSs


	37. Judas

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 37: Judas

sSs

"So how _is_ Pucey?" Rebecca whispered to Live as the two Slytherins were going to dinner in the great hall.

"Viv's been taking really good care of him…maybe even _too_ good," Live whispered back with a smirk looking towards the Slytherin table. Vivian was seated next to Pucey in what was more than just concern for his mental health. The boy seemed to be quite enjoying the attention he was receiving, Vivian only too eager to please in her fawning over him.

"He really doesn't remember what happened this morning?" Rebecca asked of the Malfoy-snogging harassment.

Live shook her head, trying not to look too smug. "Um, no…he must've blocked the memory from his mind…You know how trauma works on a person sometimes."

Pucey (who had woken up quite confused in his bed amidst Live's and Vivian's gazes) didn't know how he'd gotten there (thank you, sleeping solution), or for that matter why _they_ were there, and it wasn't until the girls had admitted some of his buddies to the dorm that Pucey started to wonder if Malfoy actually _had _snogged him outside the potions classroom. Though he still wasn't sure if it was a wicked prank being played on him or not- if his mind really had blocked out the memory. Pucey was none to complain to Vivian's 'doctoring'.

"And he won't see Madam Pomfrey about it, huh?" Rebecca asked.

"Nope. He says that he can't remember anything of the sort, and if it actually _did_ happen, why in the hell would he want such a memory? Besides, he thinks it might affect their quidditch performance. He'd like to remain as unaffected as possible."

Rebecca giggled. "Yeah. And I see old ferret-boy isn't even here…"

Live grinned, glad for that. "Good. Hopefully he won't show that little prick of a face for a few days, if not weeks…but I'm not greedy," Live said with a snicker.

When she and Kelena had originally planned out the vengeance on Malfoy, it had been decided weeks in advance that Pucey would be the poor victim that Kel would impersonate (him being quite the stud of Slytherin anyway) and Live would slip a few drops of a powerful sleeping solution into his morning snack (of which he kept a treasure-trove that put Kara to shame, beside his bed) before he left his dorms. Then it was only a matter of putting Pucey to bed and giving him an antidote to the sleeping solution.

Through the course of the last week or so, however, Pucey's instrumentality in the saving of George's life had made it harder for Live to make Pucey their player, but even so, there hadn't been much time to change their plans and substitute someone else. Kelena had been practicing mimicry for a while. The notice was too short to switch things. And who else but one of the more attractive males of Slytherin would she want Malfoy to be caught with? After all, more believable. Putterly himself thought Pucey was quite foxy. And she felt that Pucey, of all people, was most the likely to bounce back from such a horrid 'incident'. But to make up for it a bit she found it would be very easy to set him up with Vivian, and it seemed the two were getting along quite spiffingly.

"Well at least Vivian's enjoying this," Rebecca snickered. "I wouldn't be surprised if she ended up in his bed by the end of the week."

Live's eyes were wide, knowing that her friend meant 'in the biblical sense' of bedding, and she looked at her other friend sitting next to Pucey. "That little trollop," she laughed. She was jostled solidly from behind as someone was passing her, and she let out an offended noise as she regained her posture, the offender not even apologizing.

"What the hell was that about?" Live asked with righteous agitation, hoping her rather bitchy offender had heard her.

Rebecca snorted. "Melinda Harris…she's likely still pissy about this afternoon. And, of course, the outcome of the quidditch match yesterday." They looked at the girl who had so jostled Live, and she sneered back at them, glaring as she took her seat at the far end of the table with a few of Malfoy's friends.

"What happened this afternoon?" Live asked with agitated curiosity. "Shit, and what the hell was her problem?" They took their seats near Pucey and Vivian, but sat close in one-another's confidence.

"Well apparently," Becca started, whispering in Live's ear, "she threw herself at Putterly, and he wouldn't have her. I think the realization that Malfoy fancies blokes a bit more than girls made her realize she couldn't have _him_, so she set to begging Jason to take her back. His family is about as old as the Malfoy's anyway."

"No way," Live said in disbelief. Melinda threw herself at him? She was very confused.

Rebecca nodded. "It was all outside the charms classroom. I think poor Professor Flitwick nearly had a heart attack. And Jason just told her she wasn't good enough, that her magic was sub-par, and he left her fuming in the hall."

Live frowned. "That doesn't sound like something Jason would say," she thought aloud, considering.

"Well, he does have a point," Becca noted. "I mean, next to you, her skills with charms are equivalent to first-year Hufflepuff." Live snorted into her pumpkin juice with a laugh. "Though she's not all that bad at potions, at least."

"Yeah, when she's not glaring holes into my back," Live remarked of the other girl's curious hatred toward her. "I wish Professor Snape would just fail her already…"

Rebecca giggled. "Ha! And then what would keep you on your toes in potions, huh? I know you stare off into space when you start thinking about George…and in potions, that's not at all safe," she teased. Live smacked her to shut her up, eyes darting over to the Gryffindor table to make sure said boy hadn't a snowball's chance of hearing that. "And then there's the fact that all you gotta do is turn around to _actually _look at him…"

"Well if it pleases you, highness, perhaps I should sit in the back of class with dear old Melinda to keep me distracted?" she asked sarcastically, being purposely snarky to her friend. She stuck her tongue out and added, "My potions skills are second to none, thank you very much. With or without George's distraction."

Becca only laughed, and mimed like she had just received a letter. "Aaaaaand…." she started as she 'opened' this letter, "Your fortune for the day is: girls who sit behind hot boys get distracted and do not learn the subject at hand."

They both succumbed to laughs and giggles.

"Ha, you're blushing!" Rebecca accused with snickers.

"Shut up Becca," Live said in embarrassed tones, grinning.

"Aw, I'm so jealous of you…I wish I had someone crazy in love with me," she said dreamily, absentmindedly moving the food about on her plate.

Live only grinned into her goblet, glancing at her red-headed prankster at the Gryffindor table. He was sitting with Lee and Fred, the twins casting bothered, agitated looks in Ginny's direction as she sat between Seamus and Harry. It made Live smile. They just couldn't accept that she was growing up and taking an interest in the 'sights' about her. Though she was quite sure that she herself and Kel were more than a little responsible for that...

"So…about those Gryffindors…" Becca started with a smirk.

Live gave her a knowing look. Her friend wasn't even bothering to act covert. "What have you heard, Becca?"

"Did you _really_ party with the Gryffindors last night after we lost the game?" she asked with loyal disbelief. The look on the blonde's face was all the response Becca needed. "Oh _Live_…everyone's so pissed off about that…"

Live only sighed, and munched a bit of a biscuit. "Well…yeah…I guess they would be…"

"Is it true that you spent the night with George?" she asked with true wondrous curiosity.

"I spend just about every night with George," she told her friend indifferently. "You know that, Becca."

"You know what I mean," the other Slytherin witch confided. Live looked at her blankly, and Becca raised her eyebrows a few times.

"We haven't done it Becca," she disclosed dispassionately, having a bite of potatoes.

"You should probably know that Lavender Brown is spreading around very dirty rumors about you." Live looked taken aback. That little tramping whore. "They're not getting much press right now though, due to Malfoy. He's gonna be on people's lips for weeks, not to mention Pucey's," she said with a grin.

"That little bitch…" Live noted with surprise. She looked at the Gryffindor table, but couldn't find the girl in question.

"She's not there," Rebecca told her with a smirk. Live raised an eyebrow. "I heard she, too, is staying holed-up in her dorm tonight."

Live looked wholly snarky, but allowed her friend to continue. "Why do go on, Miss Haversham," she said in a teasing tone. Becca grinned.

"I heard that your little sister did a bit of rumor-quelling on her own."

Live's eyes were wide. "Kara's been fighting _again_?" She was both pleased and displeased.

"She said to tell you she won," Becca said with an amused smile for Live's younger sister as she took a drink from her goblet.

"Consorting with Gryffindors, tsk tsk Becca. What would your mother say?" Live remarked with a grin, looking over at the Gryffindor table to see her dear little sister trying quite successfully to pilfer a treacle tart off Kelena's plate.

"McGonagall told them both off. It was quite entertaining," Rebecca informed. She snorted. "That Brown bint…she's been saying all sorts of things. Why I heard--"

"You seem to hear quite an awful lot," Live interrupted with a self-satisfied smirk at being purposely-annoying.

Rebecca rolled her eyes. "You're always with George, who else is Vivian going to chat to?" Live snickered wickedly. "_Aaaaanyways_, as I was saying…I heard that you were running naked around Gryffindor Tower last night," Becca laughed boisterously. Live almost spit her drink all over the table.

"Holy hell! How many people think that?!"

Becca snickered, ignoring her query. "Ah, but your cheeks are red…Could there be some thread of truth to this little rumor?" she asked with a grin.

Live set down her fork and turned towards her friend. She had both pointer-fingers up in gesture. "Look, we were really drunk, and really pumped up, and things got a little naked."

"Sounds a little bacchanalian to me," her friend noted with a grin of satisfaction at Live's blush.

"FINALLY!" came a shout from the Gryffindor table. An owl flew away from delivering the little box that George Weasley was grasping in triumph. He got up from the table and ran out of the Great Hall with loud 'whoop's.

Becca looked at Live, who turned back to her food without another look. "I don't even want to know…"

sSs

"So…how're things going with Pucey, Viv?" Live asked with a smirk as she was getting undressed for the night.

"You gotta really admire his courage through all this," Vivian stated with a smile. After quite a wondrous day, she was feeling quite the lucky one indeed. She was still in her school robes sitting cross-legged on her bed. She was too excited to get ready for bed.

"Yeah, we noticed you 'admiring' it all through dinner. I'm surprised you're not in his bed tonight," Live teased with a wicked grin. Rebecca was snickering on her own bed, pulling on her nightgown.

Vivian threw a pillow at her. "Oh shut up Live!" the Slytherin witch said with a flip of her hair, trying to hide her blush. She wasn't about to admit that the thought had crossed her mind…and more than once, and surely more before they truly retired for the night.

"Haha, poor Pucey," Live remarked, gathering up towels and shedding the last of her clothing. "Between you and Malfoy, I think he's gonna end up in a room at St. Mungos by the end of the term."

Vivian made a face and grabbed her wand from her robes, pointing it at Live as the blonde witch's towel was trying to free itself from its owner's body.

"GAH! Viv! Knock it off!" Live squealed in surprise, trying to keep herself covered up as the towel fought for freedom.

Rebecca was laughing as Live was grasping the towel with all her might. "Aw Viv, we're just playing with you," she giggled from watching the scene.

"_Yeah_!" Live affirmed gruffly as she fought her towel. "And I'm only trying to keep this towel on for you two!" she added roughly.

This time even Vivian succumbed to snickers. "Ah, fine Live, since I don't want to be subjected to blinding paleness…"

Live's towel gave up it's fight for freedom, going limp as Live exhaled. "Geez."

"I wonder what she'll do to you once they actually start doing it," Becca remarked with a grin and a wink.

"You want your pajamas to try for freedom too?" Vivian threatened, feeling quite safe in her own school robes.

Becca only laughed, winking at her friend in tease. "Go ahead you closet-case. I'll just walk around the room as naked as Live does."

"Hey!" Live let out indignantly. She picked up one of Vivian's shoes and chucked it at Becca, who shrieked with dodging giggles. Though it didn't help her case that she was standing in a pool of her own clothing, wrapped in only the offending towel. "You both know you like it," she added with a naughty smirk, slipping Becca some skin. "Hey _Becca_," she said saucily with a wink.

"Oh shut up and take your shower," the girl responded with a smirk. Live stuck out her tongue and disappeared into the bathroom. "So…how _is_ Pucey getting along?" Becca asked Vivian as she slipped under her bedcovers.

"It's as if it never happened, really. He's as normal as ever," Vivian remarked with a smug look. She let out a soft laugh. "And he has quite a memory…he asked me about the bra I was wearing the day I flashed him…" Both girls giggled boisterously.

"Rebecca! _Did you take my body-wash again_?" Live's agitated holler came from the echoic bathroom amid the noise of the shower. Becca huffed indignantly, but before she could snarkily answer, Live hollered back. "Oh wait, here it is, never mind!"

"Honestly," Becca mumbled as she turned over on the bed.

"…Think Pucey really likes me?" Vivian asked meekly. Becca turned back over to look at her friend seated nervously on her own bed.

"He likes you, Vivvie. And not just in the usual 'do-me' sense," Becca affirmed. Vivian squealed with girlish thrill and sighed. Becca laughed and turned back over.

Live's loud screams issued from the bathroom as both girls were shocked from their reverie. Vivian was off her bed in mere moments, Becca right at her heels.

The door was locked, and Live's pain-filled screams met their ears as they called out to her. Vivian rushed to her bed, skidding on some clothes as she grabbed for her wand, and rushed back to the door.

"_Alohomora_!" she cried as the little lock switched in the door. They bust in as the noises of the running water and Live's elevating screams reverberated off the walls.

Becca thrust open the shower curtain as Live still screamed. She was standing directly under the water rubbing at her skin with red, irritated hands. Her flesh was slightly pinkish, like a bad sunburn, all along her arms and down random areas of her body.

"_I'm burning_!" Live shrieked roughly as she rubbed at her skin which burned like wet fire, keeping her eyes closed under the water for safety as well as because of the pain. She screamed a high-pitched scream as her skin became slightly redder, more inflamed.

Becca stuck her hand under the water only to find it quite cold, and Live herself didn't seem to have anything wrong with her but for the suds and body-wash on her body.

"Live what do we do?!?" Vivian cried out as she carefully put a hand to her friend's skin beneath the icy water. Live's skin felt slick, but otherwise normal, but Vivian's touch seemed to hurt her and she quickly removed her hand as Live writhed under the water. It was then that Vivian noticed the dropped bottle of cucumber body-wash leaking out of the bottle and down the drain in the bottom of the tub. Live was in great pain, her skin turning red as Vivian's own hand started to sting badly.

Both girls were both suddenly thrust against the parallel wall of the bathroom with a particularly painful shriek of Live's. They dropped down to the tiled floor with aghast gazes at the pressure that had forcibly thrown them. The bathtub groaned and threatened to crack.

"_Get it off me_!" Live was barely able to shriek in agonized pain. She was rubbing at her skin, even scratching to get the substance off, and the water running down the drain was slightly pink-tinted with her own essence.

Vivian turned to Rebecca with a frightened look. "Get Professor Snape!"

Without even a last glance Becca was gone from the bathroom, Live's screams following her as she ran the length of the Slytherin dorms and out the common room in nothing but her damp nightgown.

Vivian was scared. Live's screams, which she knew the naked blonde was trying to suppress, were echoing terribly off the walls. She grabbed one of the towels in the room and started to gently but efficiently rub at Live's skin. The wet blonde grabbed an edge of it and started to roughly rub as she tried her best to control the new screams that came with the contact of the towel.

As Vivian ignored the stinging pain in her own hands that almost made her stop twice, she dabbed and rubbed the towel at Live's inflamed skin, getting more of the gel and subsequent suds off her body than just water and rubbing alone had done. The towel was spotted with pink, and though Live had no open wounds, the rawness of her skin scared Vivian to no end. In the back of her mind, she remembered importantly and grabbed the other towel from the floor, taking the sopping, pinkish one from Live and flinging it far away from them now that it was contaminated.

"Put this around you, Live!" she urged, nearly climbing into the shower with the other girl as she and the new towel became quickly soaked. Live began to scream even worse, nearly fighting her friend as Vivian attempted to wrap the towel about her torso. "I know it hurts Live, but you need to cover up, if just for a few moments," she cajoled as Live's pain-filled screams became more or less whimpers, her firm stance in the shower becoming more wobbly as she became light-headed with pain. Vivian wrapped the towel under her arms and around her torso as Live rubbed at her skin through the fabric, trying to swallow her screams as the fibers tore at her sensitive skin.

Vivian's timing couldn't have been better as Snape burst into the chaotic bathroom. He looked momentarily bewildered at the sight of both witches soaking wet in and about the tub, one in nothing but a soaked towel, the other in wet school robes looking at him with wide eyes, hair sopping. Live's eyes were scrunched tightly together in severe pain as she still scratched at her bared shoulders, causing large scratches that lightly bled to appear in her skin. Vivian wanted to do the same to her own hands, but she pet Live even as the wet blonde let out another ear-splitting scream.

Both Vivian and Snape were once again forcibly thrown against the opposite wall of the bathroom, but this time every tile in the room cracked to pieces, several large breaking noises sounded as large cracks running the length of the tub appeared in the porcelain, the thing staying together by sheer will alone. Plastic bottles of shampoos and body-washes busted their tops, spilling their contents; the more fragile ones exploded in shards of glass and colored gels.

Vivian looked up at Snape with frightened eyes, not knowing what to do, scared of the power that Live was showing without volition. He in turn looked utterly bewildered with the lot of it.

Rebecca showed up at the door with one of their cotton robes in hand, eyes wide at the entire scene. Live was screaming now unendingly, trying to make the water go colder and more forceful to alleviate her skin. She was holding on to the water-handle to keep from falling, her body swaying as she was becoming weak with the involuntary sloughing of magic and her screaming.

Becca hastened to the tub and put the robe on Live's shoulders. She wrapped her in it as best she could, chilled under the cold water as she held her pained friend steady. Snape was behind her immediately, taking decisive action and seizing Live.

"Out of the way you silly girl," Snape growled to Becca as he hefted Live from under the water and into his arms, darting from the bathroom as her dying screams echoed down the hall.

Vivian and Becca only regarded one-another's soaking forms a moment before running out of the dormitory and after their head of house. Students were out of their rooms about the hall, heads peeking out of doors in curiosity at the screams still echoing down the commons. Both wet witches pushed past the people gawking at their states, ignoring questions and hollers as they fled the common room. Another few moments and they were running down the stone halls of the castle after Snape in their bare feet, following the agonizing wails of their quickly-weakening friend. If anything that Live had told them about her magic and it's new wildness had been true, then they knew that their friend was in very bad shape. If she suffered even one more of those magical misfires strong enough that it destroyed their bathroom, she herself wouldn't last much longer.

sSs


	38. Flirting with Death

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 38: Flirting with Death

sSs

They called it a Soul Bubble, a sort of cocoon made from an instinctual last-ditch effort of self-preservation. The body went dormant, hanging between the life and death planes, and the only thing sustaining it was the concentrated environment inside the translucent, seemingly-fragile bubble. For now, it was the only thing keeping Live alive.

There had been only moments in which they could treat her before the Soul Bubble had taken form and encapsulated the area around her, forcing them out. Snape had gotten her to the hospital wing in record time, and Dumbledore had shown up not two minutes after. And with a foundation-shaking sloughing of such a dangerous amount of magic, Live had fallen unconscious from the pain and wild draining from her body. It was better that she was unconscious, as her pain had been the cause of those magical outbursts, and since she couldn't feel it they'd had their chance to sedate and treat her; to stop her magical loss and impending demise.

Live's agony-filled screams had luckily died, but with enough force to worry the stones of the hospital wing. And that hadn't resulted in what one would call relief. She was hanging on by mere fibers, and a witch in her condition needed emergency care and needed it right away. Safely unconscious upon a cot, Madam Pomfrey had done her best to provide renewed strength and healing as quickly as possible to the injured witch, yet it hadn't been enough.

The mediwitch learned that Live was horridly burnt all over her body, the face left unblemished while her hands and arms had suffered the worst of the damage. The skin was marred where she had deep, self-inflicted red scratches. Certain areas of her body had been graciously unaffected and spared, such as parts of her back and torso, making it easier to treat, while others- like her legs- were only minorly red due to slight contact with the deceitful body wash, and needed less treatment. Pomfrey had been able to heal the self-inflicted scratches on Live's body immediately, but the burns were more serious in nature and would require more than just a closing spell to heal them, if not special potions. The most she was able to accomplish before the Soul Bubble had cocooned Live was to cleanse her skin of the traces of acidic potion, and by then, Live's self-preservation instincts had kicked in.

Within fifteen minutes of the horrendous event, actions had occurred at nerve-wracking speed and converged at a point where she was beyond help. Live had been spirited to the hospital wing, the essentials of her injuries quickly cleaned up and minorly treated by both Dumbledore and Pomfrey. Then the Soul Bubble had erected itself about her, and that was all they could do for her.

While Pomfrey was fretting and Dumbledore in ominous thought, Snape had been off collecting the potion he had been working on to suppress the wildness of Live's magic. He arrived too late to administer it, however, as she was within the bubble and indefinitely out of their power.

It was very stressing and especially frightening for Vivian and Rebecca, both soaked witches in near tears over concern for their friend. Until the bubble had produced itself directly from Live's own being, Vivian and Rebecca had stayed out of the way. But now that things were at a standstill, it seemed less of a sin to interfere. Her friends were at a loss, right along with the professors.

The Slytherin witches were standing behind their Head of House, peering around him at the translucent, shimmering bubble. It was nearly hypnotic, the way the violets and pearly silvers of the bubble entwined and mixed only to separate once more. It was beautiful, whatever it was.

"Is she going to be alright?" Vivian piped up, hugging herself for warmth. Both were sopping wet, one in school robes and the other in a flimsy nightgown. They were both shivering from fear and cold.

"Who has had access to your dormitory other than yourselves?" the Bat-King of Slytherin demanded to know as he turned about-face, she having garnered his attention.

Becca opened her mouth to speak without thinking, but Vivian gave her a pointed look with chastising eyes. Realization dawning on her mistake, Becca closed her mouth, studying the hem of their professor's robes as if in thought. It wouldn't do for him to know a boy had been in their dorm, let alone a Gryffindor who couldn't possibly have committed such a crime.

"Yes, Miss Haversham?" Snape inquired of Rebecca with an expectant look.

She shook her head with tight lips, his scrutiny causing her to blush as she realized just how see-through her nightgown probably was.

"Does that mean that you refuse to tell me, or that you don't know?" Snape pressed coldly, ignoring the pink-tint to her cheeks. This wasn't a time to be worried about modesty.

"No one has, sir," Vivian quickly spoke up, drawing attention away from Becca and unfortunately upon herself. She shivered even more under his cold gaze.

"And you're quite sure of this, Miss Monteclaire?" he inquired smoothly, giving her a look that made her feel all the more icy, as if he knew full-well she was lying to him.

And he probably did.

"Yes sir. We don't give out our personal passwords, let alone tell people how to break our wards," Vivian reported stoutly. "If anyone got in, they would have had to be good at ward-breaking. She was the one who set them," Vivian reported of Live. While George Weasley was usually let in with a knock and no bother, he himself had been able to break their wards the handful of times Live hadn't taken him in personally. But while he had been in their dorm, and innumerable times for that matter, she knew he was incapable of doing something like this to the girl he was so crazily enamored with.

She looked in Snape's eyes, hoping he wouldn't press the matter anymore. He narrowed his gaze a bit as he studied Vivian, and she felt as if she couldn't look away, her gaze transfixed as she simmered in her half-lie, checks flushing.

"Severus."

Snape gave his attention to Dumbledore, the old wizard looking at him with a thinking frown. Vivian blinked freely, guilt on her face. "Yes, Headmaster?"

"I think it might be wise to get a hold of the substance which burned her and discover the signature of the maker. With hope it will help us find the one responsible for this, as well as know just how serious those burns really are."

Giving Vivian one last cursory glare, and Becca an open leer, he sneered and left the wing for the Slytherin dormitories. Rebecca let out an audible sigh of relief, rubbing her prickled skin with her hands as her cheeks flushed yet again.

"Warm yourselves up, girls," Madam Pomfrey told both witches as she handed them hospital blankets, the worst of her busyness over. "I don't need the two of you catching a cold."

"Mm," Becca agreed, hastily wrapping the blanket about her with the realization of just how naked she truly felt…and she was dryer now than she had been when she ran to get Snape. She groaned.

"Are either of you girls hurt?" Pomfrey asked, looking at both wet witches. Rebecca shook her head, and Vivian held out her hands, which had come in contact with the potion that had burnt Live. The mediwitch quickly slathered on burn-healing paste and wrapped up the sixth-year's hands.

"What now, Albus?" Pomfrey asked, putting away the jar of burn-healing paste. No chance of using it on Live. And the encapsulated witch was going to have heavy scarring if she didn't get to put at least _some _salve on those burn-wounds.

"It is all up to her now," the ancient wizard remarked. "Until the magic drained from such a traumatic sloughing of such is regenerated and her body healed of injury, she will remain within her new environment. For how long I do not know."

"I thought so…" Pomfrey muttered with severe agitation. Having an ailing patient right before your eyes that you could do nothing about to help was right frustrating. "But at least it's where I can monitor her."

Dumbledore nodded sagely.

"Sir, what exactly _is_ that?" Vivian asked of the bubble.

"It's pretty," Becca commented as if that in itself was wrong.

"As I'm not surprised," Dumbledore responded. "This is the Soul Bubble, the physical embodiment of her soul. It's 'pretty' because of your friend's innate goodness and purity, which is fine to see. The bubble is rare, but not unusual. Yet she is drained to near death of magic. When that happens to a witch or wizard, sometimes a Soul Bubble will erect itself to save their life. In most all other cases, the person dies." Vivian and Rebecca both looked horrified at such news. Dumbledore offered them a consoling half-smile. "She's stuck inside for her own protection, I'm afraid. And until her body's magic is restored to a healthy level, we cannot do a thing. But for now, she is safe."

Rebecca held the blanket tight around her form, becoming a bit brave and approaching the bubble to peer at her friend inside. Live wasn't moving, the witch's hair still wet against her pillow, the robe she'd been wrapped in covering part of her person, blankets haphazardly on the rest. It was unnerving, not even seeing the rise and fall of her chest. "She looks dead…" she observed, and looked to Dumbledore, who nodded in noted agreement.

"In a way, her body is dead." Horrified gasps came from both girls looking at him with sharp movements. He thought maybe he should have explained the next bit first. "Think of that bubble as her being, her _new _body. All the magic that should be within her is currently out. She has to make up for it, slowly, from the outside in before things can be made right. The functions of her body- breathing, for instance, are unnecessary. That instinctual magic which almost killed her is trying to save her. Fear not, my dears."

Vivian approached now with wide, worried eyes, side-stepping Pomfrey, who was clucking with agitation and nearly pacing the little area in which Live subsided, trying to think of something that might be helpful. The idea of privacy screens came to mind, and she hustled off the gather the items.

Vivian peered in at Live, wishing she could help. "Couldn't we just go through it and help her?" she asked about the bubble, reaching out her hand to touch the substance. It felt cold and smooth, but strong, and she sensed a great resonating power within. As she gently attempted to push her hand through the barrier, the entire bubble crystallized right from the point she'd touched, rejecting her. She immediately withdrew her hand in fear, but what was done was done, and in place of a bubble was now a dome. It was like quartz in appearance and of cloudy translucence, violet in some areas, silvery-white in others.

"I didn't do it," Vivian immediately said in defense, frightened and worried that she'd somehow caused her friend harm. She looked to Dumbledore as she backed away from the dome, scared, looking at Becca in terrified realization.

"It's alright my dear, no harm done," Dumbledore told her gently, seeing the look on her face. "It's part of the defense. Nothing goes in, and she doesn't come out." Vivian looked mollified, and peered back at what she'd triggered. "There are plenty of creatures in this world which would find the magic- and many times the defenseless body- of a weakened witch or wizard a delightful treat. And inside that bubble is highly concentrated magic to hasten her healing and regeneration. The amount, however, is small, so it must be contained safely and stably. Almost like she is in a sped-up recovery room. Should something get inside somehow, it could easily absorb what little magic she needs to replace the loss and kill her."

"But she's already _lost _most her magic. How can she have such concentrated magic when it's mostly gone?" Rebecca pointed out in confusion.

"The magic which is left is magic in its most raw, powerful form," Dumbledore clarified. "It is that which remains inside all of us till the very end, which is the most powerful magic of all." They both looked at him with wide, captivated eyes. He smiled kindly, sadly. "Her soul is keeping her alive, and the bubble created itself before every ounce of magic she had left her."

"So," Rebecca started slowly, trying to understand, "what you're saying is that basically, her body is empty because her soul is healing her, and that bubble is going to make it all better? Right?"

"Yes, but at a price, you see. She is quite defenseless otherwise, and should the bubble break…" He stopped, not wanting to alarm them more than he'd already done. He smiled in that calm, comforting way. "That bubble can only keep out so much."

"Better than dead," Vivian muttered gloomily to herself.

"It is helping her to survive. If she were in the battlefield and drained, this would protect her remaining life against most creatures and wizards alike." He looked at the dome in thought. Yes, she would be quite safe within the walls of Hogwarts. In the field, however, it could end quite differently with power-hungry wizards lurking about with half-decent power. He decided he wouldn't mention the fact that if the bubble were to burst too early, her soul faced being lost forever, not to mention the death of her physical body. And then there was the problem that once her body _did_ heal, if she would fight coming back to them or not in corporeal form.

"Could _you_ enter it?" Vivian suddenly asked inquisitively as she broke into his thoughts. "Enter it and help her?"

He smiled at her, eyes gleaming. "I could force my way into the Soul Bubble if I wished, but I do not desire the death of your friend," he said with a smile. Vivian's eyes widened. "If I entered that bubble, even to try and help her, I could accidentally absorb the little magic she has left, and the amount is so small." He shook his head slightly. "No, I would not enter it, even to help her." Vivian was worried ever more. So even Dumbledore couldn't help her. She was out of even his reach. "I'm afraid there isn't much you can do for your friend now except wait. And you both appear quite chilled."

Rebecca looked at Viv and she back at Becca. Yes, they _were _cold, and still more than frightened.

"I'm certain Professor Snape has acquired what he needs from your dorm, as well as assured that it is quite safe for you to return there from his clearance," Dumbledore added, gently prodding them with words from the hospital wing as well as trying to ease their minds with a comforting smile.

They looked back at one another with even more unease. The thought of Snape lurking about their bedroom for any reason whatsoever heartily failed to put their minds at ease, and already their thoughts were a tumult of new information. The only worse thing they could think of was the idea of Filch rummaging through their personal items.

Vivian shivered.

"Each of you drink one of these as well," Madam Pomfrey added in seeing their shivers. She handed each of them a Pepperup Potion she'd been preparing. Vivian concurred that the mediwitch didn't grasp exactly why a new fit of shivers came on.

"Thank you," Becca said, giving Vivian a look that seemed to convey the same thought as both of them drank their potions. Vivian choked on hers in frightened surprise as the quartz-like shell around Live began to slowly fade away, melting back into the translucent bubble it had originally been.

"Perfectly normal," Dumbledore supplied to the girls' silent, alarmed faces. "The perceived danger is gone, and her magic has allowed the bubble to return to its customary state." Vivian and Rebecca looked at him dolefully, steam rising from their ears as their hands clasped empty glasses. They looked quite the pair. "It uses less energy when she is not in a state of threat, so I must request that no one attempt to touch the bubble, let alone enter it. It could be quite dangerous for you as well," he explained.

"Yes sir," they replied as one, realizing how important it was not to mess with their friend whatsoever, even if they desperately wanted to help.

"Professor Dumbledore, how long will she be like this?" Rebecca asked. She supposed Live wouldn't be sneaking out to Hogsmeade this weekend after all.

He looked woefully at the bubble and the Slytherin witch encapsulated inside it. "A week…a month…a year…Sadly my dears, there is no definite answer which I can give you at this moment. Everything is dependent upon the affected witch or wizard."

"But she _will_ eventually be alright, right?"

Dumbledore only smiled as he observed the iridescent movement of the stationary bubble. With the recent wild quality of Live's magic, and the changing of its forms, there were too many variables for him to give them a definite answer. The average witch or wizard had only so much magic within them, and hers had become mutable and unstable, too wild for even her to keep subconscious control over. She was an admirably powerful witch before any business with prophecies or magic types had ever come into play, but now everything was far more complicated.

For the average witch or wizard, the heightened environment of the Soul Bubble had their magic back to them and wounds closed well within a fortnight, considering of course that they survived the often-hostile environment about them and their wounds weren't _too_ serious. Soul Bubbles being commonly found on battlefields, a well-aimed, powerful-enough curse could break it, the magic of the soul swallowed up. Then there was the matter that once a bubble erected itself, it nor the person inside it could be moved until it was broken, and the defense of the bubble couldn't hold up against _anything_ on its own. But under the right circumstances and conditions, the healing rate of a person could be detected by simple observation.

"Professor?" Vivian's anxious voice broke through his thoughts.

He turned his eyes to hers and smiled kindly. "Everything depends upon time. And we will know just how soon that is when the wounds of her body begin to heal and close. Once that occurs, then perhaps…We should have a proper estimate by tomorrow morning." Both girls sighed in hopeful relief, and he gave them a pleased smile. "You should both be commended for your fast action in helping your friend. You did the right thing getting Professor Snape and bringing her here. I fear for what may have happened if you had not." And not just to Live, but to the other two girls as well. Live was a danger to herself and to others when in extremes of emotions, and she could have brought the castle down around them if she hadn't passed out in time. And now her life hung on by mere threads.

Rebecca grabbed the edges of her blanket close around her. "We heard her screaming…it was horrible…her poor skin…"

"Miss Hunter is very lucky to have such good friends," he recognized them. He looked at the bubble, a new worry entering his mind. "I must ask that neither of you speak of what has happened here tonight. The aspects of her encasement should remain secret for as long as they can, for her safety. Magic is never easier to leech from one's own being as it is from a Soul Bubble, and dark wizards and creatures alike might attempt to prey upon her. There is no doubt that the one responsible will know of her burns, but not of the Soul Bubble. "

"What about her little sister? Kara?" Vivian asked.

"All of Slytherin house knows about what happened to Live by now," Rebecca agreed. And if she knew any better, gossip was still getting around, even if it was just about curfew time.

Dumbledore nodded, the thought having already crossed his mind. "I will speak to Professor McGonagall on the matter. But for now, I would rather not worry minds that are currently helpless. Tomorrow morning you may both visit if you wish, of course. But it is getting rather late," Dumbledore told them thoughtfully, gently prodding them with his words.

"Yes," Vivian agreed to his silent directive. She put a bandaged hand on Becca's arm. "We'll just tell anyone who stops us to shove it," she said quietly to her friend. She heard Dumbledore quietly chuckle, and she immediately felt sheepish, wishing she'd kept her big mouth shut. She turned her head slowly back to him, and he merely regarded them with a kind smile.

"Off to bed," he told them.

Vivian smiled quickly and grabbed Rebecca, herding the other girl from the room as they muttered goodnights. Both felt more than helpless as well as frightened. But Live would be okay. She had to. Dumbledore had said so.

"Let's just try to get some sleep tonight, and check on her in the morning," Rebecca said once outside. She linked arms with her friend beneath their hospital blankets as they walked the corridor back to the dorms.

"If we can…I'm going to be hearing her screams in my nightmares," Vivian confided with anxiety. "And we still don't know who was in our room." She turned an anxious face to her friend.

"I'm sleeping with you tonight," Becca told Vivian firmly. The other witch just smirked. "Professor Snape supposedly made it safe…"

Vivian shivered. "Don't get me started on that…I don't know what I'm more freaked out about…Him being in there, or someone else sneaking about...It could have been one of us in that shower, you know…"

Rebecca sighed, holding her blanket close about her, her flimsy nightgown sticking to her body. "So, what do we tell everyone? You know they're gonna ask…"

Vivian was silent for a moment in thought. "Well, we tell them she was burnt by a potion…" Vivian chewed her lip in consternation. "They don't need to know anything else, or how…Snape probably did _some_ damage control," she said with hope.

"Probably not the kind we'd like." It was most likely he'd told the inquisitive Slytherins off as he messed about in their dorm, pillaged their bathroom, and then strode off looking like a lunatic with thieved women's shower articles. "Her screams probably woke up all of Slytherin, and the rest of them woke everyone else up…"

"Crap," Vivian muttered as low and behold, they had their first encounter with a fellow housemate. Luckily, it wasn't your run-of-the-mill snarky-ass Slytherin, and this they could deal with for warming up.

"Hey, what's going on? Is Live okay?" Putterly asked as he regarded the two of them for a long moment, pondering their curious appearances with a worried frown.

"She's gonna be alright, Putterly," Vivian told him confidently, looking at his pajamas with quirked brow. "Nothing to worry about."

"Well what in the hell happened? McVaken and I thought we heard screaming, and everyone said Snape carried her off…" he said with amused disbelief. He gave them both very odd looks, and Rebecca had an eyebrow of her own raised. She looked at Vivian.

"McVaken?" she half-mouthed.

"…boyfriend…" Viv muttered quietly.

"…oh…"

Putterly frowned with worry. "_Is_ everything alright? Snape was mussing about in your rooms when I went to check on you…Is _she _alright? He wouldn't tell us anything…"

Becca looked at Vivian, and the other witch broke the news. "She's…been burnt."

"Burnt?" He looked horrified, and a number of disfiguring images ran through his mind, none of them flattering to the blond witch. "How burnt?"

"There was a potion she mistook for her body wash, and she was burned…Not bad, though," Vivian added, doing her own damage control. He looked dubious and fearful. "No no, it's not bad…Probably stung a bit, but you know how she overreacts sometimes," she added with a false laugh. She brightened considerably in false demeanor, trying to brush it all off, and failing horribly. "Just like a bad sunburn, don't worry…It's probably just a prank or something, nothing Madam Pomfrey can't fix." She smiled at him, and Rebecca thought that even _she_ wasn't buying this act.

"A prank?" he repeated with disbelief. "And she's in the hospital?"

"Don't worry about it, she'll be good as new in no time," Vivian remarked with cheerful hope. "People end up in hospital all the time 'cause of pranks."

"Dumbledore said we can visit tomorrow since it's so late now, so no worries," Rebecca jumped in, not thinking Putterly was buying Vivian's cheeriness for a minute.

"_Dumbledore was there_?" His voice was full of even more disbelief. Whatever had happened to Live shouldn't have warranted Dumbledore if it was as minor as Vivian made it out to be. His eyes reflected serious thinking, his face a deep frown. "So she's hurt pretty bad, then?"

Vivian's carefree smile was back into play as she batted the air with nonchalant denial. Rebecca just looked at him with a sort of grimace.

"It was just someone's stupid idea of a prank. Don't worry about it, Putterly," Rebecca told him, side-stepping his question.

"Pretty nasty prank…Right nasty. Who do you think 's responsible?"

"I don't know. No one has access to our dorms…except us," she finished, her thoughts fleeting towards George a moment, then dispersing.

He regarded them with a suspicious look and a concluded 'humph', and turned back around the way he came, striding at first, but then changing to a light jog in tune with his hurried thoughts. No doubt people were going nuts over this. Vivian sighed when he was out of earshot.

"Hopefully he'll find something useful out," Vivian hoped for their burnt friend.

Rebecca gave her a poke in the ribs, a sarcastic look on her face. "Nice one, Vivvie. He's definitely not worried."

"Well maybe if you'd have jumped in sooner…My nerves are shot," she told her friend.

"With any luck, he'll tell everyone else before we get back to commons, and they'll leave it and us alone…"

"Maybe they'll gossip about you running about the castle in a see-through nightgown like some crazy moistened bint and Live will be safe for now," she said with a smarmy smirk, laughing from severe nervousness.

"Don't start with me, Viv. I'm not in the mood," Rebecca countered somberly.

"Too bad Putterly likes the fellows…You look quite a sight, you know…Otherwise you could bunk with him and McVaken and I could stay with Pucey," she added with a wry wink, trying to be light-hearted. Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay, since you're against the hanky panky, you _can_ stay with them, and I'll stay with Pucey. They won't lay a finger on _you_." She giggled with nervousness, fear making her chuckle.

"Oh shut up, Viv. I'm not looking forward to going back to our room any more than you are." Her words seemed hard, but her tone was soft, sympathetic with her roommate and friend.

They were quiet for a while after, walking in silence, each to their own thoughts. The stone echoed lightly with their footfalls. The walk back to commons was far more different than the one leaving it had been…Silent as the grave where it had been full of painful screams not half an hour ago.

Vivian shivered. She felt chilled, but not because of the damp clothes. "I'm scared to go to sleep…" She gave her friend a sheepish grin.

Becca smiled back sympathetically. She listened to the echoes as they walked, turning a corner. She sighed. "I don't think we'll have to. We have a waiting party," she said in motioning to the Slytherins gathered outside the secret entrance to their commons. They were abuzz, no doubt to the tidbits Putterly had had to offer. They looked up expectantly, and suddenly Becca felt very naked. "Crap."

sSs

It was early morning in Gryffindor Tower. Rain pattered against the window glass of the dorms promising a wet, gloomy day. The constant barrage of tiny water droplets did well to wake the sleepy-eyed patrons who only wanted ten minutes more of much-desired sleep.

Fred opened his eyes in agitation. He hadn't gotten much rest during the night, partially because George had had his light on late into the dark hours doing Godric-only-knows-what with that dragon scale he'd gotten from Charlie. And then Fred's mind had been occupied with feverish thoughts of Kelena, the witch having banned him from her bed last night for the simple reason that she didn't "…want to be touched by perving male hands…" It hurt his mind too much to try and unravel the mysteries behind her perplexing behavior, so he figured he'd just leave well-enough alone and deal with his frustration on his own. She was driving him crazier by the day anyway.

"Oi, Lee, wake up," he muttered as he sat groggily on the edge of his bed, eyes still half-closed. The other boy made a noise and shoved the blankets over his head. George's light, as well as the constant muttering and mumbling throughout the night, had well interfered with _his _sleep as well. Fred sighed, leaving Lee alone. "George, get up." He chucked a pillow across the room to land directly on top of his twin's sleeping face.

George grumbled and turned to his side in bed, peering out of the little cave the pillow had made, one eye firmly shut, the other staring at his twin accusingly. It was far too gloomy to have to get up. And the patter of rain only served to lull him back to sleep.

"Don't even go back to sleep mate. It's _your _fault we're all exhausted," he snarked with annoyance, his bad mood set off with thoughts of Kelena's denial.

"…I'm sleeping in…" George muttered. "…up all night…bugger off…"

Fred glowered at him and chucked another pillow his way, which landed a bit off-target, but served to smack his brother just the same. "It's your own fault. Get up."

George moved the pillows to look at his twin severely, then opted to tunnel beneath the blankets. Yes, he'd been up all night, and it was therefore his own doing that he was so tired, but he had good reason. He'd been fiddling with the scale of an Antipodean Opaleye dragon. Charlie had finally sent him the scale that he'd requested weeks ago, and it had been easy to get what with relocating the captivity-bred baby Opaleyes to their native New Zealand. Charlie was curious as hell what George wanted with that scale, but his younger brother had refused to let him in on his plans. That was going to be a surprise. It hadn't left Charlie's mind in the easiest of states, but he'd decided to leave well enough alone, and sent the pearly scale his little brother's way.

Opaleye dragons had opalescent eyes with no pupils, and they were dazzling creatures compared to their darker cousins about the continent. The baby-scale Charlie'd gotten was testament to the beautiful hide of the dragons, not to mention high in magical quality. It was roughly the size of a galleon, if not a bit bigger, and of a pearly, iridescent quality that revealed vivid veins of green and pink in the light. It was not unlike the opal jewel from which it got its name, except it was far harder to work with and was so resistant to magic George had had to dodge a few spells that had bounced off. So difficult, as a matter of fact, that it had kept George up half the night trying to figure out how to transfigure it. And he hadn't made much progress.

A heavy, twin-shaped weight launched itself on George's midsection as he was jolted from any chance of going back to sleep. George's 'oomph!' made Fred grin.

"Come on mate. Breakfast is waiting, and I bet we could knick some tarts from the kitchens before class."

George shoved the blankets off his head to glare at his grinning twin. He was surprised to see Lee already halfway dressed, if not reluctantly. The seventh-year grabbed his tie, looked at it with disdain, and decided to leave it. "Hurry up mate, we've got potions," Lee muttered grumpily. He wanted enough time to eat and let his food digest instead of rushing to class with a muffin in his mouth.

George blinked with sleep-addled confusion. "We had potions yesterday," he complained.

"We had normal potions yesterday, and we have _late_ double-potions today to make up for no potions next week," Lee informed tiredly. The potions class schedule was annoying, but well-hammered into his brain after all the crazy things Madam Pomfrey had been lately requiring of him to study. As a healer, he'd have to have a vast knowledge of potions, and as much as he hated Snape, he had to admit he loved making the antidotes and ointments the mediwitch used.

George made a disgusted noise and chucked Fred off him. Damn Snape and his weirdo schedules.

"Five more minutes…"

sSs

George's idea of five more minutes ended up to be more like thirty-five. They didn't have enough time to make it to the Great Hall for breakfast, so the kitchens had sufficed (with well-needed stealth and avoidance of the nosey looks of younger years). Though Lee was grumbling the whole time, the house-elves-with-a-fervent-desire-to-please had loaded them up with plenty of munchables and breakfast items.

"See ya at lunch mates!" Fred shouted as he jogged on his way to class.

"He's in a hurry," George said with a smirk. "Is Kelena in his next class?"

Lee frowned in sleep-deprived annoyance. "He wouldn't have to be in a hurry if you hadn't made us late."

"Ah bugger off, mate. Here, have a muffin," he offered with a grin. Lee put his hand to his temple in agitation. He felt a headache coming on of the variety which Kara caused. He grabbed the muffin from George's outstretched hand and shoved it in his pocket with agitation.

They were five-minutes late to class, to which Snape greeted them quite congenially.

"Ten points from Gryffindor for tardiness," he sneered as the boys took their seats. Lee made a face at Snape behind his back, and the two boys unpacked their bags as the dour potions master set about to putting directions on the board.

"Oi, where's Live at, ya think?" George asked as he found another Slytherin seventh-year sitting next to Putterly in Live's usual spot. He looked about the room as Snape went on about today's lesson. Live wasn't present today.

"Maybe she's sick?" Lee suggested as he, too, took in the room's atmosphere. "Did you see her after dinner last night?"

"Not after I got Charlie's package," he responded. "You?"

"No."

"You think she ditched?"

"I thought she _liked_ potions," Lee volunteered, double-checking the room. "Even if the old bat is teaching it."

"Jordan, Weasley, do you find the classroom so engaging as to not pay attention?" Snape's voice was cold and seemed extra-agitated this morning. George, of course, rose to the bait without even thinking.

"Actually sir, it _is_ quite breath-taking."

His comment got several snickers and stifled laughter from the class, and it earned him an extra menacing glare of venom from the potions master himself. "Ten points from Gryffindor for cheek. Now open your books unless you'd like to make it twenty."

Lee was ruffling pages as George begrudgingly opened his book to the page written on the board. It read: Flame Thwarting Potion.

"Flame Thwarting Potion? We're learning Flame Thwarting Potion?" he murmured disappointedly to Lee. The other boy just shrugged. "Mum sends this stuff to Charlie all the time…I could make this in my sleep."

"Well that's a sad change, mate. The one day you're going to excel and Live isn't here to witness it," Lee snickered as he set about to reading the necessary ingredients for the rather-advanced potion. George jabbed him with his elbow in response, and Lee grinned.

George sighed. "Bloody hell, this _is_ a bummer." He looked at his book with boredom, droning out the noise of everyone else setting up their cauldrons and potions utensils. Lee studiously read from his book.

"_Useful for handling Ashwinder eggs, fire salamanders, and especially employed by dragon keepers_," Lee read. "Charlie probably uses this stuff religiously, eh?" he noted, perusing the page and its ingredients. "_Note: use salamander blood sparingly._ _Especially dangerous if improperly brewed. See _Thwarting a Flame Thwarting Potion_ in index for medical treatment_. Wonderful, mate, just wonderful."

"You can set yourself on fire if you're not careful. It's a pretty horrid ordeal. I did it a few times before I got it right." George smirked. He thought he'd carry those scars forever, but time healed all wounds. "Mum's version is stronger than this one. She always makes sure wittle Charlie is kept safe from dragon-fire boo-boos." Lee grinned and George sighed, his elbow on desk and chin in hand. Without Live in class, it was bound to be more boring than usual. And the _one_ day he would excel as a freakin' genius in class with a well-known potion, she had to be out. Without the need to impress, he'd be well bored to tears. No doubt today was going to be like every other. "Dammit, where the hell is Live at?"

Lee cleared his throat rather loudly, breaking George's mental moping. The fiery-haired boy looked up only to see Snape standing in front of him, stopping with a cold scowl from his usual observing. George didn't bother schooling his expression to one of detached amusement. Instead he openly frowned.

"Is there a reason you're not preparing your potion, Weasley?" the dour man before him asked with icy tones, his own face a persistent frown.

George wasn't in the mood to play games with this man today. Not to mention he hadn't gotten much sleep. And since Live wasn't there, there was no particular reason to be on his good behavior.

"Actually I was just wondering where Live was, _sir_," George remarked casually in truth, adding the 'sir' with much necessary disgust.

"The current whereabouts of Miss Hunter hardly concern you, Weasley," Snape spat back with just as much loathing.

George gave him a curious look at his statement. "As her legal and proper husband, I rather think they do. Wouldn't you agree, _professor_?"

Snape put both of his hands about George's workstation and leaned in closely in intimidation, not one bit impressed with the Gryffindor's 'wit'. While it was technically the truth, Snape wasn't about to sit and argue with his indolent student.

He was close enough that George could see the bags under his eyes, the sallowness of his skin, the hair that had spent far too many days in the vapors of brewing cauldrons. That alone was enough to give him cause to back away, not to mention the venomous glare the dour man added to the mix to create one rather spiteful visage. George moved enough so he wouldn't have the added horror of feeling Snape's breath on his person.

"I suggest you prepare your potion," Snape rolled out icily. "At the end of class I will be verifying its effectiveness by thrusting your hand into the flames…Regardless if it is finished or not," he added, looking at George with the sincere, joyful belief that the Gryffindor wouldn't make a potent potion. George only glared right back, imagining thrusting Snape into the flames. The potions master gave his pupil a sour look. "Ten points from Gryffindor for being a nosy prat."

He turned and swept off to go and harass a Gryffindor girl on the other side of the room who was adding too much salamander blood to her potion.

"I hate that man," George grumbled offhandedly to Lee. Already they'd lost a few dozen house points and it was still early.

Lee shrugged. "I highly doubt he'll let you out of class without sticking your hands in the fire," he told his friend. George sulked. "Well if you're not going to do it, at least show me a thing or two." He tried to encourage his friend. It wasn't helping. Lee smirked, knowing how to get a rise from him. "You think Live will want you to touch her with burnt hands?" He chuckled as George started pummeling him.

He stopped just as soon as he started. "Where is she anyway?" George asked again.

"You're supposed to be her _lover_. Don't you know?" a snarky, eavesdropping voice remarked. George looked up to see Putterly looking at them from the front of the room. His partner was smirking. Putterly had a snarling smirk on his face, a knowing smile.

"Oh shut up, Putterly. What do you know anyway?" George observed sarcastically, finally pulling out his cauldron. Lee rolled his eyes at the idiot Slytherins before them.

Putterly's arrogant smirk turned to a frown. "More than you, Weasley," he spat with deliberate shrewdness.

George looked up suspiciously. His frown caused another grin to form on Putterly's face, and the Slytherin seventh-year turned around, satisfied at having successfully irked the seventh-year Gryffindork behind him.

"What do you know, Putterly?" George inquired this time. "Where is she?" He was getting agitated now. Putterly knew that she was out sick, or ditching, or whatever, and George did not, and was therefore being teased.

George decided this created two problems. One of which was the matter in itself, that Live was not in class while _he _was, which was just a waste. The other that George, as her boyfriend and lawful husband, had no clue where his little wifey was at this current point in time, and his decided enemy- albeit good friend to Live- who he hated even for that fact alone, was flaunting the information around without clueing George in, trying to make him feel stupid and inadequate.

Well, he definitely felt inadequate about Live's whereabouts. But he'd be damned if he allowed Putterly to make him feel stupid. And so for once in his life, George took the higher road, and was completely, deadly silent.

Lee watched him closely as George set about his potion brewing, carefully lining up his ingredients, slicing up the harder parts, never once looking at the book, all the while a detached, blank expression on his face as he worked.

If his silence and unusual focus unnerved Lee, it did nothing for the reservations of Putterly. With no expected retaliation or backlash at Putterly's impertinent manners and behavior towards the Gryffindor, the Slytherin kept watching his back, looking behind him to make sure George wasn't sneak-attacking him or putting a curse upon his being in vengeance. It was ruining his brewing, and his worry increased with every minute that passed in which George did nothing but work with that insipid expression on his face. It was completely unlike the Gryffindor, and it more than bothered Putterly's calm.

"Erm…George? Mate? You alright?" Lee asked quietly after adding the dragon heartstring to his brew. Even he couldn't contentedly work for very long with George being completely silent.

George didn't look at Lee as he worked, but spoke confidentially to his friend. "Is it working?"

Lee looked in the bubbling pot, a bit confused. "Um…"

"Not the potion…" he muttered. Lee squinted with misconstruction before looking up to see Putterly hastily turn back to his own table, his leg twitching nervously as he worked, no doubt a scowl on his face. It was bothering his partner. Lee smirked with realization, a wide grin on his face.

"He's shaking in his knickers."

A smirk came to George's face, pleased with himself. Let Putterly stew in his juices all class period. See if he cared. He could always get the idiot later, and right now, making him watch his back and worry was far more fun than putting a curse on him. George grinned again before schooling his face back into nonchalance. He continued on like that all class period. Even as he spooned some potion out to cool, Putterly kept turning to watch him out of the corner of his eye, acting like he was checking out the back of the room or watching for Snape. As George applied the thick potion to his hand, rubbing it in and then sticking the appendage into the flames to test the effectiveness, Putterly nonchalantly turned, acting as if he were looking past the other boy. George knew he was watching, and the drastic change in the Gryffindor's face from nonchalance to evil grin startled Putterly into knocking a bottle to the floor. It broke with a shattering smash, and Snape swooped down to berate his student.

George grinned happily to himself, and beside him Lee snickered. "Sometimes I think you were sorted wrong, mate."

George looked up most contentedly from his work to watch as Snape glared at his bloody stupid Slytherin student. He abandoned his act of cool detachment now. He hoped Putterly would see how pleased he was to have royally burned the prat in front of his Head of House, and without having to do a thing.

"At least today isn't a total loss," Lee commented as he rubbed his own potion into the skin of his hand to test it.

"A minor victory," George said in extra-haughty tones. Lee snorted with amusement. No doubt George had other plans for the idiot who'd annoyed him. And there were joke items he was simply _dying_ to try out.

"Ow," Lee said as he pulled his hand back from his cauldron flames. He shook it as he had a twisted grimace on his face, hissing. "Not quite as burn-resistant as I thought it was." He sucked on the ends of his fingers that had gone from heat-resistant to pain-inducing in a matter of seconds. "Less Salamander blood I think…"

"Add more Essence of Murtlap," George advised, giving Lee their shared bottle. The boy was rubbing some of the essence into his hand to alleviate the pain. "If you add about two drops more, it'll protect your hand about three times as good."

"How can you be so bloody smart when it comes to things like these yet let Snape catch you nicking Doxy eggs?" George only shrugged. Lee sighed. "Nevermind…You learnt it from your mum."

"Oi, I resent that!" George declared with a feigned-hurt frown. "Who was it that got the idea for cross-breeding those mushrooms that got you extra points in Herbology?"

Lee rolled his eyes, but smirked. He ignored George's indolent huff and went back to testing his potion. George bottled his own and stared off into space for awhile, wondering what else he could cross-breed, and would they fetch a fine price on the student black market? Now, how much to charge for each and where to hide them?

A shriek-turned-scream broke through the class as someone's cauldron was overturned with a large metallic thud. The startled class turned to see Melinda Harris flailing her hand- which was in full-flame- and screaming as she was being burned by her potion gone wrong.

Snape was shoving students out of the way as he tried to contain the situation. Several students were trying to put out the flames with water-spells, but they proved completely ineffective, and all the while Melinda, who's potion-making ability was reputed to be one of patience and precision, screamed bloody murder.

The potions master grabbed her hard, forcing her to stop moving while keeping his own distance from the burning heat of the flames. He poured a bottle of aquamarine potion over her hand, and immediately the flames were extinguished.

Still Melinda wailed and cried out as her blackened and charred skin pained her immensely, the potion having soaked the flames well into her flesh. Snape poured another lavender-colored potion over her hand, and her keening wails lowered in volume but not in frequency as some of the pain was diminished. He let her go with a mean frown, her potion and spilt cauldron a mess all over the floor. Amazingly the fire hadn't caught the splatter, or then he'd have a real problem on his hands. He sniffed disdainfully with disappointment.

"You stupid girl," he spat, adding insult to injury. "Can you not read your book?! Your potion _reeks_ of salamander blood."

Her pain-filled sobs intermittent with protestations and denials were the only things to answer him.

"Sir, I think she needs to go to the hospital wing," one of her friends quietly piped up.

Without acknowledging the student, Snape took his wand and removed the mess Melinda's cauldron had made. "McVaken, you will take Miss Harris to the hospital wing."

An annoyed huff sounded from in front of George and Lee's station as Putterly's partner left his own to go and collect Melinda. He shouldered her bag and took her by the arm as she sobbed with pain, holding her charred hand stiffly away from her person as they left the hushed room.

"The rest of you dunderheads return to your cauldrons at once!" Snape hissed at the students who had gotten up from their seats to view the damage. They quickly returned to their stations lest they face his wrath. "Mind your salamander blood unless you'd like your appendages to meet the same fate!" he growled with icy tones. He swept right by George and Lee's table as both boys quickly turned back to their materials.

"Bloody hell," Lee commented, looking at George who seemed to be re-living a particularly nasty memory. He was just as perturbed as the rest of the class. Lee diligently watched his cauldron and George took his filled bottle and gave it a little shake towards Lee for emphasis.

"Told you those burns were right nasty."

sSs

"She'll be scarred for a long time, but they'll disappear…eventually," George informed Lee as they were leaving class. "I've been burnt loads of times, but nothing's ever left quite a mark as that did."

"So the same thing happened to you then?" Lee further inquired.

They were weaving their way through students bustling to and from classes, others visiting with friends and blocking their progress. George gave a large grin to a little Slytherin girl he easily moved from their path. She looked at him with wide eyes and blushed furiously, getting out of their way. He just laughed as Lee squeezed through two Hufflepuffs, still trying to have a decent conversation with George.

"Anyway…"

"Yeah," George said as he rolled up his sleeve, nearly elbowing a Ravenclaw that passed by a little too closely even though they could walk easily now. He ignored the dirty look she gave him. "See here?" he asked, pointing to a spot on the back of his wrist. "You can't really see it good anymore, but that's where I learnt the hard way," he said with a self-amused grin.

"Uugh," Lee commented as he peered, and George punched him in the shoulder with a vain smirk, the both of them grinning. "Ow mate, not my burnt arm!" he declared dramatically, the only thing on his 'arm' even a bit singed being his fingertip.

George smirked. "You're a healer. Get healing!"

"_Your_ potion may have been bloody near flawless, but some of us are still mere mortals, mate." George snickered, but beamed at Lee's unintentional praise.

"I'm going to remember the look on that git's face for as long as I live," George said wickedly. He yawned as he smirked. He was tired from being up all night, and tired from concentrating on doing his potion _and_ unnerving Putterly all class. All he wanted to do now was grab Live and settle in for a long midday nap in Gryffindor Tower, sans clothing if he got his way. "Damn it all, of all days why couldn't Live have been in class _today_?" George complained as they approached the Gryffindor portrait hole.

"Bollocks, mate. That's what it is. Rotten luck."

George huffed as he gave the Fat Lady the password. She waved him through with an air of annoyance as she gabbed with one of her friends from another portrait.

"Well at least I'll have the fond memory of Snape's face in my mind," George remarked with a smirk. Lee snorted and gave George an odd look for his choice of phrase. The fiery-haired Gryffindor rolled his eyes and put a hand to his temple. "If _that_ image stays with me, I'll have to rough you up, mate."

Lee smirked, but didn't say another word as he hopped through the portrait hole nearly knocking down Seamus. The fifth year jumped out of the way in time, but looked a bit cornered as George came through the portrait hole.

"Alright Seamus?" George said. He noticed the others hanging around the common room giving them looks, and patted Lee on the back heartily for yet another lovely audience-pleasing entrance.

"Oh…Hey…George…" Seamus drew out cautiously. George gave him a cock-eyed look, and the fifth year regarded him with an apprehensive smile. "How you doin'?"

George gave him half a grin, half-frowning. He felt this the set up for a prank if ever he knew, and Seamus was the decoy. He looked carefully around the room, noticing the way the others turned their eyes from him when he made contact. Now to only figure out who was setting him up. "I'm fine mate," he responded, already concocting a preemptive prank.

Seamus looked at him weirdly, nervously shuffling where he stood. George was taking this a little too good. He inwardly shrugged. Maybe the seventh year was used to injuries being commonplace by now?

"Well, I'm real sorry about Live, mate. Just heard," he said in trying to be consoling. "I'm sure she'll be fine eventually. Just…hang…in…there..." Seamus drawled, his words coming slower as George's expression changed. He suddenly realized that he'd just become the bearer of bad news instead of the friend of encouragement.

"What's happened to her? What's wrong?" Lee asked.

"Where is she?" George asked with sudden alarm, causing Seamus to take a step back with the sudden change. George usually grabbed and shook things when he wanted information.

"Live's in hospital, mate," Seamus told him with surprised wonder that he didn't know. "Hermione said it was really serious."

"George wait!" Lee called as the fiery-haired boy chucked his book bag at Lee and tore right back out of the portrait hole at full speed, the Fat Lady's picture slamming against the wall as her indignant squawks could be heard in the common room. All thoughts horrid and terrible were whirling through his mind, one that Malfoy had gotten to her when he hadn't been around. He ignored Lee's voice and the squawks of the Fat Lady as he disappeared down the hall.

Lee righted himself with their two bags indignantly, looking to Seamus with concern. "What happened?"

"I don't know, but the Slytherins were saying that Snape abducted her. But Hermione said that she'd been hurt bad enough that he'd needed to be called. But I'm not sure. I haven't even seen Kara today, so she must already be there," he informed Lee, chewing on his lip with worry and concern for his elder friends. He put a hand through his hair. "Well I feel the right arse."

"I'm gonna get to the bottom of this," Lee told him dutifully. "The Slytherins must know what happened. I'll see her mates about it."

Seamus nodded, loosening his tie about his neck. Lee handed his and George's bags to Seamus, the fifth-year looking a bit peeved as he accepted them. Lee hopped out the portrait hole on a mission, the Fat Lady shouting curses at him in vain. Seamus sighed heavily, hefting the bags to his shoulders as he mounted the stairs to the shared dorms. Things always seemed to backfire for him.

sSs

The hospital doors loomed in front of George. Normally he'd bust in, but this time he was actually scared, breathing deeply before them. Hermione wasn't one to lie, and if she'd told Seamus it was serious, well, he wasn't quite sure just what to expect…

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door to the hospital and entered slowly. He peered cautiously down the expanse to find Kara sitting on the floor in front of what must have been her sister's cubicle, the privacy partition hiding her form from view. Kelena and Ginny flanked the blonde, Kara's legs pulled to her chest, chin on knees despondently. He thought he heard Hermione's voice somewhere from within, but he couldn't see her.

Ginny looked up at the sound of his approaching footsteps, and she hopped up to meet him before he got past the partition. Kara paid him no mind, and Kelena put an arm around her form.

"Ginny," George said, his tone one of acknowledgement, question, worry, and fear.

"George she's alright," Ginny told him firmly as if he'd argued Live's health with her. She stood in front of him, stopping him from approaching any further. "Just remember she's going to be okay."

He frowned with worry, his anxiety growing heavily. "What happened to her?"

Hermione made an appearance from beyond the privacy screen, wiping a tear from her eye. She was followed by Madam Pomfrey, who looked George up and down before going off to tend to her other patients. Hermione looked up to see George, and put a false smile on her face as she quickly walked over to him.

"Hermione?" he asked, both girls noticeably blocking him now. He wondered just how bad it was. God if Malfoy had laid a finger on Live, he'd murder him. It was that simple.

"You have to understand, Madam Pomfrey says everything will be okay," Hermione said in hopeful, assuring tones to George. She wasn't sure how he'd react to seeing Live in such a state. According to Ginny, there was no predicting it.

He frowned and moved towards them, but they didn't give. Ginny hugged her brother, and that caused George's worry to shoot through the roof. Ginny hadn't hugged him like this since they were little. He tried to shake her off, but she wouldn't give, and Hermione looked near to tears again.

"Off Ginny."

"Just remember she'll be alright," Ginny wanted him to promise as he shook her off and went with haste to see behind the privacy curtain. He came to stand right behind Kara and Kelena, the brunette looking up at him with uncertainty as she hugged the fifth year blonde next to her.

He felt his breath leave him, a flood of distressing memories hitting him as his waking reality and worst nightmare collided. He dropped to his knees on the stone hospital floor.

Live was in a Soul Bubble. That meant she'd been only moments from a drained, permanent death. The love of his life had almost been taken from him, and he'd known nothing. Now she hung between the planes of the living and the dead, and all he could do was peer upwards at the large structure with his mouth agape.

"George it's alright," Ginny told him, putting a hand on his shoulder as he stared blankly at the iridescent mass. She hugged him around the neck as memories and reality fought for dominance. He'd recognized the structure immediately. They had a favorite Great Uncle Artie who'd been inside a Soul Bubble when Ginny was still a baby. Mum had them visit the site every day until he had been released from it's grasp, recovered, which had been well over three-months of a very trying time. Having a loved one inside a Soul Bubble seemed nearly as awful as if they'd been given the Dementor's kiss. Ginny had been told stories about the experience, but she had no personal memories of ever seeing Uncle Artie's ruined body encapsulated. She had no idea how dangerous they were and how tormenting they could be.

"…dead…" he mumbled subconsciously.

"She's not dead, George," Hermione quickly affirmed, looking at Kara to make sure she hadn't been upset. The blonde didn't make any sign that she'd heard either of them, but merely stared off at the colors of the bubble. The bushy-haired brunette put a hand on George's shoulder consolingly. "She'll be okay. Madam Pomfrey said-"

"Madam Pomfrey doesn't know!" George snapped at her. Tears came to Hermione's eyes, but she didn't say anything as he turned back to looking at the bubble.

How? How had she come to this state? Who would have caused such a thing? She didn't deserve this. No one deserved this. Great Uncle Artie had said when one was in the bubble, they knew it, but were without sense of time or place or conscious thought, just being, yet not. And having everything reversed, one's body in a state where it was frozen in dormancy and the soul on the outside, he'd said returning to normal had been a painful experience, as well as the matter that he hadn't wanted to. Therein lay the danger of Soul Bubbles. This wasn't right. This shouldn't have happened to Live.

At least _she_ was in a hospital wing and not at some battleground site. And how that was made possible he hadn't an idea.

"Why would anyone cause this?" Kelena spoke quietly, morose in manner.

"…prank…" Ginny whispered in horrific realized thought. She recalled Live's story a while back the last time she'd been in hospital. Of the Slytherin quidditch captain and Gryffindor prefect here at Hogwarts…The perfect couple that everyone hated being together for the principle of house loyalty and pride; that two people of rival houses could have such an intimate bond.

And now, Gryffindor had only won against Slytherin not two days ago on the pitch, and everyone had been making snarky remarks about Live betraying her house team at the Gryffindor party…Someone must have been very pissed off to have sabotaged her belongings. Enough to try to disfigure her, and now she was in this bubble.

"Ginny?" Hermione murmured at the red-headed fourth year.

"It's because of the quidditch game," she whispered to the bushy-haired brunette guiltily. "This is a prank gone horribly wrong."

"This isn't a prank," George countered angrily, half at the situation and much at himself. "Pranks don't end up in this." It wasn't a prank, it was malicious. Live didn't deserve this. Someone had hurt her enough to the point she'd been nearly dead.

"Someone burned her." George looked up quickly in stunned horror. "That's a _mean _prank for anyone. But I don't think anyone would have wanted _this _to happen, George, to put her inside one of these," Hermione spoke up cautiously. He didn't reply, but turned back to watching the bubble in careful thought. His mind was somewhat relieved. _At least not Malfoy, at least not Malfoy…_

Kara huffed and got to her feet, surprising Kelena.

"Kar-"

"Stupid Live and her stupid magic…" Kara muttered with aggravation, approaching the bubble. "Why don't you just come out of there Live?!" she cried at the bubble. "I know you can hear me!"

"Kara don't," Kelena cried as the young blonde gave the bubble a kick. It immediately crystallized, hardening as Kara beat on it with her fists.

"You're not fooling anyone! Now come the hell out of there!" she demanded, giving it another kick to no result. "She's just being stupid!"

She turned with aggravation to see her friends looking at her with sympathy. George looked like a basket-case, her actions making him suffer severe nervous strain. He himself wouldn't dare touch the bubble in fear of weakening or breaking it. He feared doing so even to his Great Uncle's. The way Kara beat so nonchalantly on it reminded himself too much of the ordeal with Uncle Artie, of how upset Bill had been when they were too young to understand and he reacted in the same way. All of it was far too upsetting.

"UGH! I'm going for a walk!" Kara declared. "Come and get me if her fool ass decides to come out of there!"

"I'll come with you!" Kelena quickly volunteered, too worried for the fifth year to let her off on her own. The normally deranged look in Kara's eye was absent, and it caused Kelena more than enough concern for the blonde's 'normal' mental state. "I'll see you guys later," Kel told them, jumping up and following Kara's irate footsteps.

"George?" Hermione asked.

"She'll get better," Ginny affirmed hopefully. "She's tough."

He murmured in response, watching the bubble from the cold stone. She was so close and he couldn't even touch her. He could see that she was hurt and that the bubble must have erected itself before the mediwitch had had enough time to deal with her properly, for the way her effects and covers were arranged revealed a rather hurried attempt. And all because of someone's idiot idea of a prank? Were people really that opposed to the idea of a Slytherin paired with a Gryffindor? That was Ginny's conclusion…

"How was she burned?" he asked unhappily.

"Madam Pomfrey said someone mixed her body wash with some potion," Ginny told him. "I…I don't know how badly burnt she is…"

George looked sadly thoughtful. That didn't account for her loss of magic, or what would give rise to a Soul Bubble…Unless the wildness of it had been triggered. He had seen her magic act of its own volition in Dumbledore's office. If she had suffered any from such a thing…He'd make whomever responsible pay for their actions.

"Professor Snape's going to figure out the brewer," Hermione chimed in hopefully. "He's been at it all night, Pomfrey said. He'll figure it out," she added carefully. "Must have been a pretty sophisticated potion…" she muttered.

George frowned. So the bastard bat-git had known and he hadn't let on for a moment, not through all of class. He'd even taunted George to his face. Well he'd see about that.

"The git knew?" George stated in a way that made Hermione frown.

"He's the one who brought her here, just in time," the voice of reason told the fiery-haired young man. She grimaced at the look on George's face. She was certain she wouldn't like the thoughts running through his head, nor the direction they seemed to take.

George got to his feet, and Ginny hugged him once more. He brushed her off, his anger taking center stage as he vacated the area.

"George, where are you going?" Ginny called after him with worry.

"Going to talk to Snape," he ground out without turning back.

"George are you crazy? Don't!" Ginny called back, knowing no good could come from it. But he paid her no mind as he left. She shrugged and went to Hermione's side. "I think I should write mum about this."

"It will probably do some good. I'll talk to Ron and Harry about it…" Hermione offered. "She'll be alright," she said doubtfully.

"She will 'Mione, she will," Ginny told her consolingly. The two girls sat again in front of the bubble, watching it with vague fascination and worry, wishing their friend an easy time healing.

sSs

George entered the potions classroom with anger, only to find it devoid of students. He stepped in, not surprised to find Snape back in his office of nasty pickled things working over a small cauldron. The offending professor in point looked up with exasperation, and went back to his business as if George were no more a bother than an insignificant insect. George took specific offense to his disregard, and approached the room.

"Haven't you lost enough points for today, Weasley?" Snape snapped in threat as George invaded his personal office.

"You knew," George accused.

Snape was completely nonplussed, and continued with his work, pouring a bit of green liquid into a small, flat bowl. "I know many things which might easily allude someone like you, Weasley."

"I had every right to know where she was!" he fired quickly.

"The fact may allude you, to which I'm quite sure a variety of things do," Snape added with self-assuredness, "that her current status is to be kept as much of a secret as possible." He mixed the contents of the flat bowl in with that of a clear broth simmering in the small cauldron. "Unless of course you wish to see Miss Hunter fall prey to the many vices and desires of deranged wizards and creatures, Mr. Weasley, then the next time this happens I would be more than happy to announce the health and well-being of your classmate to the populous at large," he told the Gryffindor coldly.

George was silent, mad that Snape had indeed made a valid point. He didn't have much else to say to the man when he thought about it, except that he wanted to yell some more, which wouldn't serve much of a purpose. And while the Bat-King of Slytherin had indeed been the one to deliver Live to the hospital in one form or another, he wasn't about to question _him _about it. Not to mention the waves of exasperation the potions master was sending out made George certain he'd wouldn't leave without at least one detention, which didn't matter to George in the least.

He screwed up his face in annoyance as the only sound in the room was that of the bubbling of potions and Snape's working. He was minorly surprised, in the back of his mind, that Snape had yet to yell him gone. "Who did it?" George blurted out without a second thought.

Snape looked up at him coldly, agitated. "_If _I knew," he pronounced icily, "you would not be the first to receive such information." He sneered at George dismissively before returning to his brews.

George clenched and unclenched his fists in frustration, his face flushing red in abashment. He opened his mouth to really go off on the potions master, but Snape glared at him a moment before turning his attention more stiffly to somewhere behind George.

"Entertaining the urchins of Hogwarts in your spare time, Severus?" an amused, haughty voice announced the arrival of Lucius Malfoy who stood in the doorway of his office.

George turned with a new anger, hatred for the father flaming just as hot as for the son. His nasty glare didn't go unnoticed by Malfoy Senior, who raised his head arrogantly as if a bad smell had reached his nose and that smell was the odor of Weasley.

"We are through here, Weasley," Snape told George sharply as he stood to his full height to receive Lucius. He glared down his aquiline nose at George, his stare demanding George leave at once. The Gryffindor frowned, a really nasty word on the tip of his tongue.

"You would think," Lucius Malfoy began before George could, "that you would know by now when your presence is unwanted." He smiled at his own cleverness in reference to the entire Weasley family.

"And _you_ would think that your mother--"

"Ten points from Gryffindor," Snape snapped before George could finish. "Now leave Weasley, unless you'd like to make it twenty and a week's detention."

George glared at Lucius Malfoy as he stepped just past him through the doorway. The door slammed shut nearly hitting George, and he was quite sure he heard the distinct sound of Malfoy laughter. His blood boiling, George left to go blow off some steam.

"It is a pity," Lucius spoke to Snape, "that such rabble pollutes the bloodlines of the pure."

"Indeed," Snape said as he lowered flames and added bits to his potions. "Now what have you come for, Lucius?" He was getting rather tired of the blonde-haired man's rather impromptu visits, even if they dealt with Dumbledore or not first.

"Come to see to the well-being of my dearest friend," Lucius told him as if the statement were highly amusing.

"I'm well aware that you have business with Dumbledore as a governor, Lucius," Snape replied with cold detachment. "Why do you insist on wasting my time?"

The fair-haired man smiled a cruel, aristocratic smile. "It is about that time, Severus, which I have come to discuss. Only a few more measures need to be taken to ensure our plans can get under way without those idiot officials meddling in our business."

Snape put his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose tiredly. "The Ministry is recalling the marriage licenses?"

"Soon, very soon. Once the marriage bond has been officially severed, it will be time. Time to take her."

sSs


	39. The Consuming Darkness

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 39: The Consuming Darkness

sSs

It was his third night sitting watch in the hospital wing as George cast yet another warming charm on himself beneath Harry's invisibility cloak. The stone wall next to the barrier of Live's bubble was chilling, but he welcomed it to keep him alert. The wing was dark, silent but for the light snoring of a student who'd been hexed earlier that day. But the presence did not bother him as the privacy screens which had been put up blocked most of her area from major view. The cold stone walls of the room absorbed the little light that naturally luminesced from the pearly Soul Bubble, and George sat near it's glow, wand in hand, trying to keep alert as he waited for the dawn.

It was an easy choice for him to make really, when he'd heartily resolved himself to the job of keeping Live's Soul Bubble safe from any_one_ or _thing_ that might have picked up on its existence since she'd been encapsulated. He wouldn't let her become prey to anything, regardless of the assurances Madam Pomfrey had given him that Live was perfectly safe within Hogwarts. This was a duty that his mum and dad had done for Uncle Artie when he'd been inside a Soul Bubble, and now George was doing it for Live, regardless of the sad memories it brought back and the harping which Madam Pomfrey would give him should he get caught.

He jolted awake as he'd been nodding off, and rubbed his eyes with self-disdain. It was an understatement to say he was tired. Physically and emotionally drained might be a more apt description, considering the amount of time he'd spent worrying about Live, thinking of his great uncle, and the run-around he'd gotten when he'd tried to figure out just what the hell Lucius Malfoy had been doing at the school several days ago and what his current business with Snape was. Taking out his frustration on Draco Malfoy in the form of Ginny's more creative hexes, as well as a few experimental joke items, had done little to relieve his mind or his nerves. So far the git's father had been on grounds each time something serious had happened to either of them. First his own cobra bite, and now Live's imprisonment. George didn't believe Snape's assertion that Lucius Malfoy's presence had had nothing to do with the bite he'd received. And now the bat git was conspiring with the blond bastard over something…Just what, George had no idea, but he hated them both all the more for it.

Catching himself nodding off once more, George became aware of the sound of footsteps closely approaching. He watched warily, wand in hand, and relaxed a bit as Dumbledore made his appearance, alongside him Madam Pomfrey. They approached the bubble to peer in at Live, and George held his breath so they wouldn't know he was there.

"There hasn't been any visible change yet, Albus," Madam Pomfrey said in worrisome, hushed tones. Dumbledore furrowed his brow in concurrence. "I would have thought her body had begun healing itself by now."

"It may be that she needs more time, but I fear her mutable nature may play some part in this interaction."

The mediwitch huffed in annoyance. "Well this complicates matters…" she muttered to herself. "I believe she'll still be treatable once she's _out_."

The wise old wizard nodded. "She has changed a great deal, but I do not think so much that she is out of our reach. We will need to keep her close within our influence to help her reign in her magic, and to keep her safe."

They were silent a moment in observing Live's bubble. George's sleepy mind was well awake now, and their conversation brought about new worrying for him. He'd do whatever he could to keep her safe from this ever happening again, not to mention help her where he could with her magic. He knew she was different now in magic types, but she was still the same woman he loved. He'd do whatever it would take.

"Has Severus found the signature yet?" Pomfrey asked of the potion-brewer who'd burnt Live. Snape had been working 'round the clock to figure it out, as well as fine-tuning the potion he'd been brewing to keep the encapsulated witch's magic subdued. The past few days he'd been as snarky as ever and twice as mean. Kara said he even took points off the Slytherins in potions class.

"Mm," Dumbledore nodded. Madam Pomfrey raised a speculative brow. "Several hours ago. The results are rather distressing."

George's ears pricked up, his heart beating so hard he worried they might hear it. This was his chance to get even with whomever had opted to hurt Live, to get payback for daring to harm his woman. He urged Dumbledore in his mind, _I just need a name, one name, just say his name_.

Madam Pomfrey looked at Dumbledore expectantly, the Headmaster seeming to be lost in thought. He remembered himself and looked to the witch with a sad smile. "I'll be paying a visit to St. Mungos to question her later today."

_Her?!?_

"Albus, it wasn't-?"

"I don't believe she ever meant to put Miss Hunter inside a Soul Bubble, but indeed, this was a rather malicious prank I would not have happen twice in this school," he spoke rather seriously. Madam Pomfrey looked shocked. Dumbledore sighed, disappointed. "I cannot believe students would attack one another in such a fashion. Not without provocation, and not to say she acted completely alone."

"Is she safe, Albus?" the mediwitch referred now to Live, motioning to the bubble. "I keep as best a watch as I can, but with the ways she's been targeted, and the leaking of the prophecy…"

Dumbledore regarded the Soul Bubble with speculation. George stopped in his perplexed thoughts and froze as the old wizard's eyes seemed to come to rest on him. He would have ducked or hid, but he remembered he was under the invisibility cloak. There was no way Dumbledore could know he was there…Was there?

"She's well-defended against anything that wishes her ill-will. I would not worry yourself about it." He turned his eyes back on Pomfrey, and George exhaled quietly with relief. Well, if he _could _see him, then at least Dumbledore was of the opinion that he was doing a good job protecting her.

"Albus, Tonks reported that the wolf population is on the move," Pomfrey noted with worry. Dumbledore nodded. No doubt the Metamorphmagus got that information from a little werewolf they had on the payroll. "The unicorns have been leaving as well."

"Hagrid has already informed me. They can sense the approaching darkness. The wolves do not like it either." The witch at his side was pensive. "It is nothing to fret about, my dear. I know as a healer it is frustrating, but she is perfectly safe. The Thestrals have been trained to take care of any hostile creatures that might make it onto the grounds, and the ghosts have been on alert to report any suspicious persons coming or going."

"I trust your word, Albus." Madam Pomfrey seemed annoyed, however, that Live was currently out of her healing capabilities. "We just need patience now." It was spoken more for herself than for him.

"We all do," Dumbledore said with a smile, giving a look in George's direction. He froze once more, but the old wizard turned to leave the wing with Pomfrey at his heels still discussing what measures they should take against the leaked prophecy concerning her young charge. The more people who knew, the greater danger Live was put in.

George waited a few moments before getting to his feet. Dawn was in about an hour, and Pomfrey was already up, so it was safe to leave Live in her hands.

His mind was still spinning a short while later when he entered his dorm. The prophecy was leaked to the outside…Would other wizards act upon it? He warded the door and slumped to his bed, plopping down on the mattress exhaustedly. The person who had burnt Live…the one responsible for the Soul Bubble…it was a _girl_. And she'd been recently injured.

He _knew_, he thought. Or he had a vague idea, but his mind was too tired to be able to make the proper connections. He hadn't slept in a long time, let alone gotten a good night's sleep since Live had been cocooned. But he knew his answers lay somewhere within St. Mungos.

"Mate, you gotta stop doing this to yourself," Lee said quietly from across the room, drowsily looking at George from the comfort of his own bed in the twilight darkness

"Mmff…" George muttered back, already starting to fall unconscious from his exhaustion. Lee knew George wasn't getting any sleep lately, and it was driving the red-head mildly insane. He shrugged and turned over in his own bed and went back to sleep.

sSs

"Keep the roots caked with as much dirt as you can. It helps keep the plant fresher before you brew it," Neville informed Kara and Lee as they were harvesting plants in the forbidden forest during the late afternoon.

"'Kay," Kara replied, pulling at a hellebore plant with especial viciousness. She needed a larger quantity of the drooping purple flowers than she could risk nicking from Snape's cupboards without him noticing, and she wasn't about to let Live's excuse of being inside a Soul Bubble allow their marvelous business to flounder 'cause of a stupid flower.

Normally this would be Live's area of chore, although the Slytherin quite enjoyed collecting plants in the forest even if it was literally dirty work. But now the task fell to Kara. The fifth year worried about whether Live might still be in her bubble when the first frosts came and started killing the plants, and she knew Live would kick her Gryffindor ass if she had to pay full winter prices at the Apothecary when the plant grew wild on the school grounds.

Either way, it was a form in which she could work through the tumult of emotions she'd been feeling the past four days. She couldn't bear to talk to George on the matter as he was a nervous wreck where Live was concerned, though Ginny said he'd been through something similar when she was very small, and maybe it would even be good for them both to talk about her sister's condition.

"…bollocks…" Kara muttered to herself. "…rotten bloody…_stupid plant_!" Kara cursed as she was embroiled in a fight for the roots of a larger plant entangled with that of wild vines. Her struggling was bruising the flowers and tearing the leaves, but if she noticed, she didn't care.

"Here, Kara," Lee said gently as he waved his wand in silence, the vines disentangling themselves from one another as Kara was left with what was now an utterly useless specimen. She threw it into the rucksack she had on her person anyways. Neville decided it was better not to mention how worthless the ruined plant was.

Kara heaved a heavy sigh. "Who the hell does Live think she is?…taking it easy up in the castle while I'm busting my ass for our products," she huffed with complicated indignation. Lee wisely chose not to say anything, checking a tree for bowtruckles before deeming it safe enough to lean against. Neville, on the other hand, didn't catch the message.

"…Isn't it Live usually doing this work for the two of you?"

Kara frowned and put her hands on her hips, looking at Neville with a grimace. Her hair was in disarray, loose strands in her face and dirt smeared on her cheek. Her robes were in similar need of laundering, the bulky bag full of leaves and flowers at her side making her look like some indignant wood sprite. While Lee didn't think she looked a particularly terrifying adversary, Neville was thinking twice about calling Kara on her tired whining.

The poor boy stayed bent over looking at her, fresh crumbles of caked dirt falling off the plant he was holding in midair. He had a tight-lipped smile as her scowl deepened. He waited for her to deny the fact that Live did the harvesting all on her own while _Kara_ rested and gallivanted up in the castle…prodding him and making him try experimental candies…turning his hair blue and his fingernails glow-in-the-dark. But rather than chew him out on calling her false, Kara made a new counter point.

"Well whose idea was it to save us money by doing our own gardening in the first place, smart ass?" she asked with self-pride.

Lee grinned when he saw Neville had a reply for that. _He _would've kept his mouth _shut_.

"That was Live too…She made me help her nick those seeds from Greenhouse Four and pick out the right plants in that catalogue…"

Lee suppressed a snicker at the look of dawning on Kara's face as she realized that Neville was right.

She crossed her arms in indignation. "Well what about knowing where all the wild ones were? We didn't have to plant _these_," she added bitterly, gesturing to the plants they were standing in.

Lee thought Neville should have stopped when he was ahead. He had to cover his mouth with his hand to stop her from hearing his snickers.

"Hagrid told us about those," Neville supplied, deciding the ache in his back was bothering him more than the idea of what an indignant Kara might do to him if he moved, and he stood back to his normal height.

She snorted, looking at the plants about her blankly. "Well what in the hell _have_ I been doing then?" She put a hand to her chin in true thought as Neville gaped, wondering if Kara was just a little crazy or not. Lee didn't bother suppressing his chuckles.

"Well, you've been rather busy selling the finished products and making hostile corporate takeovers," Lee supplied with an amused grin. Kara's face brightened considerably when she thought of all the accounts she'd gotten compared to the few Live had brought in lately. Not to mention she'd successfully merged them with the boys' joke business and gotten a percentage of fees and transactions…and Live had been _mad_ about that, even though it was making them considerable side-profit.

"Hell yes I have," she said in turning around to acknowledge Lee. He had a big smirk on his face. At least Kara's thought train could be easily derailed, and she wouldn't be so bothered by her sister's incapacitation. She turned back to look at Neville. "Get back to work Longbottom! You're still working off that last case of root beer I got you!"

Neville had the brass to send a look of annoyance over at Lee, but happily set back to gathering and examining the plants he so enjoyed studying in exchange for the root beer he so enjoyed chugging. He wondered how he'd gotten _so _addicted to the substance that he'd received that last case from Kara on the blind promise that he would owe her a 'favor'. Making blind favors to Hunters wasn't the most prudent move one could make, but he supposed it wasn't that bad. He'd even found a few anise sprigs which Kara swore Live knew how to turn into root beer. So she wasn't really being unfair. Kara was a nice person in the end.

"Lee! Get your ass in gear! We're losing sunlight here!" Kara snapped from upside down, looking at him from between her legs as she lifted the backs of her own robes to see him while picking plants.

Lee rolled his eyes, but grinned. "Kara, I think we've got all the hellebore you're going to need for a _year_."

"I have several potions that call specifically for the use of Syrup of Hellebore, as well as whole Christmas roses, and we haven't found any yet!" she whined.

"I found a few," Neville noted, jiggling his bag. Kara wrinkled her nose at him for unwittingly causing her to be wrong. He decided it was time to become very interested in some tree bark.

"What about your secret little garden? You don't need anything from in there, do you?" Lee asked with mild concern. They _were _losing sunlight, and Kara had helped Live to plant a sort of secret potions garden with a variety of herbs a bit further in where there was considerably more shade and more darkness.

"Hmm. I wanted to see if there was any wolfsbane left. Tonks asked me for some fresh if we had it. And the mint patches should be choking the whole area by now," she said with head cocked in thought. "That needs to be harvested and put in check." She gave Neville a toothy grin, delegating him to the task. "And if either of you see any valerian flowers, I need those, as well as the roots. The pinker the flowers, the better."

Lee sighed and Neville huffed. "...I'm not a bloody florist…" Lee muttered, and Kara gave him a pat on the head with a grin before leading the way. Neville fell into step behind her, and Lee brought up the rear listening and watching with alert ears. It seemed to be getting darker earlier, or something about the forest, and he wanted to be well out of it by sundown.

Kara hummed as she trudged through bracken and dead vegetation. There was dirt under her fingernails and she was certain she had flobberworm slime on her robes where an infestation had ruined several hellebore plants. But regardless, she was happy to do a bit of gardening.

"Oh no!" Kara shrieked as she ran quickly ahead of Lee and Neville.

"Kara hold it!" Lee shouted, not liking how much darker it was in here. Even if it was just the shade of trees.

"What is it?" Neville called, following her broken trail of ruined plants. He shivered, feeling as if eyes were watching him, and attributed it to the guilty feeling that they shouldn't be mucking about in the forbidden forest at all.

The boys were tripping over the sticks and dead leaves that Kara had pistoned over, but catching up to her, they saw her bent over examining what had once been a bumper crop of fresh potions ingredients. The garden, if it had indeed once been that, was full of dead brown vegetation and rotted plants well on their way of becoming soil-enriching slime. There were few green sprigs here and there, but otherwise, everything was dead. The sprawling vines of mint that had indeed taken over the garden were lying about in dead brown imitations of stringy rope, the leaves skeletal where they hadn't yet become indistinguishable from the rest of the slimy rotten mess.

"Oh no no," Kara whined pitifully for the poor plants. "Live just harvested some of these about two or three weeks ago…What the hell happened? There was Alihotsy growing here, and Fluxweed _here_…these were _expensive_."

Lee was happy nothing was seriously wrong, but he knew Live'd be pissed off when she got out. The plants Kara mentioned didn't come without cost and persuasion, and cultivating them was an art form in itself. The thought kind of made him smile in amusement at the argument the sisters would have gotten in.

"It looks like a bad frost came in and froze it all…See how they're becoming all slimy?" Neville pointed out, picking his foot up from the muck to have leaves and other debris sticking to his boot. It was a bloody mess out here, an Herbologist's nightmare.

"Damn it all…" Kara muttered. "Live's gonna be bloody well pissed off." She was walking about the little square, bent over, inspecting the horrid damage. "How did a frost come in and ruin my garden but the hellebore spot was alright?" she snarked. "These were hardy plants."

Neville had no answer for that. It didn't seem right in his mind that her garden had been destroyed. Come to think of it, Alihotsy and Fluxweed should have been frost-resistant. Especially if Kara had gotten it from a reputable seller. Sure, they'd have stopped their growing progress, but the plants themselves would still have been preserved. And according to Kara, only she and Live, up till right then, had known the exact location of this garden. Live even kept it from Kelena and George in case either tried to nick her investments.

"Let's go, Kara," Lee urged her from the rotten mess. "We've got plenty other plants to make up for these. And I'm sure we can get other plants to replace these in Greenhouse Four."

Kara huffed, still bent over and looking at the few green sprigs that had survived. "…this can be salvaged…I can probably use that…this just needs pruning…the leaves here are still good…" She was squatting, digging out little plant sprigs with a small trowel in the hopes that she could replant and restart.

"We can replant those, I'm sure," Neville agreed. "I don't think Professor Sprout would care too much if we borrowed the greenhouse for a bit." He tried to lighten her mood. He knew what it was like to have plants die on you. It right sucked.

Kara sighed, upset as she kept setting huge dirt-clumps with little green sprigs into her satchel. Lee watched her with an increasing feeling of apprehension.

"Come on Kara, we have to go. It's getting dark."

"Oh Lee, my poor poor plants," Kara said pitifully, truly disenheartened that they were nothing more than a memory and brown slime. She put another clump of dirt and small green sprig into her pack. There weren't many others she could do the same for.

"I know, but we've got to go…I don't feel right being out here," he told her apprehensively. His mind started wandering to things that frightened him, to recent cryptic words he'd gotten from a delirious George Weasley this morning about things in the forest and the wolves. His fear was raising his heartbeat, he noticed, and he tried to force himself not to let schoolboy worries get to him. He was the eldest here, he'd be damned if he acted like a ninny. "We're leaving Kara."

"…Lee…?" Kara peeped quietly from her station near the ground. He hoped from her tone she wasn't going to cry over some damn plants she'd probably try to make him eat later on.

"Neville, come on," Lee said stolidly, taking the other boy by the arm to get his attention.

Neville didn't move, but whispered quietly. "…_Lee_…"

"What's the bother?" he asked, turning his head to see what they were so intent upon. A chill went up his spine before his eyes found the glowing orbs that were watching them from deeper within. They were yellow eyes, gleaming in a domed black head, the pupils dilated, one larger than the other. That head came complete with a large reptilian body that had the figure of a very-corseted woman, but it sat and watched them in a pose reminiscent of a cat. The five digits of its clawed hand resting on a knee (if that was a knee) twitched, each one a delicate silver blade of claw. It cocked its head and yawned- Lee refused to think it had smirked at them- and he saw two large, snake-like fangs on both the top and bottom of the mouth, coupled and lined with at least a hundred more smaller triangular teeth. He wondered momentarily if it had eaten the berries off Kara's belladonna plants, for that mouth glistened with something dark, and it's pupils were large, saucer-like things- an effect of ingesting belladonna.

His heart was beating fast in his chest as he slowly moved to stand next to Neville, the herbology major already reaching inside his own robes for his wand. Lee slowly went for his wand with his right hand as he reached for Kara's low-crouching form with the left.

"Kara…stand up…" Lee said slowly and in mild tones. She reached a hand behind her to feel him, so terrified she thought she'd start screaming any moment. The scent of belladonna and wolfsbane was in the air; the creature seemed to emanate the poisonous scents. She slowly started to move, but the thing, whatever the hell it was, started to move as well. She stopped, whimpering in fear, and it stopped as well and yawned once again, this time sticking out a long yellow tongue that looked as sticky as a frog's. Lee wondered vaguely how long it had been crouched there, watching them without their knowledge.

He moved down slowly to meet Kara halfway, and Neville had his wand produced, pointing it at the thing as his hand shook in seeing the teeth. Lee took a hold of Kara and had her stand to her full height. The creature as well stood to it's full height, and Lee clasped a hand over her mouth as she began to scream at its horrific, surprising form and nine foot tall height. It didn't move even as Kara began to shake in terror. It was too tall, far too skinny, a cinched waist that didn't seem physically possible, sharp claws and teeth, and that long yellow tongue lolling about outside its mouth.

Lee took a step back with Kara closer to Neville, and the thing took a step forward. She squirmed in Lee's grasp, wanting to scream quite badly from days of frustrated caring, intense fear and nerves, and now sheer terror. She was trembling just as badly as Lee and Neville were. This thing, whatever it was, wasn't natural. And they were quickly losing daylight which caused her pulse to beat a horrid tattoo in her throat.

Kara backed up closer to Lee, tried to get away from his grasp out of fear. He let her mouth free as she was muttering curse word after curse word out of sheer fright, cursing at her legs to not even think about going to jelly on her.

The creature took a smaller step forward, and stopped, watching them and flexing its fingertips. Just looking at it made Lee sick to his stomach, and the smell…He was certain he knew that smell, but this thing reeked of stench and decay.

"…Neville…" Kara squeaked, reaching for him. Her wand was in his bag, as well as an extra hair ribbon, a bottle of water, and some colorful stones she'd found along their path and had him carry as per her 'favor'. Now she wished she'd kept the damn thing in her own bag at her side.

Inclining it's smooth, shiny black head, the creature beckoned them, and Kara froze with fear, her hand on Neville's forearm. The creature stared right at her, frozen in place, and yawned again.

Something dawned on Lee, and he tried to think of what to do with the realization. "It's a doppelganger…" Lee murmured into Kara's ear. It was copying all of the moves she made. Every movement she did, it made the same and equal movement. He knew now. Its yellow and black coloring- the universal coloring for poisonous creatures. That scent in the air…the stench was reminiscent to the belladonna boiled in anti-paralyzation potions, and it became stronger every time this thing yawned. It was trying to poison them with the vapor issuing from its mouth. This was a highly venomous creature of darkness, and it fed on magic while paralyzing its prey with a bite or a scratch. It was deadly, unnatural, and they were face to face with it within the forest rightly called Forbidden.

"Kara, it's a doppelganger. Get behind me so it can't see you," Lee instructed as he allowed her to move behind him, which she did rather quickly with fear. She craved her wand badly; a rifle even more.

The creature before them did a weird sort of dance that moved it closer to them, and it immediately sent Kara into terrified shrieks and caused Neville to fire off a curse at the thing. He hit it square in the chest with a red flash, and a terrible noise issued from it as they darted in the opposite direction like the devil was on their heels.

The crashing of bracken and vegetation right behind them caused them all to scream in fright as they darted through the forest on high speed, jumping over branches and logs, twigs and roots, their bodies slick with the sweat of fear.

Neville chanced a look behind him and shrieked for them to run faster as they all darted about, trying to stay together, but getting a little far from one another in their speed. Kara's bag of herbs, plants, flowers and roots was causing her a bit of lagway, snagging on leaves and plants that she ripped away in her sprint.

"Kara leave the bag!" Lee shouted as they ran.

"No!" she solidly refused. There had been too much work put into gathering this stuff, and she held in her possession the last hopes of reviving the garden that had been destroyed. She would not abandon that even if it slowed her down.

"Kara!" Neville shouted in agreement with Lee.

"NO!"

They were all within sight of each other, running full speed. But they weren't as close as they could have been, and the inevitable happened as they became separated. The thing was directly pursuing Kara, its choice victim from the three of them. Lee caught his breath in his throat as he saw the gangly creature sweep out its long hand towards Kara, either to swipe her across the face or drag her down with that damned rucksack.

But like a beam of holy light in their darkest hours, a unicorn came trouncing through the underbrush and impacted with the doppelganger creature before it could harm Kara. It speared the thing on the white pearly horn and shook it's mighty head violently as the creature made that horrid noise once more; a screeching hiss that sounded like it had been garbled underwater. The unicorn threw the speared creature into the brush, and the sounds of it scrambling up and making a mad dash egged the wild stallion on, galloping after the unnatural thing well into the depths of the forest.

Lee and Neville were at Kara's side in moments and the three of them continued the fearful sprint through the dark woods to come to the edge of the forest. With utter relief the castle came into sight. Still running and panting hard with side-aches and plant lashes, the three of them slowed considerably, but didn't stop.

Lee was scared half to death, but exhilarated that they'd made it out. He grinned to Kara at his side, but his grin quickly turned to one of horror as he looked up to the sky as the creature came sailing from the trees directly at them. Lee shoved Kara away from him, she and Neville colliding and tumbling on the planted grass on the edge of Hogwarts' forest as Lee and the doppelganger went tumbling on their own back to the edge of the darkness.

It was sitting on top of Lee, or squatting, its legs too long to be considered remotely graceful, and it was then Lee knew this wasn't the same creature that had been following them as it has no puncture wounds upon it, no signs of struggle with that unicorn, no viscous liquid dripping from the non-existent wounds. There were two of these things…at least.

Neville was up with his wand to defend Lee as another creature came stalking out of the darkness, long movements with its nine-foot tall frame. It saw Lee trapped under one of its brethren and rather than fight for a piece of the meal, it moved towards Kara who was laying prostrate on the ground, the sense knocked out of her from falling with Neville. Little flowers had fallen out of the bag at her side and were strewn about the ground, no doubt making her look like a garnished meal to this thing. The fifth year boy was frozen with fear as it grabbed her and held her up from one of her arms as she started to regain consciousness.

The scream she'd started became lodged in her throat as a long-fingered hand put itself around her neck and stared at her with the same wide, shocked eyes she beheld it with. It opened its mouth, whether to mimic her scream, or to bite her, Neville didn't know, but he lunged at it just the same, afraid to hit her with any spell he might use. The thing looked at him blandly and pulled its hand from Kara's neck to backhand Neville away. The boy was knocked out, but thankfully he hadn't gotten scratched, tumbling over himself to lay flat on his back with his wand still grasped in his palm.

Kara began struggling, rigid determination not to die at the hands of this thing, as Lee called to her while himself dodging and moving as the creature on top of him kept trying to puncture him and gorge on his magic, not to mention his flesh. It's yellow tongue lolled out of it's mouth, the jowls dripping.

Utter terror took Kara as she heard a crashing further within the darkness, the sound of yet another creature making its way towards them. Neville was out cold, she didn't have a wand, and Lee was as incapacitated as she was.

"Neville! Wake up!" Kara urged as the creature holding her made an unearthly sound in mimic that caused Kara to become sick. The crashing sound becoming louder and closer, the creature itself grasping her closer as it decided biting her was the best course of action. It opened its mouth full of little triangular teeth, the fangs dripping as she closed her eyes and thrashed for her life. It picked her up, feet dangling off the ground to stop her struggling, and suddenly she hit the dirt and grass face first, hard. Heartbeat racing, body shaking, Kara was frozen with fear, the noises of Lee struggling and something else much larger and heavier above her. She heard Lee cry out to her with alarm, his grunts and kicking and dodging of the doppelganger overpowering him. He was beginning to get tired, and his voice was filled with fear for her. Had she been scratched? Why wasn't she moving?

Kara chanced a look up and saw that it wasn't the doppelganger above her, nor another larger one, but a Thestral, the winged, skeleton-like horse invisible to all but those who'd seen someone die. It snapped its teeth and fixed the doppelganger with its beady eyes in that dragon-like face. It snorted and reared, driving the creature off Kara.

The creature took a swipe at the Thestral with its long claws, but the skinny horse took to the air, a sight that utterly amazed Kara as she was certain an animal that looked so like death couldn't have such power. Landing somewhere to the side of the creature, the horse took a bite out of the doppelganger's side, flaring its nostrils with the scent of the blood. A high-pitched wailing sound filled the air as the creature attempted to hop at the Thestral, which only took to the air again. The doppelganger retreated a bit to the trees where it was harder for the winged-horse to get to it, but that didn't stop the Thestral from chasing it into the woods with every bite, every nip. And each time the creature wailed, trying to bring down the horse, but failing in getting even a scratch on it.

The Thestral seemed utterly interested in its prey, and followed the creature quickly until Kara could hear it no more. The disappearance of both did nothing for Kara's reserve as Lee was still under attack and his own doppelganger sensed his meal was imminent.

It looked down at Lee and flexed it's hand as the seventh year's eyes widened. He rolled to the side just barely missing it as the creature brought it's fine claws down like needles, instead hitting the soft earth. It dislodged it's palm and looked at Lee quizzically as it did the same move yet again, trying to puncture Lee's skin with it's poison. It wasn't one of the smartest of creatures, but it was large, much larger than Lee.

Kara was scuffed up and scraped, lying on her belly as she brought herself up on her elbows to see Lee dodging the attacks of the horrifying creature rather slowly. He didn't have his wand on him at all. She saw Neville still lying some feet away from her, still on his back, sprawled out unconscious. She felt shaking fear, intense terror, a great loss, but most of all, she felt true and pure rage.

Without thinking twice, Kara was lunging at the creature on Lee, not in her human form, but in her wolf skin.

Lee's robes were needled through as he barely dodged a puncture-wound. The creature finally got the idea to try biting him since it couldn't seem to penetrate his skin with its poison, and leaned over Lee as it held him down with a foot. It never saw Kara coming, never expected her to latch on to what she didn't bother wondering what was its throat, and it certainly didn't expect to be knocked away from its current prey and be slashed and shredded by the back claws and teeth of a wolf of the forest.

She was white hot fury in the form of a white wolf, too filled with rage to loosen her hold when the blood in her mouth turned acrid, the stinging of the juices poisonous as she choked the life out of this creature of the shadows. With a clench she collapsed what might have been its windpipe, her back legs clawing at the chest of the creature, shredding shiny black skin, darkening the color of her pelt with her efforts. It had tried to pull her bodily off it, large clawed hands wrapped about her midsection. It didn't even think of sinking its claws in as she crushed the life right it of it; couldn't have thought as she pulled the head clean off, her mouth dripping venomous poison as she finally let go.

The head dropped aside the body of the twitching form. Its dark blood was already all over the place, the entire area soaked with it, including Kara. The long yellow tongue of the mouth had lolled out, laying beside the unmoving mass of flesh. This thing was dead, and there was no way it would ever be coming back. Kara's rage had seen to that.

Lee was sitting on his backside, legs open but pulled close to him as his shaky arms propped him up from behind. He surveyed the mess; the dead doppelganger; Neville; Kara. They had to clean her up immediately and get some antidotes in her for paralysis. Dark colored fluid was still dripping from her open jowls as she panted, standing over the body, the mess she'd created. Flowers were strewn about the place, the bag still around her wolfish form splattered with blood and pieces of skin.

Neville roused back to immediate action and raised his wand, only to become confused at the bloody murder scene before him. Everyone was still, unmoving, the electric charge still in the air from their fear, from Kara's intense rage. The ground was turning color, not just from the creature's blood, but it was changing, dying under the venomous mix.

Lee got to his knees and looked at Kara. She was panting heavily, not quite sure what she'd done, but she knew. She'd been so blind with fury, but she knew. And she felt tired.

He looked her in the eyes and she stepped closer to him on four legs. He looked her over without touching her. She had toxins all over her, the venom and evil of the creature nothing but poison on her form. It would be soaking through her fur into her skin by now, the even the purity of a white wolf couldn't stand up to this.

"You've got to change back," he urged. He didn't know how to help treat animals, regardless if they were really wizards or not. And Kara was covered in a lot of dark blood. First thing was to get her safely cleaned, then get the hell away from the forest.

Her wolf eyes darted to Neville, who was still sitting where he'd roused with wand in hand. Lee followed her gaze. "Where the bloody hell is Kara?" Neville asked with fear, coming to his senses.

Lee turned back to her. "Just change back. You're poisoned." She wagged her tail slowly, but didn't make with the changey-change. It made Lee angry.

"Godric where's Kara at Lee?!?!" Neville asked in a panic, jumping up and careful not to step in the splattered mess.

"Dammit, Kara he's not gonna tell anyone!" Lee spat angrily as she still refused to change back into her human skin. Neville came up behind Lee, and Kara looked up at him with her big wolfie eyes. It didn't take a genius to put two and two together, and Neville Longbottom became immediately aware of her secret.

Loud noises and barks from behind him got Lee's attention, and he saw why Kara hadn't wanted to change as Hagrid came striding up behind them, Fang on a lead in one hand, a crossbow and torch in the other.

"Blimey, what're ye doin' out here?! I heard noises! And the unicorns are goin' crazy, what few're left," the gamekeeper noted with trepidation. He held his torch high to view the situation, and saw the blood-strewn field, larger pieces of black and yellow doppelganger creature amid the smaller, fleshier pieces and toxin-soaked grass. When he caught sight of the formerly-white wolf, soaked and bloodied, drops still dripping from her jowls, it completely blew his mind. "Merlin's wand!" he muttered with bewilderment and not without a bit of horror. She reeked of poison smells.

It was at that moment, so soaked in the venomous blood and having inadvertently ingested much of it since she'd chewed the thing's head off, that she fell sideways and collapsed from toxicity. It was Lee who hurried her to Hagrid's hut that night, the bloody poison soaking through all his robes and clothing as they quickly cleaned her and slipped antidotes down her throat. Neville had gone to fetch fresh clothing, potions, and to find little pots for the plants Kara had so steadfastedly refused to abandon as Hagrid did his best to soothe and strengthen the 'wolf' in his care. It was going to be a long night.

sSs

"Fred, I'm not sure that charm can be used on small animals," Kelena noted as they were sitting in the Gryffindor common room doing their homework. A large fire was crackling, casting the room in a warm glow. Seamus and Dean were attempting to make sense of a muggle card game and instructions Kara had left downstairs, and Parvati Patil was hard at work on a potions essay.

"Sure it can," he claimed, his nose close to the pages of his book as he focused hard on the exact words and instructions. This was actually a matter he was quite interested in.

"Scratch that, it _shouldn't_ be used on small animals."

"Bah, you'll see. It'll be amazing."

"Well maybe temporarily, but it wouldn't last," Kelena contended with a sigh. She made an inane face as she looked at her own book. She hated charms homework. But maybe if she'd study more…

"Kelena it says right here _tempore_…That's time."

"_Tempor_ary, Fred…ugh…Whatever you're planning, don't use it on animals. Or I'll tell Hermione," she threatened with the fifth year's prefect status. No doubt Hermione would bust him, too. Ron was another matter completely…

"Oh you're no fun," he snorted at her. "Here, I'll prove it to you. Where's Neville?"

"Don't use it on Neville either!" Kelena told him with her hands firmly on the table. She abandoned her quill, deciding to do her homework early before class. Hell if it would get done tonight. She was far too tired from classes.

"I won't, I want to use it on Trevor." He grinned wickedly, wondering if he could indeed shrink the other boy's toad for an indefinite amount of time. If he could get this charm to work, it would ultimately save them time in the line of animal husbandry.

"Whatever, Fred, I'm going to bed," Kelena said stoutly as she gathered her materials and shoved them haphazardly into her bag. She left him at the table as he consulted his book once more without looking up at her.

"You're gonna miss out on some fun!" he called as she ascended the stairs with a disgusted noise.

She sighed as she passed Neville, who was laden with questionable items, on the stairs. She decided she didn't particularly care what he was doing; she was going to bed. "Neville, you'd better hide Trevor. Fred wants to use him for experiments."

"I don' even know where he's at," he admitted as he skipped steps going down the stairs. Kelena shrugged, letting him to his own business.

"Oi, Neville, can I borrow your toad?" Fred asked as Neville made his way through the common room and hurried towards the portrait hole.

"If you can find him," he said agreeably, his mind elsewhere. Fred grinned as the other boy shifted the items in his arms so he could maneuver through the exit. He gave the fifth year a weird look, brow furrowed.

"Hey Neville. Where're you going with those?" Fred asked of the clothing and other items he appeared to be trying to hide.

"Nowhere," he muttered quickly, jumping out the portrait hole. He dropped some clothing in his haste without noticing. Fred shrugged, but watched curiously as Seamus moved to pick it up.

"Oi, Neville," Seamus called out the portrait hole, "You dropped your…bra?"

"That looks like Kara's," Dean commented with raised eyebrow as the article dangled from Seamus' hand.

"What's Neville doing with Kara's bra?" Fred asked, mildly curious.

"How would you know it's Kara's, Dean Thomas?!" Parvati exclaimed with scandalization, ignoring the subject of Neville.

Dean shrugged as if it didn't matter and was of no consequence whatsoever. "Sometimes she makes me do her laundry after messy experiments."

"…just like a house elf…" Seamus teased, tossing the bra at Dean with a grin.

Parvati squeaked at their daring. "Go put it back!"

"You want it, 'Vati?" Dean teased, dangling it with one hand as her face became red. Kara's taste in undergarments was just as flamboyant as Live's. Parvati looked properly scandalized. As no one had made a deal out of it before, Dean didn't think anything of it. But now he saw that there was some fun to be had with the blonde girl's undergarments. Especially if it bugged Parvati.

"Dean put it back!" Parvati squealed as if it was a sacrilege. She got to her feet to snatch it if he wouldn't do as she said.

"I'm still wondering where Neville was taking such an interesting piece of underwear," Fred commented, watching the scene progress with a thoughtful smirk. Where the hell was Lee and George for these types of things?

"Give it here!" Parvati told him. "I'll put it back if you won't!"

Dean looked at her outstretched hand and decided otherwise. "Nah…" He tossed the offending article to Seamus, who caught it by one of the cups. He held it up to his chest with a serious look.

"Is it me, mate?"

"The color isn't working for you," Dean commented. Parvati made a horrid little cry at their indiscretion and walked to Seamus with outstretched hand, face red.

"Give it."

Seamus tossed it back to Dean. "This thing is rather aerial, isn't it?"

"Dean!"

"I'd say so, mate."

"Seamus!"

"What kind are you wearing, 'Vati?" Seamus' soft Irish lilt asked daringly. Her face reddened even more. Fred laughed as he held his face in his hands. He decided to stay out of it. Parvati was good when it came to using her wand.

"How dare you!" she said with outright shock, thoroughly flushed with embarrassment. The fifth-year boys snickered.

"What's going on?" George asked sleepily from behind his twin, Harry's invisibility robe tucked underneath his own along with his wand.

"You're going to stand watch again?" Fred asked as he surveyed his twin. George wasn't looking too good in the sleep department. Ever since Live had been encapsulated he'd been a wreck. He didn't blame him. He himself couldn't even visit the Slytherin with Kelena. It brought back too many bad memories of poor old Uncle Artie.

"Be back in the morning," George murmured as he took one last look at the squabbling fifth years and went out the portrait hole, squeezing past Hermione and Ron who were coming back from prefect's duties.

"George, curfew's up," Hermione scolded.

"'Night, Hermione," he muttered as he left.

She looked at Ron expectantly and he raised an eyebrow. "What? They don't listen to _me_."

She sighed and immediately sized up the situation as a bra unmistakably belonging to Kara was being tossed about the room. She brought out her wand and summoned the garment to her. "_Accio_ bra." It flew at her and she grasped it in her hands. "I don't even want to know how you got this, or what you were doing with it, but really, Dean, how old are you?" Hermione scolded. He shrugged and grinned at Seamus. Parvati refused to look at anyone as she stoutly packed up her items and retired to her dorm with a red face.

Hermione looked at Ron as if for his opinion of the situation. His face was red as he tried not to look at Kara's bra in her hands. She rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Ron," she sighed.

"You've seen more than that, I've heard," Fred intoned with an impish grin from the table. Dean wolf-whistled and Seamus winked in the prefects' direction.

This time Hermione's face went red, and she didn't dare look at Ron. "Goodnight boys. I'm going to bed," she announced, trying to save her dignity and leaving Ron alone to fry under the curious looks of Seamus and Dean. They graciously waited until Hermione was out of earshot until they sported their own wolfish grins.

"_Sooooo_, just how far _have _you and Hermione gone?"

"I've heard _she's _gotten to second-base on you, but what have _you_ gotten?" they teased.

"Just what kind of man _are _you, mate?"

Fred only snickered as he pretended to study his charm book.

"Oh bugger off the lot of you!" Ron declared as he mounted the stairs after Hermione, his face redder than his hair. The common room was nothing but snickers and chortles behind him.

sSs

George was deep in his watch of yet another night. He decided against going to classes at all that day, preferring to catch up on sleep whilst Live was safe in the light of day. Lee had made excuses for him in their shared classes, and Fred had been passing around a rumor that George was in bed with a terrible melancholy that would greatly affect anyone near him, so do to please stay away.

While the latter had some truth to it, mostly George needed a few solid hours of sleep so he'd be sharp during the night. Fred very generously offered to take watching over Live in shifts, and Lee suggested they have a camp out in the hospital wing. George was grateful, but politely refused as this was something he wanted to do by himself. It gave him time to think, a lot about her, but their situations and the present-future as well. He certainly couldn't let this happen twice, and if things kept trying to attack her, he was going to have to get very serious in better protecting her and utilize what McGonagall kept pestering was his 'upgraded magic'. He was a _duoforme_ now, had been since they were both changed by the wraith. His magic was a little more _able_, so to speak, in the ways of talent and what he could do, though he'd already had a few backfires and flops. But he'd managed to quickly take control of those and fine-tune his magic.

He sighed. He had many things on his mind, mostly focused on her, and he needed to start getting serious about things. Especially since things were beginning to get more serious where the both of them were concerned. Who knew what else might befall them? And Madam Pomfrey mentioned the night before that the prophecy had been leaked…Where, or to whom or how, he didn't know, but he knew it couldn't be good. At least he hadn't heard anything about it here at Hogwarts, so the general student body wasn't aware of it, which could only be a good thing. He didn't want anyone coming after her for that reason. No nutters intent on siring a destructor from her, or whatever the prophecy meant. He'd protect her with his last breath from that. Then there was the problem of the one who'd burnt Live, the girl, the one at St. Mungos…

A small shuffling sound caught his attention, bringing him from his reverie. It was too late in the night for Madam Pomfrey to be making her rounds. He listened, stilled, but the noise had stopped. Maybe it was rats, or someone's pet had gotten loose. He wondered what Crookshanks was up to, or that ill-mannered cat of Kelena's he hadn't seen in a while, Kitty-Nimbles.

There was a scratching noise that caused him to become alert, like claws on stone. His body stiffened and he held his wand out, listening and looking. The noise stopped again, and he could see nothing. He started wondering if he was going crazy from the lack of sleep and nerves. Something moved in the shadows across the way, and he didn't blink to make sure he wasn't imagining it. Out of the dark, something long like a snake covered in rough scales crawled slowly across the way. It had six stubby legs, each seeming to move independently of the other. It stuck out a double-forked yellowish tongue as it settled in the middle of the way gazing at the iridescent bubble. Its gray body matched the color of the stone it laid across. Before George could even fire off a spell the creature leapt into the air at the bubble, reptilian skin-flaps like miniature wings as it glided down-

-and was instantly vaporized.

George whipped the invisibility cloak off his head in a flourish, blinking to make sure his tired eyes weren't playing tricks on him. He rubbed the exhausted orbs and leaned forward. The creature hadn't even gotten within three feet of the bubble, but it had been utterly destroyed, and not by George's hand. There were little pieces of something left, something dusty, an indicator that there had indeed been a creature there and it wasn't George's imagination.

It suddenly dawned on him that the other night when Dumbledore had said Live was well-protected, he wasn't referring to George's guarding, but to the obvious barrier that was put up. The barrier that hadn't allowed that creature to even approach the Soul Bubble.

He sat there dumbfounded a few minutes, wondering how he'd been sitting within the barrier and hadn't even known it. He sulked, feeling rather useless. She was better protected than necessary.

"The hour is late my boy," a kind old voice intoned. George looked up at attention to see Dumbledore regarding him with a sort of sad smile. He grimaced at the fact that he'd been officially found out, breaking the curfew rules, and got to his feet.

"Sorry, sir."

"There is nothing wrong with wanting to protect her," Dumbledore told him with understanding. "But I am sure she wouldn't want you to lose yourself over her."

George nodded sullenly. He'd lost plenty of sleep, not to mention his nerves were frayed. "She's safe then, professor?"

"No one wishing her harm can approach this bubble," Dumbledore affirmed gently. He was glad he had checked in on Live. The young man needed reassurance, not to mention creatures were about that night in the forest. George nodded in acceptance, and the powerful wizard put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Off to bed with you now."

George gathered up Harry's invisibility cloak and shoved it under his robes, putting it back on once he was outside the hospital wing doors. It proved unnecessary as he met no one on his late night stroll back to the Gryffindor commons.

Fred stirred as George came into their dorm.

"…you're in late…or early…" he murmured sleepily before falling back into snores.

"Mm," he agreed, climbing in bed, his mind troubled, if not a little relieved that Live was adequately protected. It helped ease him into more calm dreams and peaceful hours of sleep.

sSs

"Someone's been out prowling the night…" Fred quipped jovially as Lee sat down to lunch in the Great Hall.

"You look like crap, mate," Seamus decided as he looked at the seventh year. Lee looked as if he hadn't gotten any sleep last night. Or for the last week, what with the horrid bags under his eyes.

"Shove it, Seamus," Neville muttered as he ate his own lunch tiredly. Dean shrugged and looked at Fred for some sort of explanation. The red-head had nothing for him, and decidedly bit into his sandwich with verve.

"Zo vere haf 'oo bin, mate?" Fred asked Lee through bites of sandwich.

Lee looked at Fred tiredly, the other boy chewing as he watched him expectantly. "I was with Kara all night--"

"Wooooo," Fred interrupted, swallowing quickly, surprised with Lee.

"--and Neville."

Fred nearly choked on his sandwich, and Lee just rolled his eyes, wishing his pumpkin juice was stronger. Seamus raised an eyebrow at Fred to make sure he was alright, and Neville just devoured his own food. After Fred's exaggerated choking, he gave Lee another odd look.

"Sooo…What _did_ you get up to last night?" he asked, remembering the bra Neville had dropped in the common room.

"We were at Hagrid's--" He paused as Fred's look got even more irked. "For Godric's sake, man, you said you wanted to know."

"That depends on just what you three were doing at Hagrid's last night…" He gave his friend a weird look, then his face brightened in new thought. "Did our order finally get in?! Were you having Hagrid check them? Are they healthy?"

"The order hasn't arrived yet," he muttered. "But there _are_ things roaming the forest, mate. I don't think we should be going in there anymore. Especially not after dark."

"Why?" Fred asked with curiosity and confusion.

Lee lowered his voice as he caught Neville's eye. "There's Doppelgangers in the woods."

Fred's whole body stiffened. "Are you serious?" He looked over at the fifth year eating opposite them, and Neville sort of nodded his concurrence with Lee before going back to his food. He was starved, and Hagrid, though well-meaning, wasn't exactly the world's greatest cook. "Does Dumbledore know?"

"If he didn't, he will now. They're too dangerous for Hagrid not to say something to Dumbledore on the matter. Especially since they came on to school grounds."

"Hagrid won't rat you out," Fred told Lee assuredly.

Lee merely shrugged and picked at his food tiredly without caring. He wanted a good night's sleep after all this. After all the elixirs and antidotes they'd given Kara, she'd be back to her old self in no time flat, possibly even better. If that were true, he could kiss peace and quiet goodbye.

sSs

"…in here, jus' like I said…"

Kara's wolfy ears pricked up at the hardy bellow of Hagrid's voice. She was half asleep, or so she thought, tired and groggy, but generally felt alright. Whatever Lee and Hagrid had given her the night before, it had done wonders for her strength.

Footsteps made its way into the hut near the hearth where Kara lay next to a fire. She smelled them sooner than she saw them. In cracking open an eye, she saw Dumbledore and Hagrid both looking at her with study. Her tail gave a little wag as her eyes followed them.

"She appears in good health," Dumbledore gave his opinion, and Hagrid grinned.

"Oh, Lee Jordan sure was worried. This wolf o'his saved his life, he says," Hagrid informed. "But jus' a few elixirs fer the poison an' a bit o' mandrake did the right trick." Kara wondered if they were going to get in trouble with Dumbledore for going into the forest. Hagrid seemed to suddenly realize the same thing, and it showed on his face, not wanting to get the Gryffindors into a spot.

"I think what those children have gone through is punishment enough," Dumbledore wisely spoke, considering the white wolf before him. Kara wagged her tail lightly, looking up at his with her big puppy eyes. Her chin was rested between her two front paws, eyes upward watching them. "And I highly doubt they'll venture to do the same in the future. Yet still, I think now more than ever we need to keep close tabs on the castle boundaries."

"I got rid o' the mess o' tha' gangly creature already, but the grass is dead," Hagrid reported, scratching his beard. "Those critters weren' even scared ter come onto the grounds at the forest's edge where I've put those pure grains like ye said….The unicorns have all gone, too."

Dumbledore nodded in thought. "The Thestrals can draw the numbers off, but with Grues running rampant on the grounds, we must observe a zero tolerance policy with students out after dusk."

Hagrid murmured in response, thoughtfully looking into the fire. "Ye think a Grue will come for the Hunter girl?"

"Our wards should keep anyone within the castle safe from the likes of Dopplegangers. Smaller creatures of less power might slip through holes in the magic, but I've established a barrier around the girl herself that will not allow them through, so she is more than adequately protected." Dumbledore smiled to himself in thought. Kara didn't know why he did, but she didn't really care either as she languidly stretched in front of the fire.

"Should I start patrolling earlier, pr'fessor?"

Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "If you happen upon a Grue, do not allow it to approach the castle. We're going to need to be very careful until she has been liberated from that Soul Bubble. Until then, they won't stop coming and the numbers won't dwindle."

"I understand," Hagrid said with a nod and a look in the direction of his crossbow. Kara's ears pricked up as she heard a low noise a bit like a whistle; a noise that human ears could not distinguish. She sat up listening from the softness of her palate, and stood, wagging her tail in trying to figure out the origin of the noise.

Hagrid heartily patted Kara on the back and she wagged her tail only half-paying attention to him as she listened and sniffed the air for anything other than fire-scent.

"Seems healthy. Go on, off with ye," Hagrid encouraged as Kara hopped off the palate and padded across the floor to stand in the doorway. She scratched her side with her foot as she stood and looked and sniffed. Spotting a bandy-legged orange cat, Kara trotted off Hagrid's porch with one last look back. Both wizards were watching her with mild amusement, and she trotted off to go see Crookshanks. Hagrid and Dumbledore concluded their business, and Kara was digging at the spot of freshly-packed dirt Crookshanks had signaled and led her to. Neville really took care when hiding Kara's extra changes of clothes.

sSs

Kara sat down at the tail-end of lunch to begin wolfing down food in the Great Hall. There were only a few other students actually eating. Neville, who was still at the table, brightened when he saw her, though he reconsidered prodding her as he might lose a hand in the process.

"Alright, Kara?"

She responded with a squinty-eyed, toothy-smile full of food. Neville made a face, but grinned, glad to see she was indeed alright.

"Lee was going to go check on you."

Kara looked up from her half-starved scarfing. "Where is he?"

"Probably the common room. I was just headed there. I can send him your way if I see him?" Neville offered. Kara grinned and nodded as Neville stood from the table, which was clearing itself of food and plates, except for the ones Kara was still going nuts over.

Neville nodded to George as the seventh year passed him in the Great Hall.

"Have you left anything for me?" he asked the blonde fifth year as she looked up, offering him a cold cut. He grinned and took it, munching on it as he decided he could just nick stuff from the kitchens before dinner anyways. Kara didn't leave good scraps. "I was going to go visit Live," he informed her, "If you wanna go."

Kara nodded as she swallowed. "Yeah." She pushed the mess that used to be her plate away, and stood from the table. She looked at George expectantly, who only grinned and stood ready to lead the way.

He told Kara about the creature that had tried to get into Live's bubble that past night, but how she was a lot more safe than they all thought. It was more or less for his own sanity that he shared his thoughts with Kara, but it got her talking quickly enough about what she, Neville, and Lee had been through that same night. It made George very nervous, though he supposed since Dumbledore said precautions were going to be taken, it would be alright. Though he second-thought his decision to leave the guarding of Live's bubble. Any one of the three Gryffindors could have ended up as Grue food last night.

George considered telling Kara he knew that it was another girl whom harmed Live, but he wasn't yet sure if he should, or if he wanted to share that information, for that matter. It was sensitive information. He had to consider everything before he decided to enact revenge, or let Kara do it.

Kara smiled as they entered the hospital wing to see Hermione, Harry, and Ron down at Live's bubble. She broke from George to hug Hermione and to peer in at Live.

"Is her skin better yet? Did anything change?" Kara asked, sticking her nose close up to the bubble.

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. Madam Pomfrey said she thought she looked a little better today." She sniffed a bit, and looked at the sister to the Slytherin. Her quick mind added up the mysterious events of the past twenty-four hours and she looked at Kara speculatively. "…Are you alright?"

Kara cocked an eyebrow with minor suspicion. Did Hermione know? "Yeah, why?"

"Just checking..." Hermione knew the smell on Kara was of particularly strong healing herbs, and that Neville had been through with a change of clothes for her. She supposed it wasn't her business if the blonde was going to keep it to herself, but she knew that Kara wasn't in the best of spirits.

"So…George, any idea when I might be seeing my invisibility cloak again?" Harry asked with a smirk, trying to lighten the somber mood.

Ron frowned when George gave a slight grin. "Why Harry, surely you aren't accusing me of wrongdoing?" Harry chuckled. "Certainly _you_ wouldn't be up to any foul deeds, yourself. Not with two _prefects _flanking you," he said in mock-respect. "Wittle Ronnikins, you're not condoning such rule breaking are you?"

Ron's cheeks grew red, and George smirked with self-satisfaction at annoying his little brother. Hermione chose not to pay attention to him, instead showing Kara a bar of chocolate she had stashed away just for the other girl.

"Pros like me don't need invisibility cloaks to get around this school, mate. Perhaps you should check Ron's trunk for any missing delicates," George said with a snicker to Harry. Ron looked immediately panicked over what George might have snuck into his trunk, (the thought of Lee's giant tarantula came to mind) and he tugged at Harry's robes.

"Come on, Harry. I just remembered there's a charms essay I need to finish."

Harry gave a light laugh. "Alright, mate, alright. You coming Hermione?"

She looked up, a chocolate smudge on the edge of her lips. Kara gave Harry a wide chocolately smile.

"Yeah, just a minute." She turned to Kara to give her a hug, whispering in her ear. "Sirius wrote Harry. He said Tonks and Lupin are keeping watch of the grounds personally. It'll all be alright." Kara's eyes were a bit watery as the other girl released her and then followed in step with Harry and Ron. She wiped her mouth and eyes with her sleeve as she watched them go.

"It might just be me, but I think she's getting better…" George murmured hopefully.

Kara sniffed as they both looked in at her sister from behind the privacy of a hospital screen. "Yeah…I think so too."

They looked in at the blonde sixth year Slytherin for a few moments in silence, each to their own thoughts. Kara stood with her nose inches from the bubble, ever trying to monitor her sister's progress while George fiddled with something in his robes pocket out of nervous habit.

"…it's good she's blocked a bit," a female voice Kara recognized floated down the hall. She peeked around the privacy screen to see Live's Slytherin friends, and half-smiled in welcome as she went back around the side to George.

"Vivian's here," she said, tugging on George's sleeve. He grunted in response as he pondered several very serious notions and ideas swirling in his mind. Things that would change both their lives if he went through with it like he planned. What might become of them because of some old prophecy. If Live would even go for the idea.

"Hey Kara." George heard Vivian Monteclaire's voice behind him as Kara moved out of his line of sight. _She _could hug them and whatnot. He personally didn't feel like talking to anyone right now, let alone hugging. "How is she? How is _he_?" Though she had dropped her voice, George knew she was talking about him. He decided not to listen. He didn't want pity.

Kara only sighed in response.

"Dumbledore just said we could visit," Rebecca Haversham's voice floated to him. "He promised to look in on Live today. That's good, isn't it?" She sounded like she had a cold, and sniffed quite often. "Has there been any change yet?"

"No," Kara responded sullenly. "Not really."

"Live'll nip this one in the arse, don't you worry."

George stiffened, his reverie shattered. He turned around to look at the person the voice had belonged to, and was sorely provoked to see it was indeed Putterly.

"What're you doing here, Putterly?" George snapped, anger flowing through him like someone had just ignited his dormant blood.

Putterly narrowed his eyes, but decided to play 'nice'. "Visiting," he replied icily.

Vivian and Rebecca looked at one another worriedly. They looked to Kara, wondering if allowing Putterly to come with them had indeed been a bad idea after all. He and Live seemed like chums, so they'd assumed it would be alright…

"Get the hell out," George demanded.

Kara grimaced, not interfering. She didn't much want Putterly here either. Perhaps not as much as George, but she didn't like him. Live had confided that he'd been 'bugging her', in a sense of the word. That she got vibes from him lately that both confused and worried her. It was as much a reason as any he shouldn't be allowed to see her sister so unkempt and in such a vulnerable state.

Vivian chewed her lip nervously, not knowing who's side to take. Putterly was a Slytherin, but George was the boyfriend. And she knew him to be a good guy, he'd spent enough time in their dorms. And he loved Live ridiculously. He was also, she reminded herself, the technical husband.

"You don't decide who visits and who doesn't," Putterly challenged angrily.

There was no doubt on anyone's part that George meant serious business. He didn't move from where he was standing, furiously rooted to the spot, hands fisted and shaking. No one else moved either. The girls were scared to make any sudden movements, and Putterly was standing his ground with firm intent to provoke.

"I won't say it again," George ground coldly. There were many reasons he hated Putterly, but the one at the forefront of his mind was that the bastard had teased him the other day in class about the whereabouts of Live. And he had been aware that she had been hurt somehow.

"You can't make me leave, Weasel." Putterly went for his wand inside his robes, and George jumped him with wrath. Kara shrieked and jumped into Vivian and Rebecca as both boys hit the floor brawling within feet of the Soul Bubble. As George made the first hit, the Soul Bubble crystallized over and hardened.

Vivian was yelling at them to stop and Becca was holding her back from jumping in and trying to stop them herself. Kara was shaking with nerves as their fighting had triggered the defensive mechanism of the bubble her sister was encapsulated in. Her shrieking barely registered in George's mind, so dedicated to getting it through Putterly's head that he and only he would decide whom could see Live and who couldn't.

George was the first to draw blood as Putterly's lip was split open upon contact with his fist. The Slytherin still went for his wand as George made a paralyzing hit to his nose that caused him to cry out in pain. He kicked out with his knee, nailing George in the stomach and knocking the wind out of him. The fiery-haired seventh year was gasping in trying to catch his breath without pausing to pummel Putterly. The Slytherin took advantage of this momentary delay in George's attack to grab his wand from within his robes.

Kara's horrified shrieks brought Madam Pomfrey out from some inner office as the mediwitch looked shocked at the scene.

"Mr. Weasley! Mr. Putterly!" she shrieked, retrieving her own wand from within her robes to separate and stop them.

She wasn't fast enough in her actions though as Putterly, the front of his robes covered in his own blood, fired off a spell at George. It caused the Gryffindor to be propelled off him backwards into the Soul Bubble's quartz-like surface.

And then he passed right through it.

Everyone stared in shock. Even Putterly, huffing and breathing painfully, was shocked at what had just happened.

The bubble relaxed itself after a moment and was bright and alive once more, the crystal dissolving away from itself. They could see George inside, sitting on the ground where he must have landed, shaken and dumbfounded as to what had happened.

Madam Pomfrey went into an immediate panic. "Weasley come out of there this instance!" she cried.

George looked out at them, but it wasn't apparent if he had heard her or not.

"Madam Pomfrey!" Kara cried with fright, wanting her to do something about it.

"Dumbledore," the mediwitch said absently, her mind going a mile a minute with fright. If he didn't come out immediately without taking any of her essence with him, it could kill her.

Vivian and Rebecca were already out the door by the time Madam Pomfrey realized it. They'd ran to look where last he'd been seen, and split up if necessary.

George stood up from inside the bubble. He was captivated by the slithering mist and smoky strands within the bubble. It hadn't looked anything like this from the outside. And how the hell had he _gotten _inside?! He knew how dangerous the situation he was in was for Live. But it didn't make sense. How was he able to pass into the bubble? And during crystallization? He hadn't been trying. He'd never even attempted to touch the bubble.

He looked out through the smoky interior to see Madam Pomfrey yelling at him, but he couldn't hear her. It was as if he was in a soundless void. His steps didn't even make noise against the stone he stood on. He looked at Live, unmoving. She looked more than dead, completely still. He realized with sudden horror that his presence in there could kill her, and he moved slowly forward, rationalizing that if he had passed so easily into the bubble, he could pass just as easily out.

He stepped forwards and reached out for the bubble. His movements made the swirling mist move about him. It encircled his legs lightly like it had a mind of its own, but he was able to move freely. His fingers encountered the surface of the bubble, cool and hot all at once, smooth to the touch, nothing like a bubble at all, really. He exerted pressure to try and pass his hand through it, but he would have had more luck passing through a stone wall.

Kara was near to having an apoplectic fit outside the bubble. "George! Get out of there right now!" she cried out. She approached the bubble even as Madam Pomfrey yelled at her not to. But the bubble crystallized against her intrusion before she got within a foot of it.

"Hey! Live! Dammit!" she cried out, now angry, as she could barely see George through the colored quartz-like material. She hit the dome with her fists. "Let him out Live! He can't be in there!" She circled around the dome, trying to find a more clear spot to look in so he might see her.

George could barely see Kara's outline through the bubble's wall. It had suddenly become very obscure, and he wasn't sure why. But he knew he wasn't able to pass back through. He turned back to Live laying on the hospital cot. Her hair appeared slightly damp, as if she had just had a shower. He could see the burn marks on her skin where the potion had gotten her. There were red welts where she must have scratched her own skin. She was going to be scarred, no doubt about that.

He approached the cot and carefully put his own hand upon hers. It was weird, he thought, but every inclination he was feeling was that he did not want to leave. He felt like he was surrounded by love, breathing it in, surrounding his body, but not. And it was a painful sensation as well. Very painful, actually. He felt like he was being drained of blood right through his skin, his veins being sucked dry and taut.

The mist was encircling him, and he hadn't noticed before, but he had a light mist of similar color hovering all about his body, like it was coming out of him. Tendrils of the smoky stuff from within the bubble snaked about his arms, picking up wisps of the same silver-like substance from his own body as it entwined itself about him, then returned to the rest of the air. He felt weak, swaying a bit. And the pain was bad, he could tell, but it was as if it was detached from him. Like he was feeling it through a glove, and it was completely bearable. He didn't care.

"Live…" he whispered gently, grabbing her hand with his own. He didn't know what was happening. But he felt only love for her. He dropped to his knees with weakness.

"Dumbledore you've got to do something!" Kara cried as she had her nose pressed up against the bubble. Her mind was a wreck, and it wasn't improving though Dumbledore was now there. Things weren't looking good-- for either her sister or George. She saw him drop to his knees beside her sister's bed from her vantage point on the side of the crystal bubble. Her eyes widened with sudden fear. "She's killing him!"

The ancient wizard was at a complete loss. If he forcibly broke the bubble to get George out, it would kill Live. If he didn't, they would both be lost. Two bodies could not occupy the same bubble at once. It didn't work that way. And a Soul Bubble could not support life from within. That's why the raw power was such an attraction for creatures that would prey upon fallen victims, and the magic was so easy to absorb it was easy pickings. Live would waste away with his soul trapped within the bubble of her own. It would corrupt and turn ugly, both souls being lost, tattered, and torn if left inside.

"Dumbledore please!" Kara cried. He had to save George. He had to get him out so Live would be safe. They were both in danger.

George lowered his head to touch the back of Live's hand on the cot. His upper body was resting on the mattress as he gripped her hand. He was too weak to keep himself up anymore, though the pain was detached. And all he _could_ feel was love for her. But he knew…

"…I don't want to die, Live…" he murmured gently in the soundless void. He rested his head on the cot as he began to lose consciousness, the smoky strands still picking up the silvery mist that had lessened in density from his body.

"He's not moving!" Kara cried out, moving her head to try to see him better. She beat on the crystallized dome again with renewed fervor, determined to stop it. "George!! Live!!"

Dumbledore had his wand out, knowing he couldn't save them both. "Stand back, Kara," he ordered, and she quickly hopped away from the glittery dome. Madam Pomfrey gathered her in her arms as she watched and waited, not knowing if or how she could possibly help the great wizard who himself knew not what to do.

Dumbledore's powerful presence commanded a silence in the room that the five of them did not break. Vivian and Rebecca stood with Putterly, not looking at one another or even breathing. Dumbledore was concentrating hard, his eyes closed commanding all his strength. He was summoning the most powerful magic he knew, trying to read into what was going on inside that bubble; trying to see if their souls could be kept on the ethereal plane with what he planned to do. His wand was touching the dome, and he had a tight grip on it. A great reverberating power was in the air, thick as mud, and they could all feel it.

"_Liberate_," he commanded in a deep voice, and the dome shattered in bright light like so much diamond dust, yet nothing touched the floor.

There was Live, laying like she had been when first brought in, and there was George next to her, gripping her hand and laying just as immobile half upon the cot. Both bodies were limp and devoid of all life, even the small nuances of breath. It sent Kara into a panic.

"Live!" she cried, rushing towards the cot.

"Don't touch them!" Dumbledore commanded. Kara stopped dead in her tracks and looked to the powerful wizard. Were they dead? Were they okay? What was going on?

He approached the bed with caution and placed his hands hovering ever-so-slightly above their heads. He didn't let go of his wand, but held it as each hand was hovering above a separate head. He concentrated his magic, felt with it, extended his very being outward until the walls and confinements of the hospital wing veritably disappeared about him. But he didn't dare touch them. They looked dead, not moving, and he knew better.

He stood like that for several of the longest minutes of Kara's life as she watched with fear, frozen in place. Something changed in Dumbledore's demeanor, and he suddenly grasped both of their heads. The quick motion caused Vivian to jump and Madam Pomfrey to gasp. As Dumbledore quietly murmured whisperings, he just as violently pulled his hands away. As one George and Live each took a breath, and life came back into them as they breathed on their own, though unconscious.

"Now, you may touch them," he said wearily, stepping back from the cot as Kara rushed forward, looking at George and then Live and then back before she ventured to touching them, tenderly venturing and checking them for herself. The three Slytherins stepped forward too to look, though they hung back a considerable amount, not interfering with the young Gryffindor.

"Albus, how?" Madam Pomfrey asked with utter amazement as Dumbledore approached her. "They should be dead. The Hunter girl should be _dead_."

"A one in ten million chance," Dumbledore murmured. "I used heart magic…and it was successful in finding and temporarily binding them."

"Albus!"

"If you don't mind, my dear, I could use a revitalizing potion," he said politely as he sat on a cot across the way from the student reunion. Pomfrey immediately fetched the substance for him before shooing away the students so she could get George into a bed of his own- near Live, as per Dumbledore's request- and start healing and treating them both under his supervision. Kara was allowed to stay.

sSs

Four days had passed since the breaking of the Soul Bubble, and word had gotten out. Ginny had tearfully written to their mother, and for three of the past four days she had taken up residence in the hospital wing looking after her son and what she considered her daughter-in-law, all legal-matters pressing. The Daily Prophet knew of a Soul Bubble which had been inside of Hogwarts, and there was a minor exposé on the safety of Hogwarts, a personal statement from Governor Lucius Malfoy on the horrid state of things. Fred hexed Malfoy good when he had shoved the paper under his nose at breakfast. It was worth the detention Snape gave him. And it was better than dealing with his mother who was watching over his incapacitated twin, anyway.

It was a surprise the fourth day as Mrs. Weasley was sitting between George and Live's cots, knitting something to calm her nerves, when George's eyes fluttered open, half-confused, involuntarily giddy due to the ordeal.

The relieved cries and shrieks of Mrs. Weasley had brought Madam Pomfrey running from her duties, and preliminary examinations of George had found that he was perfectly healthy- if not a bit too vital. He was very candid about his opinions and rather blunt concerning his mother's inquiries.

"George, dear, put this sweater on. You look chilled."

"I'm not, but alright mum."

"Is it warm? Do you like it?"

"Actually mum, this sweater really _is _ghastly."

She'd 'hmphed' with scorn. Yes, she had been experimenting with different color yarn, but it didn't look _that_ bad. He'd be getting quite a few of her sweaters this term if she had anything to say about it.

It turned out, after a visit that same day with Dumbledore to St. Mungos, that George was suffering a most terrible side-effect of the whole ordeal: he could not tell a lie.

Assured it was only a temporary problem, George had calmed considerably in the room at the ward. He was very adamant about talking to anyone, including and especially his mother, who wanted to know just what _had_ become of her good cauldrons several months back (he and Fred had used them to test the explosiveness of a new joke item).

Wary to leave him in the hands of St. Mungos after performing such binding magic on George and Live, Dumbledore allowed them to keep the Gryffindor only for the night for further observation, and no longer. George and Live needed to be within close proximity to one another until _fully_ recovered after such serious magic had been performed, and that meant at least in the same building, if not in the same room. While he had yet to explain that concept to George, the boy was already showing extreme discomfort at the hospital for which there was no outside cause.

After having been refused admittance to George's room until after what he called "the horrid plague of truth-telling" had passed, Mrs. Weasley had gone back to Hogwarts to keep an eye on Live as George had pleaded she please do. Besides, she could always send Arthur to interrogate her son later and get some answers out of him. The thought made her smirk. This was better than her fantasies of slipping those mischievous sons of hers some veritaserum.

She kept her promise to George, watching Live closely for a while, trying to get used to the idea that the Slytherin witch was legally married to her son. It wouldn't do, of course, this certificate business. She'd see they had a proper wedding with all the fixin's if she could help it, if the blasted ministry insisted these children remain married. Surely they were too young for such a thing. Though she and Arthur had been Hogwarts Sweethearts, this was different.

Though she knew the girl from infrequent visits to their home, she had no idea how she felt about having her as family. She was a better candidate than most girls her sons brought home, and that alone earned her a place amongst the angles. The thought of the girl with all the tattoos and tongue stud Charlie had once come visiting with made her cringe. Not to mention the witch who only wore fluorescent robes with her mohawked-hair. Where did her boys find girls like these?

She peered at Live once, looking her over. Honey-colored long hair, pierced ears- single holes only. No tattoos to be seen, no nose rings…She hoped she didn't have a tongue stud. The only thing she might hold against the girl was the fact that she was a Slytherin, though she knew her to be goodhearted, as far as that house went. Her younger sister Kara was Gryffindor, after all. She couldn't be so bad for George, especially since he seemed to like her so very much.

Smiling to herself, Mrs. Weasley picked her knitting back up as her thoughts drifted to that of her old wedding dress up in the attic. Considering that blasted Ghoul hadn't thrown things about again, it should be safe, and plenty-wearable. She had been saving it in the hopes Ginny would one day wear it (ecstatic when she'd been born a girl), and she continued to hope that at least that someone in the family would get use of it.

She grinned and peered at Live again. She wondered if the poor thing would heal without too bad of scarring, though it seemed less likely than naught. The creams Madam Pomfrey had been applying seemed to be doing only so much.

Her breath caught in her throat as Live's eyes fluttered open slowly. For the second time that day, Mrs. Weasley's shrieking caused Madam Pomfrey to come running.

"Oh Poppy! She's awake! She's awake!" Mrs. Weasley cried with delighted relief. She looked down into Live's sparkling green orbs, the Slytherin watching her with confusion. "Oh darling, you're alright." She patted Live's hand as she held it between her own.

"Where am I?" Live asked with addled confusion, though she was fully awake.

"You're safe dear, in the hospital wing of Hogwarts," Mrs. Weasley clarified to the Slytherin witch. Live blinked into the red-head's face.

"Let's make sure she's not suffering the same ailment your son is," Pomfrey advised as she waved her wand about Live for a precursory exam. Live stayed quiet as she did her thing, watching intently. What ailment? "How do you feel, child? Are you in any pain?" She wouldn't be able to lie and say she was fine if she was actually in pain.

"Um…" Live stuttered. How _did_ she feel? _What_ did she feel? "Uhh…"

"Hm. Not as blatant as George," Mrs. Weasley said with approval, wrinkling her nose at distaste with her son's horrid opinions. "She's probably fine."

"Do you have to tell the truth, honey?" Madam Pomfrey asked rather blatantly. A straight answer was the best course, and if the case was so, she'd have to answer 'yes'.

"I don't think so…" Live said with confusion, propping herself up on the pillows as she surveyed both women. She rubbed her eyes and looked around brightly. "I don't mean to be rude," Live started, looking at them both with curious speculation, "But who _are _you people?"

sSs

_A/N: Dun-dun-dun!_

_-FireV._


	40. When in doubt, choose ‘C’

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 40: When in doubt, choose 'C'.

sSs

"Oh dear," Mrs. Weasley said as Live regarded her with unfamiliar eyes. Madam Pomfrey looked most peeved. She looked at Mrs. Weasley, the two elder women speechless a moment in thought.

"I'm sorry," Live apologized in the silence, feeling it rude she couldn't recall their faces. "I know I should probably know you but…I'm a little confused," she added with honest thought. While she felt like she should know them, she couldn't for the life of her figure out who they were. And she felt an emptiness inside her chest that she couldn't comprehend.

Madam Pomfrey put her forefinger between her eyes, massaging the area.

"Maybe it's only temporary? Like George," Mrs. Weasley suggested to the mediwitch.

"I'd better fetch Albus," Madam Pomfrey muttered, walking out of Live's view. The Slytherin witch focused her attention on Mrs. Weasley. She didn't say anything, but smiled nervously at the red-haired woman. She looked to be a kindly sort.

"You don't remember me, do you?" Mrs. Weasley asked, breeching the silence.

Live smiled, not wanting to disappoint her, though it was obvious to both of them she was going to. She shook her head with pathetic smile. "Sorry, but no. Do you live here? And also, where _is_ here?" She immediately regretted asking as it clearly upset the woman before her. She quickly changed the subject. "What's my name, for that matter?"

"Live Hunter," Mrs. Weasley responded with worry. Already she was fearing having to relay this to George. From what Ginny had said in her numerous letters, not to mention the way George himself acted, Mrs. Weasley gathered that her wayward son cared very much for the short-tempered, blonde witch before her. Though how the Slytherin put up with George was a question right up there with 'Is there a God?'

"That _sounds _right," Live said with addled confusion, accepting the information without question. She stared into her lap with discomfort, and for the first time saw her hands, and what appeared to be still-forming scars of some kind. That quickly led to the discovery of her arms, shoulders, and any other visible skin she could readily see that was marred by mottled pinkness. She blinked with slightly alarmed confusion. She didn't know who she was, how she got there, or what was going on, but she _knew_ that these scars were not supposed to be here.

"I need a mirror," she said with hand at her temple as flashes went through her mind that she didn't understand. Bare shoulders and solid flesh. A bright day. Things she couldn't recall. "Please can I have a mirror?" she asked, looking at Mrs. Weasley with a pleading expression.

"Yes dear, yes," Mrs. Weasley quickly conceded, looking about for a looking-glass of some kind in her satchel.

"I need to see my face," Live explained with a hurried impatience, a streak of anxiety running through her. She couldn't even remember what her own face looked like. Who _was_ she? She looked at her palms with worry. They appeared to have suffered the worst damage as far as she could tell. Hopefully with hard work, maybe the scars would fade…

A bottle of something sitting on the table near the bed marked _Essence of Dittany_ shattered upon itself, making both women jump. Madam Pomfrey heard the noise from around the way and hastened to Live's bedside.

"It's alright now, calm down," the mediwitch said in soothing tones. Mrs. Weasley fished out the mirror from her bag and gave it to Live, who, after she was told not to worry about the broken bottle of Dittany, began inspecting her face.

A few beauty marks here and there, green eyes, messy blond hair that needed a wash…Her face didn't bear the same mottled look the rest of her skin did. Her neck and face appeared to be unblemished, though the splotchy look became more prevalent the further down her arms she got, her hands the blotchiest part of her she could see. She began gathering the sheets and blankets about her to hide it, wanting to cover up whatever seemed to be healing into scars.

"Don't worry dear," Mrs. Weasley tried to comfort her, patting her hand. Live gave her a miserable look. "It's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Albus should be here momentarily," Madam Pomfrey reported stoically to Mrs. Weasley. She nodded.

"Stop fussing dear. Here," Mrs. Weasley said in putting her shawl on Live's shoulders, the blonde still attempting to cover the exposed skin on her upper body. She graciously accepted it and wrapped it about herself. She didn't want anyone to see.

"Molly," Madam Pomfrey said, wanting a word with her. The red-headed witch left Live's side reluctantly, the young woman now peeking under her covers and doing as much damage assessment as she could. She felt incredibly self-conscious of the scars, but covering up gave her a semblance of comfort.

"Molly, during this term alone your son and this young lady have been in here more times than I can count on one hand-" Mrs. Weasley rolled her eyes, muttering how she was going to kill him, "-but of all the things I've treated them for," she continued, "I think this might be the most painful. Emotionally speaking."

"I can't imagine how she feels. Hopefully Albus will be able to help somehow," she said frettingly, sparing a glance in the direction of Live. "Is she even aware she's a witch? Or of what she is? Their mother is a muggle, after all."

"I don't think we should give her her wand just yet," Madam Pomfrey agreed, disclosing her shared concerns. "Not until we know for certain she can control herself. Albus will know what's best."

Live frowned. She felt incredibly stupid, the way they were going on about her in 'secret'.

"I _can_ hear you," she spouted.

Both elder women looked at her sheepishly. Live sat there, the loud orange of Mrs. Weasley's shawl a bright contrast to the muted colors of the hospital bedding, an appraising frown on her face. Mrs. Weasley was a bit flushed. "Sorry, dear. It's just, we're not certain what we should do."

Their talk upset Live a bit, wondering just how much damage had indeed been done to her, and how it had changed her, besides the fact she was having severe trouble with her memory. And that alone made her mad. "I still don't know what's going on, let alone who _either_ of you are," she pointed out to the red-headed woman before her.

"Sorry dear, sorry," Mrs. Weasley apologized, flustered.

"What _do_ you remember?" Madam Pomfrey asked, ignoring her query. Live shrugged, a bit annoyed.

"Well Live, dear, you've been through a right state. You and George both," Mrs. Weasley informed. "Though I'm very grateful you're both alright, considering."

"Who's George?"

She worried her bottom lip. "He's one of my sons. You and he are-" Madam Pomfrey cleared her throat with a severe look, and Mrs. Weasley looked back at her.

"What?" Live asked, looking from one woman to the other. She was beginning to grow suspicious of all this nonsense.

"You are both very lucky," a wise voice informed. Live felt an involuntary smile tug at her lips at the warmth in the voice, and Dumbledore made his appearance, considering Live with a kind look. He radiated warmth and benevolence, and there was no doubt in her mind that she could trust this man who appeared so very grandfatherly. "You've managed to escape from the brink of a most horrid fate, and are indeed very lucky to be here now."

She gave him an odd look, and he actually chuckled.

"Albus, really," Madam Pomfrey said.

"Poppy, my dear. Other than a little memory loss, I would think it safe to say she's perfectly healthy." He looked at Live over the frame of his glasses. "How do you feel, my dear?"

"Fine," she said with a shrug. "But I'd really like to know who all you people are."

Dumbledore chuckled again at her brass. "Well I am Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, and it is a very nice pleasure to make your acquaintance once more," he said politely, extending his hand. She smiled at his easy complacence, and shook his hand gladly, though quickly, as she held the shawl closed with the other. She put her hand back where it could be hidden.

"Live Hunter," she introduced herself, and looked at Mrs. Weasley. "Right?" the elder witch nodded, and Live smiled.

"These lovely young ladies are Madam Pomfrey and Mrs. Weasley," he said, not taking away the right for them to allow her their given names.

"Oh Albus, we're not that young," the mediwitch told him.

"Quite young by comparison," he said with a wry smile. Live inwardly grinned. Was the old man flirting?

Dumbledore moved closer to Live's bedside and produced his wand. She watched quietly as he waved it about, and felt a sort of calm settle inside her for a moment. It was quickly replaced by a severe feeling of assault, and she seized up and winced as if something was forcibly ripped from inside her head and cast out. She closed her eyes and grimaced as she rubbed at her head in pain with a hiss.

"I apologize my dear," Dumbledore said earnestly, himself sharing some of the experience. "I should have requested your permission first."

"…what did you _do_?" she accused with a wince, the pain gone for the most part.

"I have easily gathered that you are completely healthy, tip-top even, the same as George Weasley. But I could not get access to your memories even a bit, I could not even sense them. Though I do not doubt they are still there."

"…_legilimens_…" Mrs. Weasley muttered as she clucked with disapproval. "Albus really, you could have simply questioned her to the same effect. Legilimency is such a dirty way to work." He appeared to agree with her statement.

"And _that's_ what gave me a splitting headache?" Live asked, trying to gauge if he was pulling her leg or not. It was like he'd jammed a screwdriver in her head and swished things about. Was that what a legilimency was?

"No, that was caused by something else." He looked at Madam Pomfrey. "My dear, could you please fetch Severus? And ask him to bring that inhibiting potion he's developed?"

Madam Pomfrey's eyes widened just a bit, but she nodded, unsurprised. The shattered bottle of Dittany had been as much of a give-away.

"You see, you are something called a _multiforme._ It is a very special, very powerful form your magic is manifesting itself as, and right now it is too wild for you to consciously control. As a result, it will protect your person at all costs, even if it harms you. The headache is a by-product of self-preservation."

"Are you serious?"

"Oh Live dear, are you aware you're a witch? Do you remember anything of magical life? Of muggle life?" Mrs. Weasley bluntly butted in. She had questions and worries of her own about Live's current mental state, and whether or not they'd have to re-train her for the magical world.

Live sat for a moment in silent thought, trying to think. It seemed familiar. So familiar. She couldn't help but sense they were telling the truth, even if it seemed a little silyl or odd. Deep down she knew they weren't lying, and how she even knew _that_ she didn't know. And moreover, it didn't seem foreign to her. Surprising and a bit unbelievable, yes, but lies, no. She couldn't list off the things she was certain of, but if the right things were brought up, she knew she would know of them.

"It's hard to believe," she tried to explain, "But I know you're telling me the truth." Dumbledore looked pleased; Mrs. Weasley seemed only a little less peeved. "This seems all familiar. Not like déjà vu. But like a dream I can't remember…" Could she even recall a dream she'd ever had?

Dumbledore clasped his hands together pleasantly. "That is a most excellent way of putting it. Yes, like a dream." He nodded, pleased. "I could not sense your memories or any indication they were there. But your mind was not a blank chalk board."

"Well I'm not a vegetable," she countered, pointing out the obvious. "I'm just having trouble with a few things," she said, looking to Mrs. Weasley. She wasn't in any mood to discuss her _lack_ of memories. She wanted to get down to knowing who she was and if they could retrieve them.

"_Live_," Mrs. Weasley said with a scolding tone. Dumbledore only smiled.

"I think it is information you crave above all things," he said of the moment. She nodded, conceding her agitated attitude. "There are a few things you should be made immediately aware of- and we'll get to that shortly-" he said in seeing her eager look, "only as soon as Professor Snape arrives."

"Who is that? Professor Snape?" she asked.

"Your Head of House, dear," Mrs. Weasley told her, a note of lament in her voice at the tragic fact.

"He is the Head of Slytherin House, and the potions master here at Hogwarts. He is one of your teachers, and a most trustworthy individual," Dumbledore supplied earnestly.

Live chewed her lips in acceptance with a shrug. That sure was a concise answer. "Alright."

"Mrs. Weasley's children are in Gryffindor House, as well as your younger sister. That house is headed by Professor McGonagall."

"I have a younger sister?" Live asked with interest, leaning forward. Dumbledore nodded.

"Kara, she's a fifth year."

"Can I see her?"

"Soon enough, soon enough," he promised her.

The sound of long strides and footsteps echoed off the stone, a greeting on Dumbledore's lips as the darkest and most unpleasant-looking man in Live's experience made his appearance. He was pale, as if he hadn't seen the sun in quite some time, and he had lanky hair of the darkest black. His eyes were unfathomable and dark, and they fixed her with what she thought to be a rather disagreeable look. She watched him with interest, a shadowy bottle in his hand and a rather distasteful look on his face. She decided he wasn't the kind of chap you'd want to have drinks with.

The dour man came to stop at the Headmaster's side, and offered the bottle to him with a most critical look in Live's direction. She visibly shrank under his icy scrutiny.

"Thank you, my boy," Dumbledore told him congenially. He was still smiling quite pleasantly as he turned to Live with the bottle in hand.

She stared at the glossy, murky substance with suspicious interest before turning her gaze back to the man who'd brewed it. He looked like he'd just tasted something sour, and was gazing at her with what she swore could pass for accusation.

"This is Professor Snape," Dumbledore offered as Live gave him her attention. "Your Head of House, my dear."

She proffered her hand in the direction of the dour potions master not without reluctance, but she wasn't about to forgo her manners. She had the feeling that if he could, he would bite her for merely looking at him. The expression on his face said as much. And it was obvious he wasn't one to trifle with, let alone bother with pleasantries. "Sir…" she said, her hand extended to shake as she curtly nodded out of respect; a motion that felt all too natural to her.

Though she didn't expect her hand to be shaken (and was possibly even a little grateful for it), she was still put off that he wouldn't return her greeting. If his arms weren't already crossed, she thought he might have done the motion just to spite her.

She awkwardly pulled her hand back to her person, a little conscientious if perhaps he didn't want to touch it because of the bad scarring. She fixed the shawl about her shoulders as if unbothered, but clenched her palms in her lap. She bit her lower lip out of nervous habit. Mrs. Weasley patted her shoulder subconsciously soothing her, and gave Snape a mean look.

"Severus, _really_…" Madam Pomfrey chastised at his rudeness.

"She has wasted more of my time this term than any other student has deigned to do," he affirmed sourly.

Mrs. Weasley clucked to herself at his rude bluntness. Live frowned, wishing the woman didn't make such a big deal about it. At least now she knew there was a reason for his disdainful looks in her direction.

"…sorry," Live apologized to him, having serious thoughts about her personal character.

"Don't be so pitiful you silly girl," he reprimanded as if her apology both shamed him and the house of Slytherin. He regarded her with a firm, frosty look that dared her not to obey him. She couldn't keep his eyes, and looked away.

"My dear girl, if you wouldn't mind drinking this vial for me, we can get to your questions post haste," Dumbledore interrupted the rather awkward conversation, motioning to the bottle Snape had given him.

Live looked quickly from Dumbledore to Snape, and back to Dumbledore, eyeing the murky liquid distrustfully. "…what is it?"

"A little something to better control your magic. You can't remember much in part due to your instability. This potion will help keep you and everyone around you safe by inhibiting your magic," Dumbledore informed with a warm smile.

Live looked to the red-headed woman beside her for some sort of advice. Mrs. Weasley nodded in approval, and Live still eyed the bottle with distrust, but agreed. What did she have to lose? "Alright…"

Dumbledore was grateful that she agreed, and handed the bottle over to her. She popped the top and sniffed it first. She was surprised that it had no odor whatsoever, and wondered if it was as watery as she suspected.

She threw back the contents of the vial and nearly spit it out as the taste hit her with a potency she hadn't expected. There was no doubt in her mind as to that flavor- she _hated_ the taste of black licorice. Somehow she managed to swallow the nasty substance and didn't bother to hide her severe displeasure with the aftertaste that followed. She set the vial in Mrs. Weasley's outstretched hand and made the mistake of looking at Snape as she smacked her lips together in distaste. The look he gave her seemed to swear he took her dislike of his potion personally. She didn't voice how awful the stuff had tasted, or how she would have given anything for something to chase it with, but gave her attention to Dumbledore instead.

"How do you feel, young lady?"

She made a sour face before speaking, wiggling about in bed to see how she felt. "Like, I don't know…" _Like I'd like to spit that junk out_. "My arms feel heavier than normal, I guess?" she proposed, wanting to spit. Dumbledore gave his attention to Snape.

"That _is_ one of the effects," Snape agreed that what she felt was correct. "That feeling should extend throughout her body. Though the strength of the potion will have to be put to the test before I can correctly gauge its effectiveness. No doubt it still needs a bit of fine-tuning." He gave Dumbledore an irresolute look. He was still working on refining the potion, and he couldn't much get further without having Live ingest it. He would have done it himself, except that it was tailor-made to her specific problem and healing; skin condition included. The best that would have happened was to render him incapable of magic for a bit, and that he wasn't game to risk.

Live was still trying to get the taste out of her mouth as Mrs. Weasley put her hand on her blanketed thigh in subconscious motherly concern.

"If it worked too well she will be more than helpless, Albus," Mrs. Weasley pointed out with concern.

"It will all come down to trial and error, I suppose," Dumbledore conceded. "We could have her try out a few simple spells and see just how inhibited her magic really is…" he thought aloud.

"Perhaps, but until she has some idea of who she is, and until we know just how well Severus' potion works…" Mrs. Weasley pointed out with agitation.

"What do you suggest I do, my dear?" Dumbledore asked sagely. Snape gave the man a brooding look. He was far more crafty than anyone dared to believe. It was those damn half-moon spectacles of his and the grandfatherly-aura that he hid his scheming under. And all the time Dumbledore was thinking and contracting ideas. Bravo.

Mrs. Weasley looked like a bird that had puffed up its feathers to look larger. "Let me take her home for a while, Albus. She'd be a lot safer there than here at any rate. You've seen the nasty pranks these children pull on one another, not to mention she's lost her memory. It would be like leaving a chicken in the care of foxes," she declared, earning a nasty look from Snape at any rate.

A smile spread across Dumbledore's features. "And you would be willing to care for her until such time has passed that she is capable of sufficiently defending and controlling herself?" he put the question to the red-headed witch as if she had much decision in the matter. Things couldn't have worked out more perfectly where he was concerned.

Live felt like they were discussing a mental patient, and she happened to be it. She pouted, looking at Madam Pomfrey for some sort of solace. The mediwitch just shrugged. Live didn't bother looking Snape's way, unless she felt in the mood for another nasty glare…

Mrs. Weasley had a self-important look about her where Live was concerned. "Well she _is _my daughter-in-law, Albus, everything else considered." Snape snorted derisively, and Mrs. Weasley shot him a death-glare, and continued. "If anyone has a right to do it, I think I do where my family is concerned. It would be nice to have another female under the roof, anyway."

Snape mused on the fact that so many of them already lived under one roof that one more wouldn't make much a difference to the Weasleys. He smirked, but kept his musings to himself.

"Daughter-in-law?" Live repeated after a moment. She looked from Mrs. Weasley to Dumbledore and back again, a bit surprised. "Am I married?"

"To my son, George," Mrs. Weasley tolerably announced, not without swearing under her breath about how she was still 'never going to forgive them'.

Things were very still a few moments as they gauged her emotions and reactions, seeing if the potion had worked. Though Live didn't seem too alarmed by the announced fact that she was married, so it was hard to tell if Snape's potion was being put to work or not.

"How do you feel?" Madam Pomfrey asked.

"Alright," Live replied. A bit confused, but she felt fine.

"Perhaps it's time we told you a bit about yourself," Dumbledore reasoned. That got Live's full attention. She had a billion questions.

"Headmaster, if I am no longer needed, there are pressing matters to deal with in my study…" Snape confided with a condescending look at Live. She frowned. Yeah, as if it was all her fault he had business elsewhere. Bah. She doubted this was a well-liked professor, at the very least.

"Of course, Severus. Thank you." Dumbledore dismissed him, and he swept away from the little congregation and down the hallway. The sage old wizard gave his attention back to the blonde witch whose concentration was fully focused on him. "Now, perhaps we should start concerning your marriage to George Weasley…"

"I thought I told you to wait in my office," Snape's icy voice snarked as he came back into the hospital wing flanking a man with platinum-blond hair. They came to rest back at the assembly of those gathered about Live's bed. Live noticed Mrs. Weasley's hand tighten just a bit on her leg.

A curled grin spread across Lucius Malfoy's face as he regarded the girl before him, and knew he was willfully intruding upon a more intimate conversation. He turned to Snape with an aristocratic air. "I thought it much more productive to meet you here, as a matter of fact. That way the news is shared with _everyone_."

Frowns were visible around the room. His gaze fell on Live a moment, and the wickedness in his eyes made her inwardly cringe. While Snape glared at her with the respect of an easily crushable bug, this man's eyes beheld a world of cruelty. He changed his gaze to rest upon Dumbledore, and an aristocratic smile graced his face as he produced a roll of parchment tied with an emerald ribbon. He straightened his posture as his features were schooled in a calculated look. He handed the parchment to Dumbledore.

"As of six o'clock this morning, the Ministry has been revoking the marriage licenses, Dumbledore." He smiled as if he were the veritable bearer of good tidings to all. "Isn't that wonderful news? Now this school can return to a place of learning freed from senseless debauchery and years-old laws."

Dumbledore unrolled the parchment and inspected it.

"Is it true, Albus?" Mrs. Weasley asked. Madam Pomfrey was trying to peek over his shoulder. Lucius looked at her with the most disdainful distaste.

"It appears that Minister Fudge has authorized it personally, and they are being revoked in alphabetical-order. I see the governors were quite supportive of this, Lucius," Dumbledore said without surprise, his voice echoing a tone of pleasure.

"They were most displeased that such aspects were being allowed to endure at this institution. It was of their highest priority to have them dismissed and the law repealed," the man reported, tapping his walking stick on the cold stone for emphasis.

"…that's why it's taken countless _weeks_…" Madam Pomfrey muttered to Mrs. Weasley as she rejoined the woman's side. The fiery-haired woman was bristling as she glared at Malfoy sr.

"I take it _this_ young woman will be more than relieved to be freed from such _distasteful _prospects," he said acidly, gesturing at Live with his walking stick.

She frowned as the stick was pointed her way. She felt threatened, offended, and more than certain she had been insulted in a most foul way, though she wasn't quite sure how.

He looked at Mrs. Weasley disdainfully. "As a favor to your husband, I've pushed the annulment of _this _marriage to the head of the line in the Ministry basket. I thought it the least I could do." He smiled in a mean way, his tone completely underlying the smooth look on his face.

_You will be at the castle gates at midnight tonight. Tell no one._

"Your concern for the welfare of the students is always appreciated, Lucius," Dumbledore started, the kind smile never leaving his face.

Live frowned to herself, confused. Her expression was one of mild perplexment and uncertainty. She lifted her arms to test their heaviness, but felt pretty normal. She glanced at Snape. The man appeared most agitated.

"Though I believe such things should be discussed in such a place that would not upset our recovering patient," Dumbledore finished diplomatically. Lucius gave him a haughty smile as Live looked up with searching, confused eyes.

"Why _of course_, Dumbledore," Lucius agreed, garnering his self-composure as he gathered himself.

"Shall we convene in my office?"

Lucius gave a last disdainful glance in the direction of the women before smiling. "I think my business is completed here," he decided as he gathered his expensively-tailored robes about him regally.

"Do forgive me if I don't see you out," Dumbledore told Lucius, "But matters here are most pressing."

"Think nothing of it," Lucius replied snidely. His eyes met Live's for just a moment, her own darkening with an instinctive glare. Then he turned away. "I'm sure Severus can show me out." He looked the dark man over with a superior grin, and Snape turned heel without waiting for him. "Dumbledore," Lucius nodded as he left, robes swirling in his wake as he and Snape disappeared from the hospital wing.

"Well," Mrs. Weasley huffed, face flushed with affront. She fussed over Live's comfort as she muttered to herself about 'bloody Malfoys' and 'shove a broom so far…'. Live didn't bother remarking that she was more than comfortable and that her pillow didn't need to be fluffed a third time. She wondered if on top of losing her memory, she was going crazy…

Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Alright now dear?" she asked as she tucked the blankets about Live, trying to distract herself from her own agitated thoughts.

"Who was that?"

The elder witch snorted in disdain. "Lucius Malfoy…" she spat as if she tasted something disgusting. "You stay away from that man. No good ever came from the Malfoys." Live nodded, muttering that she didn't need to be told twice. Mrs. Weasley gave Live a good look, and frowned. "You feel alright? You look a bit dodgy."

Live thought a moment, ignoring the heaviness in her limbs, then threw caution to the wind. "Is hearing voices a side effect of that potion?"

Mrs. Weasley stopped, looking at her blankly at such a blunt question. "Pardon?"

Live looked flustered, trying to find the right words to explain without sounding crazy. "It's just…" she huffed, "…I. Well I heard…" she looked around, deciding she was probably going to be put away anyhow. "I heard a voice tell me to go to the castle gates at midnight tonight," she confessed.

Mrs. Weasley looked at her with a calm expression that didn't betray her utter alarm. "A voice…?"

Live was upset. "Not like, a _voice_ voice. But…in my head, like…Do you people hear them too? Is telepathy a magic-skill? Or is it just a side-effect?" she asked with slight hope.

Mrs. Weasley was gaping in worry. She looked to Dumbledore, who was chatting with Madam Pomfrey about Live's current position in life and the document in his hand. The mediwitch nodded at him before disappearing down the hall.

"_Albus_…"

He met the eyes of the worried, fiery-haired woman, but she was too upset herself to say it loudly, so she moved from Live's side Dumbledore, speaking in hurried, hushed tones. After a moment Dumbledore descended to seek Live. Mrs. Weasley stood fretting in concern.

"You heard a voice, in your mind?" he asked.

"Yes," Live admitted, wondering if she should not have mentioned it in the first place.

"How did you feel when you heard it?"

She looked at him blankly.

"What did your _mind_ feel like, my dear?"

"Well…I don't know…My mind was kind of a blank, but it's not much of a different feeling than I feel right now," she shrugged. "Just the words in my head."

"And what did it say, exactly my dear?"

"To be at the castle gates at midnight, and to tell no one," Live replied. She took a deep breath. "Am I going crazy?"

"No, not crazy," Dumbledore said with worry as well as a bit of intrigue.

"It is no secret that Lucius keeps his wand in that walking stick, Albus," Mrs. Weasley uttered. She shook her head. "Right in front of us, too…"

"May I enter your mind as I did before, my dear?" Dumbledore asked Live with concern. Severus had mentioned nothing about a midnight strike.

"Is it going to hurt like before?" she asked back, frazzled. She looked to Mrs. Weasley, who was still fretting with worry.

"No," he told her confidently. "I trust Severus' brewing abilities. This time your magic should not fight as hard." He smiled. "It also helps if I ask before probing your mind."

An amused smile appeared on her face as quickly as it vanished. "…Okay then," she conceded.

This time she was ready as Dumbledore had his wand and waved it about her, and this time she only felt the calm that before had preceded the migraine. She felt as if her mind was a deck of cards, and Dumbledore was slowly looking through that deck for a hidden ace. She still felt calm and relaxed when he stood upright with a slight frown on his face.

"I think it best we keep her whereabouts a secret when she leaves with you, Molly," Dumbledore told her somberly.

"What could he want with her, Albus?"

"Perhaps it has something to do with the leaking of the prophecy. Or why he has pushed for the annulment of only one of your sons' marriage, and so soon. I'll have to consult Severus on the matter," he said with perplexed worry.

"There's no way he could know of her memory loss already," Mrs. Weasley said as some consolation. "Why didn't it work on her Albus? The curse?"

"Perhaps her magic protects her a bit too well…" He looked at Live and smiled softly. "_Some _people can throw off the imperious curse, my dear, but no one has been naturally immune to it."

Live smirked as if it was some kind of little triumph she could be proud of, though she really had no idea how large of an issue it really was.

Mrs. Weasley was fretting, though she looked hopeful. Dumbledore offered her a slight smile. "Molly, you can get things ready at your home. We will keep her here until then, though it is probably best to get her out of the castle before midnight, and in secrecy. Perhaps we can even use such information to our advantage…" he murmured in thought.

"I'll be ready for her in no time at all, Albus."

"Can I meet my sister yet? Or my husband for that matter? What's all this about an annulment?" she asked with upset.

Mrs. Weasley looked close to having a fit.

"George Weasley is currently at St. Mungos until tomorrow morning. Though I suppose there's no harm in allowing you to remain in the company of your younger sister." Dumbledore turned to the mothering witch whose face matched her hair color. "I had Poppy deliver a message for me, and Minerva should already be fetching her."

"Did we take separate names when we were married, or what's up?" Live resumed her left-field questioning. Dumbledore raised a speculative brow. "The name of my husband is _Weasley_, right? Why do you call me Hunter? That's my maiden name, isn't it? And what's _wrong _with our marriage?" She looked to Mrs. Weasley for some answers.

The mother of said delinquent-son dragged a hand over her face. She'd had far too much excitement for the day.

Dumbledore merely chuckled. "I believe the explanation of your marriage is best left to the young man in question, don't you agree, Molly?"

From the uttered curses Live heard, she began wondering just what kind of wedding they'd had, as well as the character of her husband, and what connection this Lucius Malfoy had in her own marriage to this George person. She had a feeling it had 'scandal' written all over it. She held the shawl closer about her person.

"I'll personally deliver George to your doorstep tomorrow morning, my dear," Dumbledore said with a wide smile. He wondered if George would live to see graduation after his mother was done with him. He chuckled.

The sound of a door creaking and excited footsteps padding down the hallway reached Live's ears moments before a little red-headed girl flanked by a fair-haired blonde made their appearances. She held the shawl about her shoulders a little tighter, hiding her arms.

"LIVE!" Ginny squealed excitedly.

"Oh Live you're awake!" Kara shouted before practically jumping on top of Live's legs to see her better. Live backed up, hand to her shawl-opening and a puzzled smirk on her face.

"Are you my little sister?" she asked. Kara had a sad expression on her face, but then smiled.

"Yep! And trust me, you're not getting away with all the lazing about you've been doing in here!" she declared. Ginny acknowledged Dumbledore respectfully and gave her mother a grin as she stood by Live's bed, refraining from jumping up onto the blankets as Kara had so haphazardly done.

"Hi mum," Ginny greeted. She gave her a hug, and Mrs. Weasley kissed her cheek.

"Are you behaving yourself? Not getting into trouble?" She gave Dumbledore a look as if requesting the truth of the situation from _him_. He smirked with a twinkle in his eyes.

"_Yes_, mum," she replied in monotone. "I told Fred and Ron to come by and say hi, too. McGonagall would have came in, but she's got to supervise the Hufflepuff class."

Mrs. Weasley huffed. She wasn't sure if she was in the mood to deal with the twin of her one crazy son, or her youngest son who was the subject of very _interesting _letters from Ginny…Although she hadn't received many letters home about their behavior from the faculty, so she decided they were for once on a good streak…Or up to something.

"So, I guess I don't have to pay back all that money I borrowed from you now, huh?" Kara asked Live with a grin.

"_What_?"

Kara giggled. Ginny rolled her eyes and smiled at Live. "She doesn't owe you any money that _I've_ heard about…Or at least no obscene amount, anyway." She smirked at the addled Slytherin. "Not that you could properly recall even if she did," she added with a grin.

"It's talk like that which is precisely why Live will be staying safe at home with me," Mrs. Weasley told her daughter with reprobation. Ginny raised a brow.

"Live's going home?" the young redhead asked.

"Why can't she stay at the castle?" Kara asked with confusion. She gave Live a full-fledged frown. There was only one reason she knew of why some girls had to leave the castle, and that was why students were expressively forbidden to get rooms in Hogsmeade. "You're not pregnant are you?"

Live's eyes went wide. She looked at Mrs. Weasley. "I'm not, _am_ I?" The elder witch was sputtering, her face red, her mind exploding with ideas about how she was going to murder George.

Dumbledore nearly chuckled, though he kept himself in check. "It's for her safety," he informed the women, wondering if perhaps a calming draught would do the poor mothering witch some good. Ginny and Kara were still giving Live speculative looks. Live looked utterly perplexed. "I'd also like for you to take care when discussing her condition," Dumbledore added. "It would be best to keep it a secret for as long as possible, though these things do have a way of getting about."

"Are you _sure _you're not pregnant?" Kara gave her sister the frowniest-frown she could muster.

"What's George thinking? He's supposed to keep his perving hands off you! We're trying to stop the prophecy!" Ginny declared adamantly, arms crossed. For the life of her, Live couldn't figure out what was going on.

"Hi mum," Ron announced his presence as he slouched into view in the wing. Hermione was right behind him.

"Whatever's the matter with your mum?" she whispered to him, the witch's face redder than her hair and her eyes wide. She turned her attention to the confused Slytherin. "Hey Live."

"Am I pregnant?" she bluntly asked the frizzy-haired Gryffindor. Hermione nearly fell at such a statement. Mrs. Weasley looked about to faint.

"What?! George is finally a man?" Fred's voice carried as he poked his head into the partitioned area. He raised a brow at Live, looking her up and down with surprise. "Huh. Go figure."

"Oh shut up Fred," Kelena said, following him. The brown haired witch came into view and greeted Live. "Nice to see you're finally awake."

"Where's Harry?" Ginny asked Hermione aside.

"He's serving detention for last week's prank," she informed with wide eyes, still reeling from Live's question. The redhead giggled at the memory. Malfoy would never look at a broomstick the same way again. "But Madam Hooch said he could stop by afterward."

There was a lot of information flying about the room, and Live was still on about one most pressing fact.

"You are not in the family way, my dear," Dumbledore informed Live as she was obviously searching out the answer in her mates' faces. Her cheeks reddened a bit. How would he know? It was like getting such information from your old grandfather.

"Better not be! I'm not old enough to be a grandmother!" Mrs. Weasley declared. Ginny was fanning her mother with her hands, actually wondering if she was about to keel over.

"Well at least the end of the world isn't about to come crashing down any time soon…" Hermione remarked with a smile, recovered from Live's little bomb-dropping.

Kara was frowning yet again. "Looks like we're not getting nieces or nephews anytime soon, Gin," she told the youngest Weasley.

As Live observed them all in their arguing over her natal state- people she was sure she should know- her eyes came to rest on Fred, and she felt her world spinning in her mind. Her breathing quickened as images became illuminated in her head only as long as the lightning in her brain would crackle. She suddenly became aware of what felt like a gaping whole in her chest, and tears started streaming down her face as she began sobbing loudly into her hands with grief.

"Live, what's wrong?" Kara asked with an alarmed urgency.

"Dear, what's the matter?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she leaned over Live's bedside, the sobbing witch's breath hitching before more anguished cries came from her mouth.

"What is it?!" Kara asked again, this time squeezing her shoulder. She looked at the many faces about them.

"It-it's him, but it's not," Live sobbed as she looked at Fred with some confusion on her part.

"What?" Kara asked, also confused.

"Him?" Kelena asked with hands on hips, looking at Fred, who held his hands up defensively. "What did you do Fred?!"

"I didn't do anything! I swear!" he said, her tears making him uncomfortable. He remembered the last time he'd been the cause of those tears, and that was way back in the last days of summer. He swore to himself that this time he was guilt-free.

"I've done something awful!" Live sobbed into her hands. She refused to look at Fred. The damage was already done, and she'd been the cause of it.

"What is it?" Mrs. Weasley asked in soothing tones, comforting her by stroking her back.

"I don't know!" Live wailed with grief. It hurt so bad, that phantom hole in her chest. And she knew she'd done something awful, and yet she was utterly confused. "It hurts," she cried.

"What hurts?" Ginny asked, patting Live's hand that was not occupied with holding the shawl closed. Kelena was sending death glares to Fred, whose face was so long with perplexment he could do nothing but take them.

"Something in my chest," Live wailed with a bit more control, though her grief was just as great.

"Are you having a heart attack?!" Kara asked with the utmost concern. Kelena rolled her eyes.

"Maybe this was too much for her," Hermione noted over Live's anguished crying. "There's too many of us, it's probably making her nervous."

"Well Fred, I think you can leave," Kelena said as if it was all his fault.

"I'm telling you I didn't do anything!" he assured her.

"I think we should all leave," Hermione said, grabbing Ron by the shirt sleeves. Kelena nodded and prodded Fred away and out of her line of sight as he tried to convey his innocence.

"I believe this is all my doing," Dumbledore said as he approached Live's bedside. Everyone stopped what they were doing, and the only noise to be heard was Live's crying.

She was still sobbing, she couldn't stop, but he came near anyways, and laid his hand upon hers. It got her attention, and she tried to stop her tears. "My dear, in order to save your lives, I had to perform a bit of intense magic…To bring you both back from the ethereal plane, I had to temporarily bind parts of your spirits to one-another. I'm dreadfully sorry, but that pain will not lessen until you and George are reunited. It's a fail-safe for you to better heal, keeping you in one-another's company which is in your health's best interest. And it is most likely intensified as you have been bonded before in similar ways." Her breaths were still shallow and hitched, but she nodded just barely. "I apologize for taking him from you, but we did not anticipate you would wake upon the very same day. We thought it safe for you."

"It feels like there's a hole in my chest," Live told him with hitched breaths.

He nodded and regarded her with a most apologetic look. "I promise you, it will be better tomorrow," he assured her. "It's hard to ignore, but that pain is only a reminder for you to be back in proximity to him. It cannot physically hurt you, but I doubt it easy to ignore."

Perhaps it couldn't physically hurt her, but it sure felt physical enough. Live's face still beheld a look of utter anguish. She knew she'd done something horribly wrong. Dumbledore's explanation didn't wholly subdue her. She'd done something to _him_. The one who looked like their Fred, but only they weren't at all the same person. She felt it, in the flashes she'd seen in her head. She'd committed a horrible crime. But she had no idea whose self it was that she'd betrayed. She knew only that the feeling of the memory had been triggered, and it would not go away so easily.

"I'm so sorry my dear. If you like, we could subdue you until Molly comes to fetch you later," he offered. Simple pain-killers wouldn't do away with the hurt that was a by-product of the heart-magic he'd utilized. It was far too advanced, and much too complicated. But sleep would at least mask her conscious pain.

"I'll keep watch, Live," Kara offered, nodding if she indeed wanted to be put out.

"Me too," Ginny volunteered.

Live shook her head. "No, I don't want to sleep…" She took a deep, hitched breath, trying to calm herself, though the devastating feeling in her chest was nearly crippling. She tried to gain some control over it. "I'll be okay."

Everyone stayed with her a bit longer. Mrs. Weasley promised she'd be back for her soon, and left to go make preparations. Kelena had forced Fred to leave, and Ron had volunteered to go back with him under Hermione's insistence. When Dumbledore finally excused himself, the four girls sat and cuddled Live on her bed to comfort her.

"I want a shower," Live said after a while.

The four of them were grave a moment, but then Kara cracked a smile at her sister. "You and your bathing, as if you weren't clean enough."

"We can get clothes from your dormitory or something," Ginny offered.

"I've got a few of your things up in my dorm," Kelena confided.

"And there's always Vivian and Rebecca for fetching other things," Hermione reminded.

Live clutched her chest. "Anything with long sleeves," she muttered.

"So that means none of that skanky lingerie she's got," Kara announced to their little group. They all snickered, but Live gave the blonde Gryffindor a blank look.

"Just what kind of person am I?"

They all grinned at her minorly-worried look. They'd fill her in on her role as their supreme Sexpert Guild Leader later.

"You're a lot of fun, Live. A hell of a lot of fun."

sSs

After getting Madam Pomfrey's permission, they'd gotten Live a shower and a change of fresh clothes. She wouldn't let any of them help her or even allow them into her room while she changed. She didn't want them to see how bad the scarring really was, let alone that she still had to inspect them for herself. It wasn't too bad below her neck, and her chest didn't look that awful; nothing a little makeup couldn't cover up. But she stuck to the long sleeves for her arms. There, the scaring was too heavy. And they were going to find her some stylish gloves, but until that happened she was going to stick to keeping her hands in her pockets.

Under Madam Pomfrey's watchful eye, they had Live attempt a few basic spells and simple curses. Not sure whether to be pleased or disappointed, Madam Pomfrey took note of Live's complete inability to produce even a spark, but merely attributed that fact to Snape's ingenious potion. It still needed some tweaking so the poor girl had _some_ access to her magic, but for now the mediwitch would hold on to her wand to keep the Slytherin from accidentally harming herself or others. There was no telling if she could make her wand go off or not, but it was a safer bet not to risk it. At least not till Molly Weasley came to retrieve her. Basic spell-casting would be part of Molly's job to rehabilitate Live, but at the moment, it wasn't very important, so she'd allowed the girls to go off on their own.

Live had learned a few things from her friends. Some was necessary stuff, like to stay away from Peeves and where some rooms were located- and then some rather superfluous though still necessary information- like that Lavender Brown was a prat, and Adrian Pucey had a nice bum. They didn't go too into her duties as Matriarch and Official Leader of the Sexpert Guild as it was still too soon, and Live was seriously beginning to doubt her sanity as a person. So, very confused, they left her with promises that they'd owl her everyday, and left the Slytherin and her Gryffindor sister in cahoots with one another.

Earlier, Professor McGonagall had informed Kara that she was excused from transfiguration in order to spend some time with her amnesiac sister (though the other Gryffindors she made promise to see in class). It was a sacrifice, Kara had told the old witch with a sad tone, that she was mournful to make. McGonagall didn't think she was funny, and reminded her that she would still have to turn in her paper with the rest of the class next session. But Kara didn't mind. As far as she was concerned, she and Live had full run of the place to get some things done, especially where their business was concerned. And though Live couldn't recall things past, it didn't mean she was any less apt at acquiring items they needed.

"So, we've got the secret passage out to Hogsmeade, and the other one from the Shrieking Shack and the Whomping Willow, and a few are all crashed in…Then there's the entrance to the kitchens," Kara said with a grin as they came to stop in front of a portrait of fruit. She was giving Live what she termed as her own exclusive tour of Hogwarts, starting with all the secret things they shouldn't know about in the first place.

"And where's that?" Live asked without preamble, a grin on her face. She had no doubt this little sister of hers had done more than her share of 'exploring'. She minorly wondered if she herself had anything to do with that…

Kara grinned back. "Right here." She gestured to the painting smugly, waiting as students passed by going about their business. "Go through the portrait and you'll meet some of the most hospitable house elves you've ever seen." She giggled. "I've had them make a surprise for you…" She looked about surreptitiously. "You keep lookout, I'll be right back, then I'll introduce you." She trotted to the left, and motioned for Live to check to the right. "See anyone?"

Live peeked around the small way, and then around the little square corner to thoroughly check. "No one," she called. She backtracked and peeked around with a grin. Kara wasn't there. "Hmph," she sighed. The little witch didn't leave much to chance, did she? "Kara?" She peeked around the left, then grimaced. She made sure no one was around, and then yanked on the portrait. It didn't budge.

She thought a moment about the things she'd recently learned, and began spouting off words, wondering if this portrait also required a password to get in.

"Pears? Fruit? Banana? Fruit bowl? Um…House elf?" She crossed her arms. If she continued this, she'd look as crazy as she felt. Well then, she'd wait. And Kara had best have a great big chocolate cake or something for her.

She reclined against the wall with an uncomfortable smirk. She'd wished she'd used the lavatory before embarking with Kara on this little jaunt. And now, she was doing a little sort of foot-shaking dance.

_Kara, hurry up_, she thought, twitching. Hadn't they passed up a lavatory a little bit back? Past the stairs? But should she risk getting lost? Nah, she was smart, she could find it.

She smirked and went on her way uninterrupted. Students passed her without notice, and she found the bathroom after only two wrong turns, almost going into the boy's lavatory by mistake. But it turned out just fine.

Relieved, Live happily jaunted out of the girl's bathroom, though she had been alarmed when a ghost- which Kara had previously assured her were perfectly normal when she'd given a startle at seeing the Bloody Baron- started wailing on about how the blonde was always causing her grief, and why did she have to barge into _her_ toilet every time? Live told her off rather effectively, and the smarmy ghost had gone wailing down the toilet pipe. But the Slytherin witch didn't care, she went about her business as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. And considering this castle, nothing _really _out of the ordinary had happened at all. She would relay her little adventure to Kara when she got a chance.

Trying to find her way back to the portrait of the fruit proved problematic. Live got a bit turned around, and couldn't recall which way she'd come from or how to get back near that hall of stairs. On top of that she didn't know where Kara had gotten to, or if she was indeed at the kitchens. She didn't think it proper to go about yelling in the halls for her, but there was no one else around to ask. Deciding she was too impatient to wait and see if Kara randomly showed up, she turned a corner, and saw someone leaving the boy's lavatory. She studied him a moment before noticing the green trim on his robes, and was happy to know it was a Slytherin-- someone from her house.

"Excuse me!" she called, catching up a bit with the boy. She stopped short of running into him, struck with a sudden feeling of nostalgia as she looked into his blue eyes. A cold feeling swept over her that she didn't like. He heavily resembled the man who'd tried to get into her mind earlier in the day. Her guard subconsciously went up.

"Hmph," he snorted, eyeing her up and down with distaste at her choice in clothing. She looked particularly muggleish, and was all covered up. Some sort of dark slacks enveloped her lower half, while a long-sleeved, purple-plaid shirt over a longer white one hugged her top. At least, he mused, the clothing was rather skin-tight. Her hands were stuck deep in her pockets in an unrefined way which made him want to snub his nose at her all the same. "I see you're finally out of hospital."

She thought that she should know him, and that he wasn't someone she would _want_ to know if she had a choice. "I am," she replied noncommittally, wishing she hadn't garnered his attention in the first place. She should have just waited for Kara.

His wandering eyes narrowed when he finally met her face, and a slim smile graced his features. "You don't _look_ any worse for wear." His lingering eyes made her feel uncomfortable and strangely dirty. This was familiar. "But that's just what we can see…Hmph. You're normally lousing about in garments that would make a whore blush. Why _are _you so covered up?" he asked as if he knew, reaching out tentative fingers to touch her face. She quickly brought up her arm and blocked his advance with a muttered "don't", and he caught her wrist quickly, knowing how prone she was to 'defending' herself.

His eyes widened with surprise, and he turned her wrist about in front of his face, inspecting her hands. "Salazar Slytherin, your skin's a bloody mess!" he declared as if the obvious fact eluded her. He gave her a very snarky grin. "How's the rest of you look, Hunter? Or is that something that I would need to inspect for myself?" he asked, and she yanked her arm from him instinctively. He let go, and regarded her with wickedly pensive eyes. She was acting very strange, for one. His father hadn't mentioned that during his visit. He wondered if she was in her right mind at all. And with no one around, it was the perfect time to test out that theory and indulge his curiosity, if not a few other things.

"Go shove a broomstick up your ass," she told him, turning tail and walking quickly away, willing herself not to run.

"I do suppose with those burns, even Weasley wouldn't want to touch you," he told her in a haughty tone.

_Weasley. _Her husband. And he'd said the name as if it were an insult. She turned around with a glare, ready to punch him square in the nose for all her anger. She jumped when she saw he was directly behind her.

He put both hands on both her biceps and firmly held her in place. She could see the minute differences in the light blond color of his hair, and the depths of detachment in his blue eyes. "Though if Weasley ever does decide to abandon you," he said in a dark, promising tone, "you know there's always a spot for you in my bed." Her lips instinctively curled in disgust, her skin crawling. He smiled a toothy grin, then smirked. "It's all a matter of dousing the lights to cover this ugliness of yours."

"Fuck you, you bastard!" she spat, roiling at his words as she grabbed at him to make him turn her loose. Her anger was in charge _now_, but she hoped it would be there long enough to keep the tears from spilling. Though she would cut out her tongue before saying it aloud, his words had cut her deep, and she was very ashamed of the quality of her skin. It had been a mistake, speaking with this person.

"Malfoy!" a firm voice called from behind them. They both turned to look, seeing another Slytherin boy who was a bit taller than Malfoy himself, and he looked like he meant business, wand at the ready in no idle threat.

Malfoy turned back to Live with a mean grin, ignoring the other Slytherin. "I'll get my chance. Either way," he whispered flippantly, a smug look on his face. He let her go, and she backed away from him quickly, looking between the two of them. He turned to look the other boy in the face. "Just having a chat, Putterly."

"Do I need to remind you why it's unbeneficial to your health for you to speak to Live?" he said with menace.

"By all means Putterly, you can have her, I'm done here," he said with too-easy acquiescence, his tone one of complete indifference.

Putterly watched as Malfoy took his leave, walking up and past Putterly down the hall until he was out of view. Putterly's eyes were filled with menace. But when they came to rest on Live, they changed to a look of warm camaraderie.

"Alright?" he asked.

She nodded, keeping her tears in check as her adrenaline-fueled anger was ebbing to her emotions, and she became more than ever aware of that feeling of a gaping hole in her chest.

Putterly sighed. "That rat bastard git…" He gave her a warm look. "I almost didn't think it was you. I heard Weasley got let out today, but I didn't know you were on hospital leave as well."

She nodded, unable to speak for the moment, otherwise she was going to cry.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked, striding fully up to her. He took in her rather curious state of dress, but said nothing. She just nodded, looking up, trying to keep the floodgates in check. Putterly took his chance and embraced her, patting her softly. "Did he hurt you?"

"No," she replied uneasily. The pain in her chest was throbbing, and she was scared the surging grief would overtake her again in this stranger's arms. "I'm okay."

"You can cry if you want to. Won't ruin my robes," he said with a smile, but she shook her head. She didn't want to cry in front of a stranger, and she wasn't at all sure it was proper for her to allow him to hug her either. While this person had saved her, she didn't know him, either. She pulled away, and he let her go. She wiped at her eyes with her sleeves, and Putterly caught sight of her hands. Before she could safely banish them back to her pockets, he took them between his own.

"Aw, Live," Putterly said with disappointment as he looked down at her hands. "Your poor skin. I knew it was bad, but I didn't think it this bad. Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let us visit after…well, she didn't tell us how bad it was." Live tugged her hands away and shoved them back into her pockets, avoiding his eyes. She couldn't help herself. He shrugged noncommittally. "It's alright. There's potions and treatments and things you can do to make the scaring fade. Your skin won't look like that forever, don't worry," he told her with a smile, though she didn't feel any better. He sighed with a shrug. "Hey, maybe you'll start a trend. I heard Melinda's scarred pretty badly up in St. Mungos. They still won't let her come back to Hogwarts after…after her potion accident," he said with a frown.

"I guess," she murmured. She didn't like talking about the scars.

"I'm sorry, I must be confusing you. So much has happened since you were put in that bubble," he told her with realization. "I could fill you in later tonight if you'd like? We can have an all-night dorm-chatting party."

"Um-" she started.

"_Live_! There you are! Where the hell did you go?!" Kara cried with wide, worried eyes as she trotted up to her older sister, arms laden with pilfered goods.

"Me? Where did _you_ go?" Live accused with a self-important air.

"Looks like the kitchens," Putterly said with a grin. Kara frowned at him, daring him to peg _her_, a _Gryffindor_, of wrongdoing. She didn't much care for Putterly anyway, Slytherins aside.

"I was getting some things for Live," she stated with all the regal entitlement of a queen.

"I just met Malfoy," Live snarked at her sister, putting some blame on her for having disappeared. Kara's eyes went wide with alarm.

"It's alright. I got rid of the little ferret," Putterly said, a note of pride in his voice.

Kara rolled her eyes at him, but looked very seriously at her sister. "Thanks Putterly…We gotta go, Live."

"Alright," Live agreed. "Thank you," she said to Putterly as they walked off, Kara starting to babble incessantly with wild gesticulations, even dropping a sweet-roll surprise in the process.

Bloody idiot Malfoy. He was so cocky when it came to Live. Well tonight, Putterly would have her safe in his dorm, and there was nothing the little ferret could do about it even if he tried. He'd secure things. He'd tie her to the bed if necessary.

He swept down the hall with self-import, having a few things he needed to take care of.

sSs

"So you've gotta be _really_ careful," Kara ingrained into Live's head. "Malfoy's probably the biggest problem you've got, but you just have to be real careful. Don't go up to anyone you don't know."

"I'm not five, Kara," Live told her, eating a tart.

"Well, just don't!" Kara demanded.

"I don't _know_ anyone. They were both _Slytherins_, how was I to know?"

"Never trust Slytherins!" Kara said as if blatantly obvious.

Live shrugged, and shivered in thought. "He looked just like the other one- Lucius Malfoy…They both had cold eyes. Uh!" she shivered heavily. "I can still hear his words, he was disgusting."

"What is it with the Malfoys?! _Stay away _from them!" Kara told her with alarm. "They're rotters!"

"I know, Mrs. Weasley told me so."

"She's right to," Kara said, placated as she took a bit of a small mint. "I guess I'll just have to keep you in my sight at all times," Kara shrugged with acceptance.

"Thanks," Live said sarcastically. She chewed in thought, looking up at the slow-moving clouds across the sky. They were touched with tints of orange and pink- quite pretty for the evening. "Where did I have my wedding?" Live asked out of nowhere. Kara nearly choked with such a question.

"Wha?"

"I was just thinking…" Live said absentmindedly, watching the clouds. She looked at Kara, the Gryffindor still gaping at her. "Are there any pictures or anything I could look at?" she asked, wondering what kind of dress she might have worn, or the type of man her husband was.

"Live, the thing about your marriage to George is…"

Live was watching her intently, but Kara struggled for words. She didn't think she wanted to inform Live of this. She remembered the first way she'd reacted when they'd found out that questing for their underwear had been the worst mistake ever. She wasn't about to let history repeat itself.

"You know what, we'll let George tell you all about it," Kara supplied, busying herself with another muffin. "There are some fun pictures I could show you up in Gryffindor Tower though," she said with a snide grin. Live looked minorly worried. "We'll just have to find the Creeveys first, and they're probably in the Great Hall…We can get dinner to go!"

Live laughed, and got up, brushing herself off. They then embarked on what Kara officially termed The Creevey-finding Excursion.

sSs

"Oh my god, what is Kelena wearing here?! And are those breasts on that git bastard?"

Live was giggling with mirth at the album of moving photographs Kara had introduced her to. Apparently, Colin Creevey of Gryffindor was quite handy with a camera.

Live suddenly gasped in shock. "Is that…Ginny flashing the camera?!"

Kara snickered. "She was cheering on Harry…At least I think so." Kara eyed the photograph speculatively. "I can't remember which one this is…she does it so often now." The moving-picture of Ginny had wide-eyes as one of her brothers came over to lecture her. As he went away, she stuck her tongue out, then re-flashed the frame with mirth. Live giggled. "At least she stills wears undergarments. You know Ron completely blames you for how she's turned out, what with the Guild and all."

Live snickered again. Yes, she'd been introduced to her Sexpert license by the wily Kelena, who insisted it was the blonde's idea for such scanty clothing and giving the photographer a shock he'd never seen coming. She'd also informed her that Fred and George still needed punishing for stealing said licenses, and she'd inform her when she came up with an adequate payback plan. It made Live laugh.

"Eww…here's one of you and George…eww…" Kara wrinkled her nose in distaste as the photograph was obviously one of a bit more risqué quality. It was Live, seated on a ledge of some sort, making out with the red-headed wonder. She was barely visible being as how it looked like she was being devoured by George. She couldn't even see _his_ face.

Live's entire face was flushed as she slipped the photo from it's slot and stuck it under her shirt. "What is this Creevey kid doing with all these kinds of pictures?! Where the hell did he take that?" she asked with embarrassment.

Kara grinned at her in a snide way. "Only the most appropriate of places." Live raised a single brow as Kara's grin got decisively more smug. "But honestly, I don't care how much you'd had to drink…Did you and George _really_ have to do that at Gryffindor's party? People live in there, you know."

Live put a hand over her hot face. Kara snickered.

"Or in the middle of the hallway…Or in the front of the Great Hall…Or-"

"_He didn't take pictures of all _that, _did he?!_" Live shrieked with horrification.

Kara couldn't help laughing. "No no, but you've been through quite a ringer with the rumor mills…Nothing lately of course, but pretty scandalous."

"Oh my."

"But it's ok, you usually pull through alright. Vivian Monteclaire does some pretty great damage control."

"Hmm," Live murmured in thought. She'd learned a bit about her roommates, but she had yet to meet them. They were the ones who had saved her in the shower. The shower that had given her all these scars.

Live smiled to ward off bad thoughts. "So…this Creevey kid…" She poked herself in herself in the stomach for emphasis. "What's he doing with pics like _these _anyway?"

"Well, we- and I mean the Guild,- were thinking of publishing books alongside those of Madame Honeycut--" Live gasped in shock that she herself would be involved in that. Literally. "--and Colin is so good with a camera--"

"Kara, we are _not_ producing Wizard Porn!" Kara started rolling over with laughter. "And _I_ will not be the beginning of it!" She took the moving picture of her and George out from under her shirt and shoved it under a few more layers of clothing. The little George in the picture would have been most pleased with that.

Kara was still giggling, but regarded her sister with a pensive smirk. "Well, you'll just have to come up with some other way we can improve our business then. And completely disregard everything Kelena's been filling your head with about Madame Honeycut…" Live sighed with relief. "…You said that book was a waste of your time since you already knew everything in it, so don't bother reading it a second time."

"_What_?!"

The blonde Gryffindor was having one hell of a time agitating Live, though she was trying to give her Slytherin sister some type of clue into what kind of person she was, as well as the crazy kind of crap they got up to on a daily basis. That way she might be better prepared for some of the stuff that might surprise her later on.

"Anyways, it's getting kind of late…" Kara looked out the window of the Astronomy tower. The stars were starting to sparkle brightly against the dark sky. "And the Bloody Baron likes to haunt about up here, so we'd better move our base camp."

"Sounds good."

Live followed Kara as they descended the cold stone steps, chatting about classes, Live's apparent genius at potion-making, and the general state of things. There were a few dances coming up, some holidays to think about, and a quidditch match or two Kara had some money on. And she said if she won, she was totally going to splurge on that new dress she wanted for the winter ball.

"Otherwise I'm just going to have to borrow that nice one you have," Kara said with a cheeky grin.

"Oh _right_," Live said with a sarcastic grin. "And next thing I know it's covered in grubby hand prints and chocolate stains."

Kara stopped with a frown and gaping mouth. "Who told you about that?" She was going to exact some serious payback. That would have been a memory she'd have paid for Live never to regain.

Live chuckled. "I get the serious impression that you ruined a nice green shirt of mine a while back…" She grinned sideways. "I keep getting flashes of things…Some don't make sense…But others, well, let's just say you won't be borrowing any of my clothes without promise of dry-cleaning first."

Kara pouted. "I needed _something_ to cheer on the Irish. Remember that seeker almost gave me his number?" Live shook her head. "Ha, oh yeah, you wouldn't would you? Oh well…He lived too far away anyways." They walked on a bit longer in pensive silence. Live's thoughts kept straying to her apparent husband, and the photograph that lingered hidden under layers. Would he like her? And moreover, would she like him?

"Is your chest hurting again?" Kara asked. Live was grasping the front of her shirt subconsciously, but removed her hand.

"A little, and only when I start thinking about it."

"Hmph. When did Mrs. Weasley say she was coming for you?"

Live shrugged. "I don't know. Should I pack?"

"Probably. I bet we can get some house elves to help," Kara said with a grin.

"So they really like housekeeping and whatnot?" Live asked for elaboration on the little bit she knew of them.

"Oh yes," Kara nodded solemnly. "But don't ever ask Hermione. She just doesn't get it. If I'm not doing it personally, I catch some of them trying to throw away the garments she keeps leaving around the common room." Kara snorted. "Poor Hermione. Her heart's in the right place, but those house elves get so insulted when she talks about their 'enslavement'. I mean, some of them don't like it, and I think those ones should be freed at once-- Oh! I'll introduce you to Dobby!" Kara's thought train suddenly jumped. She giggled. She liked the little house elf. He heartily enjoyed bad-mouthing the Malfoys, and Kara thought he was a hoot. "But yeah, they live to serve. The ones at Hogwarts are treated really good, too."

"Hmm."

"Ooh! I bet we could have you meet him now!" Kara looked really excited. "Dobby!" she sang, and Live gave her a weird look. "What? You have to get their attention. This castle is pretty big, you know…But they can hear when you call…_Dobbbby_!"

"Miss Kara calls?"

Live jumped back as the little elf appeared out of nowhere. Kara forever swore afterward that the surprised look on Live's face would be imprinted into her memory for all time.

"Hi Dobby!" Kara greeted. "Dobby, I know you know my sister--"

"Oooh yes, Dobby knows Miss Live Hunter, Dobby knows," he insisted, looking up at Live with his huge, tennis-ball sized green eyes and a smile.

"Well, she's having a bit of a fuzzy day, and I just wanted her to remember you, and all the fun trash-talk we have about the Malfoys." Kara grinned, and Dobby looked momentarily alarmed, looking about to make sure no others were around. But then he straightened up with the courage of his freedom.

"Yes yes Miss Kara, Malfoys is bad, bad wizards." He smiled at Kara, and she grinned back. He added with utmost conviction, "With shabby hair."

Kara was slapping her knee laughing, and Live was giggling.

"You know, Dobby, I think I highly approve of you," Live said between snickers.

"Dobby is glad, miss, Dobby is always truthful elf."

"And what do you think of my hair today, Dobby?" Kara asked, giving it a little swish with a smile.

He looked contemplative. "Dobby thinks Miss Kara should let Dobby or Winky brush it proper once," he told her.

Live started snorting with laughter as Kara stood slack-jawed. "Uh!"

"Oh, he _is_ an honest one!"

"Shut up Live!"

"Is Miss Kara needing anything tonight?" he asked, giving her hair a rather determined look. The elf had definitely become more sure of himself since working at Hogwarts. Live was trying to stifle her snickers, receiving a death glare from Kara as consequence.

"We might be able to use a little help packing Live's things," Kara told him back to business, face red still at the fact that he'd told her her hair looked shabby. The fact that she'd spent most of the day gallivanting about in a rather unladylike manner had nothing to do with that, of course.

"And maybe some more hair advice..." Live received a sisterly pummeling (which are always harder than those you give to friends), all the while laughing.

Kara exhaled, recomposing herself in a 'ladylike' manner. Live was still grinning. "How _is_ Winky doing, Dobby?"

"She is loads better miss. Not so much butterbeer these days. She is always helping Professor Sprout now. Dobby thinks the fresh air is good for Winky."

"I'm glad," Kara said. She looked to Live, and whispered quickly, "Winky went alcoholic after being freed."

"Ooh."

"Hunter! What have I told you about using the house elves for your own purposes?!" a snarky voice echoed down the hall.

The little party all winced at that disdainfully velvet voice. Dobby was wringing his hands, and Live bit her lip. Kara tried to look respectful as they all peered his way of approach, but her grin and tone were anything but.

"Not to use them for delivery means, sir?"

While it was indeed one of the _many_ things he had told her, and not just regarding house elves, Snape was not pleased. "Five points from Gryffindor." He gave Dobby a look, and the house elf shrank under his gaze. Live empathized with Dobby. The man could be downright frightening. "Dobby, what are you doing catering to these wenches?"

Live and Kara both snorted indignantly at that, but he ignored them. Idiot-Gryffindor Hunter was corrupting Amnesiac-Slytherin Hunter. He wished the process would stop before it started. Or go the other way.

"Well?" The dour man had his hands folded in his robes, looking down at the little elf with those cold black eyes. Kara knew Dobby still held some fear for the Malfoys, and Snape was no different in that respect…Well, to anyone, really. He wasn't exactly a pleasant man.

"He was going to help me help Live pack," Kara said, drawing his fire. He turned his attention to Kara, and for a moment Live thought her younger sister might stick her tongue out at the potions master. She wouldn't have been surprised if she did.

"You, Miss Hunter, have no business in the Slytherin dorms," he said, pointing at Kara. She wondered, for the hundredth time, why he looked at everyone like they were bugs. Well he was a git, so ha! "Dobby, you may start packing Miss Hunter's things."

Dobby disappeared as mysteriously as he had appeared, grateful, no doubt, to leave. Snape turned his full attention back to the sisters. Kara looked disdainful, and Live looked guilty. He was grateful the younger Hunter hadn't been cast Slytherin. _There _would be a world of trouble. "It's time for you to go--"

"But I just got here," Kara whined, looking at Live as if expecting her to ameliorate the situation, which she might have done if she had a lick of memory left for dealing with her Head of House. Snape looked like he desperately wanted to drag a hand over his face, and Live felt much the same way.

"Not _you_," he spouted both words with specific care to exclude her. The Gryffindor immediately grinned as if she'd somehow won, but Snape ignored her and looked to his student. "You are to come with me to the castle gates where Dumbledore will see you off."

Live didn't like the idea of going anywhere near the castle gates after what she'd heard in her mind, but she supposed if Dumbledore was going to be there, then it would be fine. "But what about my things?" Live asked.

He glowered at her, and she immediately felt stupid. Perhaps that was his power?

"Dobby will have packed what is necessary," Snape supplied with authority.

"Would he know to pack other things? Hairbrush? Shampoo? _Lady_ items?" Kara spouted with a slightly amused smile. Live's eyes were wide at her sister's daring, cheeks pink. Snape looked at her as if he generally thought she was truly mad. "_That_ is my business in the Slytherin dorms, sir," Kara said with a self-important grin, coming back to the reason for her involvement where Snape was superfluous.

Truly, Kara wanted to see if she and Live could scrounge up Live's sales bills, wherever she'd hidden those, as well as get a small sample of that potion she had invented that made stuff anti-apparatable. She still had a small amount of it somewhere, and Kara felt it pertinent that she get her hands on it for 'product development'.

Snape was giving Kara a depreciating look, and Kara grinned at him, deciding to push her luck. "…_Unless _you'd like to help pack and find it, sir, since neither Live nor Dobby would know exactly where things are and what to take…and I gotta say we ladies have a lot of _special-needs _items."

Live didn't need to feel her face to know it was hot with embarrassment. She was going to murder her sister, there was no doubt. The only question was when and how.

"Miss Hunter," Snape began slowly and carefully. Live was dying a slow death of mortification. She figured the next worst thing to this would be to get a sex-talk from the man. Now _that_ she just couldn't imagine happening. She inwardly groaned. "House elves are more than adequate in helping one to pack, even _personal _items." Kara only grinned at him the entire time. "And should it prove to be problematic, you are both _witches_. I'm certain you can figure something out."

Kara frowned. She was near positive that what he'd _wanted _to say was a word that only _sounded_ like 'witches'. "Sir, I don't think you understand--"

"No, I don't think you understand," Snape avidly corrected with a scowl. "Escort is currently waiting. Your sister is in a very precarious position-" Live shot Kara a look that threatened against asking if she was pregnant, "-And time is of the essence. And you would rather waste _my _time with innuendos and attempted house-infiltration than allow me to do my job."

Kara's face was flushed. She felt effectively put in her place- something no one had ever yet accomplished, and all because Snape was utterly and rudely frank with her. She was speechless, to put it mildly.

"Now, hurry on back to your commons," Snape commanded with a dismissing look at Kara that made her feel rather insignificant. "You," he pointed at Live, "Follow me." He swept down the hall without missing a beat.

The Slytherin witch gave her Gryffindor sister a wide-eyed look of utter surprise, and not just at his words, but at the fact that he hadn't even--

"And five points from Gryffindor! Hurry up Miss Hunter!" Snape bellowed after.

Kara pouted, her face still red. "I'll owl you," she promised, an annoyed look on her face.

"I'll try to survive this," Live joked with a quirked smile, cheeks still flushed. They quickly embraced before Live jogged after her Head of House, worried she'd get lost. Kara watched her sister disappear around a corner with the professor who was the bane of Hogwarts' existence.

"Dammit," she muttered in afterthought.

Snape: one. Kara: nothing.

sSs

"How long must it take to gather your things?" Snape snarked, shifting with agitated annoyance. Lucius would be at the gates well before midnight to collect this girl, and he wanted to get her out of the castle well before the blond man would know she had fled. Time was of the utmost essence.

"I don't know where anything is, _alright_?" Live snarked right back at him, frustrated and upset.

Her roommates weren't even in, so she had to try and figure out what stuff was hers as well as look for _items,_ or whatever it was she might need as per Kara, all on her own. And amidst the company of a cowering house elf and the King Bat of Slytherin, it wasn't as simple a task as he seemed to think.

"What is so important that you must bring it with tonight?!" He'd raised his voice in agitation, and she sent him a deep scowl that minorly surprised him.

"_Lady_ items." She ground the word pugnaciously while staring right into his eyes. He frowned and crossed his arms carefully across his chest with supreme irritation. He spoke very slowly and calculatedly as he narrowed his eyes in challenge.

"For the love of Slytherin, tell me the damned items and I'll _accio _them direct!"

Like a tangible puff of agitation, Live flung a pile of clothes straight up into the air with an audibly frustrated huff, silk scarves and socks going everywhere. She was damned if she'd tell this man to summon up the more delicate items of her life. Though upon later thought, Live would regret the chance of not getting to witness her Head of House willingly summoning a box of tampons or anything else embarrassing she could have thought of. She would have to deal with the agitation of the whole of Gryffindor at that loss of legendary opportunity.

"Everything alright?" a head asked as it poked itself into the room. Snape frowned at the impertinent seventh year with a cocked brow. Live ignored them all and enlisted Dobby's aid in finding a hairbrush that belonged to _her_.

"What are you doing out of bed, Putterly?" the dour man inquired.

Putterly quirked a brow. He hadn't expected Snape to be here. It proved a bit problematic in getting Live back to his dorm where he could keep an eye on her. "It's not _that_ late, professor. I just came to say goodnight."

"How sweet of you," Snape concluded in that sarcastic way of his.

The young man in question peered into the room with curiosity as to why a house elf was hurrying across the room with a hot-pink bra in his hands.

"Did you need anything, Mr. Putterly?" Snape said with specific calculation, eyes glued on the nosy seventh year's every movement.

Putterly gave his attention back to the dark man stationed at the entrance of the girl's dormitory. Whether he needed anything or not, he knew Snape was really telling him to get lost. But he couldn't, as the time was coming close, and he would rather have Live to himself sooner than later.

"I just wanted a few words with Live," he said offhandedly, monitoring his Head of House's reaction.

"Well it will have to wait."

Putterly himself waited for an explanation as to why, but Snape didn't offer one. He merely starred the boy down, the message clear in his eyes for the other Slytherin to mind his own damn business.

The seventh year glared a moment before shrugging, running a hand through his hair. "Alright," he conceded noncommittally. He gave a last look at Live and went on his way, Snape sneering at him until he was gone from his sight.

"I'm ready," Live announced. She had a small bag slung over her shoulder that contained just about everything she and Dobby could scrounge up- hairbrush, toothbrush, hair-ribbons, a bottle marked "Lustrous Locks for Lusty Ladies", and a few small bottles of perfume. Her suitcase of actual clothing was sitting heavily upon the bed where Dobby had packed it previously.

Snape gave her a look that was decidedly unpleasant, and he removed his wand from his robes to shrink her luggage and alter its weight. Live was admittedly impressed when he picked up the wallet-sized bag and placed it in her palm. She was too busy inspecting it with interested curiosity to hear him the first time, so when he more or less yelled for her to follow him, she had to run to catch up. She wondered if it was out of spite that he kept such a brisk pace all the way to the castle gates. Well-winded by the time they'd gotten there, she was more or less certain of it.

sSs

"It's a bit cramped, I know, but I thought you would be most comfortable here," Mrs. Weasley said as she showed Live her room in the upper floors of her quaint home. Live adored the place. "You're far enough away that you shouldn't be bothered by the ghoul in the attic throwing about pipes and the lot. He does get rather bored sometimes, I'm afraid."

"_Ghoul_?!" Live cried, taken aback. That sounded frightening.

"Oh dear," Mrs. Weasley muttered. She had to think a moment. "It's nothing to worry about dear. I would say it's a little like having a house elf. Hm, I suppose I'll have to have Arthur explain a few things to you. He's better with muggle things than I am."

Live chewed her lip in bother. Not only had she been seeing random flashes in her mind as Mrs. Weasley had taken her about the house, but she was dead-tired and her chest was still bothering her painfully. And she had a lot to deal with aside from worrying about ghouls.

As she had approached the castle gates, she'd been introduced to a young woman with bubblegum-pink hair who was apparently the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Tonks. And while Dumbledore was explaining to her what a Metamorphmagus was, the woman had changed right before her eyes into a perfect copy of Live. It had primarily made her jump out of her skin, and after the shock had passed, she'd circled the other woman who was now her identical twin, and inspected her with the utmost inquisitiveness.

Dumbledore explained that while she was gone, Tonks was going to impersonate her for a bit as they had some problems to deal with. Live thought it strange but gave her consent under the promise that her sister would not be duped. The Headmaster gave his word that Tonks would be working in close proximity to Professor Snape and would therefore have little-to-no contact with her classmates other than daily appearances. And the shape-shifting woman was going to habitate in the hospital wing otherwise. That way damage control was easily taken care of.

So with a fond farewell from Dumbledore and a warning from Madam Pomfrey not to swish about her recently-returned wand, Molly Weasley had apparated Live to a warmly-lit, sleepy home. The girl was curious, but worn out, and Mrs. Weasley had wasted no time in getting her to her room and getting settled.

"Well, it's getting pretty late. You sleep as late as you want tomorrow, you need your rest," she determined as she turned down Live's bed for her. The blonde smiled and thanked the kind woman as she settled all her stuff in, digging for something to sleep in in her bag.

"Sleep well dear," Mrs. Weasley said, kissing her forehead and embracing her before leaving. Live smiled a toothy grin, so utterly content that she even forgot about the throb in her chest. She was so tired that when she laid down, it didn't take very long for her to find sleep, though some worries came back to her as she slowly slipped into the blackness. She hoped the pain in her chest would alleviate sometime soon.

Opening her eyes hours later, she woke to a warmly sunlit room, a comfortable and contented feeling keeping her dozing. She felt quite good, rather pleasant.

It took a moment before she realized someone else was in the room with her, and she slowly cracked her eyes as she saw a young man watching her quietly with a warm smile.

"Hey Live."

sSs


	41. Letters

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 41: Letters

sSs

"AH!" Live shrieked as George smirked. His face was then most intimately introduced to a pillow bound for the outer regions of space.

"I love you too," he grumbled as he removed the pillow from his face. He was amused to find her peeking at him from the other side of the bed. She was ducked down, only her eyes visible above the mattress and blanket mound as she crouched on the floor. He raised both brows, looking at her expectantly with an amused gleam in his eye.

A look of realization crossed her eyes as she knit her brows together in sudden recognition. She knew him immediately, but not in the way of familiarity. She knew what she'd done _to him_, in essence, and what she had nearly succeeded in subconsciously doing.

She realized her chest didn't hurt anymore, and while waking up to find a stranger in your room should be disconcerting, she didn't feel threatened by him. Rather, she knew it should be the other way around; she was dangerous to him. Her only memory, if it could be called that, was of nearly draining his life. It was so horrible in nature, it hurt her to her soul. The now-familiar overwhelming sense of grief over what she'd done hit her like a freight train, tears coming to her eyes. She put a hand over her trembling mouth with wide eyes, a hitched sob caught in her throat.

George rushed around the bed and to her side immediately, a warm, gentle hand on her bared shoulder. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

A cross between a cry and a sob escaped her lips as she doubled over, hitching sobs wracking her body. She had a hand to her face in shamed guilt and the deepest disgust for herself. The other was grasping the bed sheets tightly in shaking with her violent tears.

"Live what is it? What is it? Should I get Dumbledore?!" His voice was alarmed, and he was stroking her back while trying to look at her, but she wouldn't have it. She couldn't meet his eyes.

"I…I almost killed you." If he hadn't been so close to her, he wouldn't have heard the terrible, whispered words above her hitched sobs.

"What?" he asked, his confusion and empathy for her melding. He wanted to look her in the eyes and tell her it was alright. Even getting her to turn her face to him, she wouldn't look at him. He gently kneaded her back with the fingers of his hand, a concerned expression on his face. She shivered at his soothing touch.

"I nearly killed you…I could have stopped. I could have, but…" She sniffed with guilt and pain at a memory she barely understood. One she shouldn't even have access to. She didn't even know him, but she knew she'd nearly killed him. That idea bore painfully into her as she knew that- though she didn't _know _him- deep in her heart she would sacrifice herself for him in a moment, and yet…

George thought as he brushed stray strands of dark, honey-colored hair from her face. What she was referring to was from within the bubble…How could she know such a thing? She'd been utterly unconscious at that point. And currently she had no other memories. Yet she somehow knew what had transpired between the two of them. How she'd nearly sucked out his life. "Live…You had no control over any of that. It's not your fault. How could you even know?"

"I'm just…" She slowly looked at him, unshed tears in her eyes. Meeting his own attentive gaze nearly made her sob anew, and she had to tear her focus away from his face. It was like speaking with a complete stranger you had known all your life- confusing and scary. "I almost took your life…" The tears in her eyes fell down her cheeks to join the rest of the torrent, but George just looked at her with an utterly genuine expression. He turned her face gently back towards his own, gazing at her with interest, if not a bit of sadness. He had an arm slung tenderly over her back, embracing her from the side.

"I would die for you," he confided in a whisper. "Given a second chance for things to end differently, if only one of us could have-" His eyes drifted away in very serious thought. He then looked right back at her with intensity. "I wouldn't change it."

It was hard to believe. Live's brow was furrowed in sorrow, a haunted look on her face. "But I took your life energy…I took and took…I didn't stop…"

It startled her that he smiled so warmly. "Live, I have _willingly _given bits and pieces of myself to you before-" he snorted with a weak laugh, "-more or less. And I couldn't exist without you otherwise. You're my world."

She still had a pained look on her face. "But-"

He silenced her with a small murmur and enfolded her in a strong, warm embrace. He spoke candidly and without remorse, his tone warm and earnest.

"There were a few moments when I was afraid, but it was then that I really realized…none of it mattered if you weren't with me. You might have died." He exhaled in thought. "Again," he added. She looked up at him with confusion and uncertainty. He decided it was neither the time nor place to explain the summer's incident at the pond, nor had he the desire to do it. "I couldn't live without you. Live, I _love _you. No more crying, no more sadness, and no more guilt. I can see it in your eyes, and I don't want you feeling it or even thinking about it. Forget it all." He laughed at himself feebly. Telling an amnesiac to forget things. Honestly. She smiled faintly. "I love you and we're going to get through all this. We've been through worse."

She turned towards him with still-wet cheeks, a blank look on her face. "Yeah?"

He wiped at her cheek with the sleeve of his robe, a hopeful smile on his face as he nodded. "...Yeah. And knowing us, there will be even more to follow."

She exhaled, many degrees calmed down, and he embraced her again, threading his fingers through her hair as if soothing away a bad dream. He was so pleased to just be able to hold her again. It seemed like an eternity since, and she felt just the same, though he knew it would take her time to remember things. But his heart was still overjoyed that they'd gotten through all the nonsense they had. And he was going to take care of it all personally from now on.

"George."

"Huh?"

"That's your name. 'George'?" She felt him stiffen a bit, and wondered if it was just as painful on his side that she couldn't remember things. She felt him nod into her shoulder, though he didn't speak. "I'm sorry…I know you, but I can't remember you."

"That's alright."

"We're married?"

Again, he nodded, though now _he_ felt a tinge of guilt. He didn't want to be the one to explain to her the constraints of their haphazard 'marriage', or how she had first felt about the whole arrangement. He really couldn't go through that ordeal again with how much he loved her and risk her rejecting him. He wouldn't be able to just brush something like that off. Then again, without her memories and past experiences, perhaps she wasn't jilted…

"You're my husband." It was more of a question of confirmation than a statement, and he had to nod once more, though this time because he was so utterly pleased at hearing her call him that without the usual disdain or tease she put to it, and he didn't want to muck things up more than they already were.

She laid her head on his shoulder, effectively calmed down. Talking about the horrific thing she had done had helped somewhat, and it had also helped that she was reunited with him as she felt an inner peace inside where the feeling of a gaping hole had been. She knew it was right that he was here, and she was glad of it. "I can tell you're a good husband," she said quietly, self-assured of her statement.

He was so utterly pleased with himself at that moment that he couldn't speak. He was only capable of holding her quietly, placing soft kisses on her hair while her stomach did stunned flip-flops, filled with butterflies, and she didn't know why. What he really wanted to do was a lot less wholesome and a whole lot more fun, but he would have to leave the violence of his affections to another time…Though as McGonagall had scathingly reminded him secretly this morning at Hogwarts, "She has lost her identity, her memories, and her sense of self. Do not take advantage of that, Weasley!"

Kara and Ginny had been adamant, too, as they saw him and Dumbledore off in secret. "You keep those perving hands of yours off her George Weasley! We're trying to save the world here and _stop_ a prophecy!"

He hadn't been sure what was more improper: Kara and Ginny shouting such nonsense, or Dumbledore chuckling about it on the way out.

Live felt strange, allowing him to hold her and pet her while she barely knew him. It was definitely an odd situation. But comforting. Very comforting, and so familiar it almost hurt. Listening to the rhythmic beating of his heart calmed her, and his warmth and affection was soothing. If not for the flip-flopping of her stomach and the curious butterflies, she would have thought herself rather indifferent to him, as with everyone else she had met, but apparently, her body knew otherwise. She felt contented in his arms, and knew it wasn't a lie.

A disembodied voice reached its way upstairs calling for George. They both looked up in the direction of the door, sitting on the floor and listening to the airy voice of an impatient Mrs. Weasley.

"Is it late?" Live asked quietly.

He looked down at her quizzically and stroked her face. "No, it's still pretty early. I haven't been home very long."

Mrs. Weasley's voice called up again. She sounded like she was holding back and didn't want to wake Live, but her tone was compelling in the case of her errant son. 'Put some things in his room', indeed. She didn't want him bothering Live until she had awoken from natural causes. And George's 'bothering' was the kind of 'bothering' which she wouldn't allow her son to indulge in until the girl had her memory properly back. Married or not.

George's smile quirked as he heard his mother calling him. He was surprised he'd gotten as much time as he had alone without interruption. He kissed Live's shoulder and stood, helping her up with him. She appeared very self-conscious, and wouldn't keep his eyes for very long, but he was not discouraged. He embraced her tightly against his chest and nuzzled her in affection as the butterflies in her stomach did a can-can number. "I love you so."

"_George Weasley_!"

Live sniffed in nervous amusement. If Mrs. Weasley's intent had indeed been to not wake her, she would have woken indeed from _that _agitated howl, had she been sleeping.

"I guess I had better go see what she wants," he said with conceded acceptance. He kissed her on her forehead. "You can get back in bed if you want, love. It's still rather early. It'll be difficult, but I can wait until you want to get up."

A smile tugged at her lips as he let her go with a grin himself. He held onto her hand, lingering and releasing it only as he opened and stepped out the bedroom door. She crossed her arms as the door shut with a click, listening to the sound of his footsteps retreating down the hall and sauntering down the stairs to his agitated mum's voice.

She became aware of the fact that her bare shoulders and mottled scarring was fully exposed, and yet he hadn't recoiled. He'd held her, caressed her, kissed her, touched her. It was confusing. Different people had reacted differently. The Slytherins she had met, for one…well that was completely unpleasant. She didn't know what to think, except what she herself thought of her own reflection. She hoped she could someday get used to it.

She decided that she was already awake, and might as well get dressed. Though finding something suitable was difficult.

She was going through her bag, digging in vain for something with long sleeves or anything that would give her minor comfort in covering her skin.

Apart from her robes, there was nothing much useful. A lovely strapless gown, elegant dress-skirt, a thin-strapped halter-top…Dobby was apparently used to packing niceties, and she hadn't been aware she'd owned such pretty clothes…Though why he'd packed a mismatched bathing suit or three socks, she had no idea.

"An oven-mitt? Where'd he get an over mitt?"

sSs

"And so we have Knight and Lupin, and Sirius has been rather adamant to help out than sit at home doing nothing--"

"Oh I hope you told him it's too risky, Albus. He shouldn't chance it."

"On the contrary, I have considered it. There are jobs of risk that need doing, certainly, and the poor boy is prone to calamity if left idle for too long. I fear he will go house-mad if I cannot give him something worthwhile to attend to."

"Hmph."

"At the very least he can chase the gnomes in your garden," the wizened old wizard said with a smirk. "No one would suspect anything of a dog."

"I suppose…"

Dumbledore nodded, wrapping his hands about the chipped mug in his hands. "Tonks has volunteered for assignment here after we have wrapped a few things up at the castle. Kingsley, poor fellow, has needed some persuading to return."

"Does he still have to take potions for that bite?"

Dumbledore swallowed and nodded. "I am afraid so. The night terrors have not dissipated yet as they have with the Gryffindor girl. The venom of those tree-like creatures has wreaked more damage than we supposed."

"Oh dear."

"But they won't come back?" George piped up from his seat in the kitchen window. He gave the ancient man a concerned look. "The creatures?"

Dumbledore shook his head at the Gryffindor. "The darkness which was so seemingly drawn to her has ebbed somewhat, I believe. The wraith which was after her is gone, and that in itself was a major drawing-point for such creatures. And she is no longer an object of prey within a Soul Bubble. It is my belief, now that she is strong and healthy, that such beings will no longer seek her out. And thanks to the potion Professor Snape has developed, such things would be unable to detect her even if they were looking for her."

George grunted with a nod, and went back to staring out the window, watching the chickens peck about the garden as he went back to his thoughts.

"Molly, I will keep you informed of everything going on, and the changing of the guard when necessary so you know the identity of those on your property. We should have a certain number by the end of the week."

"Thank you, Albus."

"Severus has agreed to personally bring by potions for the young lady, as there is still some alterations that need to be made before it is perfect. The skin-healing agents are giving him some trouble with the masking herbs, but he is doing the very best. Until then, if you could instruct her on trying to use her wand--"

"I already have an evening activity planned for her," she said, getting up to refill his mug of tea. He thanked her with a smile. "But what if she is _unable_ to use her wand? Enough magic should be available to her to at least perform the simplest knockback jinx."

"That is where Severus comes in." The old man smiled kindly. "Just keep an idea of how little or slight her ability is, and he can make alterations to the potion. We cannot have her being completely helpless."

"Well she's quite the spirited thing," the woman remarked with a touch of embellishment. From what she had seen during the summer, as well as interesting letters from Ron regarding her hell-raising son and the Slytherin girl, the blonde was quite quarrelsome and a force to reckon with, magic or not. Calling her 'spirited' was very kind indeed.

"I have planned to journey to the east to visit with a sorcerer there, living in the mountains. It is my belief that he will be of some advice where the young lady's magic is concerned."

"A sorcerer? I didn't know there were any true sorcerers left," Mrs. Weasley said with surprise.

"He has commanded his magic long without the use of a wand, and we cannot have the poor girl taking modified potions the rest of her life. If there is another way to control that wild magic, I will find it."

"That is truly wonderful to hear."

George woke from his pensive thoughts at the window as light footsteps reached his ears. He looked up to see Live shyly descending the staircase, trying to be quiet as she did it, though she was not in any way attempting to hide. She was wearing a skirt of fine quality with a red halter top that didn't quite match, her school robes thrown on over the mix rather haphazardly. Her hair was finely brushed and hung soft and loose down her back. She looked nice and clean.

A spot of pleasure bloomed in George's chest as he watched her descend those stairs as he had seen her do so many times previously during the summer. But, he mused, he enjoyed it very much more watching her do something this simple as his little wifey-wife, and this time without any pretenses or games. He took a lot of pride in gazing at her form, lucky to have her.

"Ah, good morning my dear. I hope we did not wake you," Dumbledore greeted congenially.

Her eyes darted without conscious thought to George, sitting in the window and curiously gaping at her with a dazed expression, but she smiled at the aged wizard and shook her head. "No, it's fine."

"Would you like some breakfast dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked, sending accusing death glares towards her son. That boy just didn't listen.

"Um, a little," Live agreed, not sure if she was really hungry or not, but deciding to let her stomach sort out that matter personally. The red-haired woman began fixing her a plate as she rattled off to Dumbledore that she would enjoy the company of any aurors that he might send, and that it would be a welcome addition to the house's usual school-term emptiness.

Live looked over at George again shyly, and turned away from his avid stare. He snapped out of his momentary lapse of consciousness and came over to her with a smile. "Couldn't fall back asleep, huh?" he asked with a grin, knowing that matter was probably his fault.

She nodded. "I got lost coming down," she volunteered sheepishly, shrugging. She wondered whose room was covered wall-to-wall with posters of The Chudley Cannons...

"Here, dear," Mrs. Weasley said with a plate full of breakfast meats, muffins, and jam. "Why don't you take it in the garden? We haven't had a day this pretty in weeks."

Live nodded as she took the plate. "Thank you." She carefully held it in a way that partially hid her scarred hands, wishing Dobby had had the decency to find at least _one_ pair of gloves. Maybe she should have worn the oven-mitt?

"After you, dearest," George said sweetly with an impish bow in opening the kitchen door to the garden. She half-smiled before hurrying through it, and George grinned when he saw his mother's disapproving frown. He gave her a rather sweeping bow as well, and had to duck out of the kitchen to miss the threat of Mrs. Weasley's cooking spoon. The door shut with little more than a slam, and the red-haired woman sighed.

"His feelings for the young lady have not changed, I see," Dumbledore regarded with as close to a smirk he had ever come.

"That's what worries me," Mrs. Weasley remarked, peering out the kitchen window to see the two of them seated on a small table in much need of refurbishing.

sSs

"So…how are you getting on?" Live asked in the quiet of the morning garden.

"I could ask you the same thing," he said with a half-cocked grin and wink. She nervously fiddled with her hands in her lap, not touching her breakfast. There were too many butterflies in her stomach to eat anyway.

"I heard you were in the hospital," she said with a nervous glance towards him. She was trying to provide breakfast conversation, though she didn't really feel like eating said meal. He, however, seemed more interested in looking at her. And try as she might, she couldn't ignore it. His gaze was so intense, she started fidgeting. "George?"

He looked startled. "Huh?"

"…You keep staring at me," she pointed out as she worried her robes in her hands, twisting the cloth. She felt one-hundred percent awkward, regardless of the things he had told her in confidence.

George ran a hand through his hair. Several rebellious pieces were sticking up here and there.

"I've just been so worried about you is all," he admitted with a smirk. She halfheartedly smiled , but whatever smile was on her face disappeared as he took her hand in his. "Live-"

"Please-," she said quickly, pulling her hand from his and back to the safety of under the table. She stared in her lap with anxiety, the chirping of birds the only noise between them in the awkward silence. "I…I'm uncomfortable with it…" she stuttered nervously. "…Dobby didn't pack any gloves…"

He looked at her, regarding her face a moment, and he frowned. He guided his own hand down her arm to find her hand, which he once again held in his own. He wrapped his fingers about it, and she timidly grasped it with uncertainty. He scooted closer to her on the bench, and she held her breath, unable to look at him for fear of what she might see in his eyes.

"Live…Look at me." His voice was filled with gentle command, and she tilted her head towards him in conceding. He smiled at the pink that stole to her cheeks. "I don't care about the scarring. I really don't." He further wrapped his hand about hers, entwining their fingers beneath the table. "I know you've lost your memories, and I know you don't like the scarring, but it's a part of you, and I love _every _part of you, blemished or not." He touched his forehead to hers, and saw there were unshed tears in her eyes. He wrapped his other arm about her side and gave her a squeeze. "Besides," he started, a winsome, impish smile on his face, "I already love that special birthmark of yours…Any other marks that happen along are also welcome." She gave him an intrigued, curious look, waiting for him to enlighten her as a curious blush came about her cheeks. He gave her a grin and looked in her shining eyes. "Oh no, I'll let you find that one on your own."

He snickered with a wicked grin, and her stomach was performing yet another dance number with her nerves, the butterflies as backup dancers. She got the supreme impression that wherever this birthmark of hers was, it must be in a place that wasn't readily viewable to the public, and therefore of possible naughty origin. And then there was the fact that he claimed to have seen it. She hadn't gotten around to checking _that_ part of her body, and decided he was being highly improper. Even if he _was _her husband. She gave him a weak little punch and snorted, her face red with a hot blush.

"…You total perv," she muttered, though why she herself felt pervertedly pleased with his statement, she couldn't say. She tried to keep her mind off the more serious, personal questions, and just enjoy the light atmosphere.

He drew her closer, and she timidly laid her head on his shoulder, causing him to smile. They watched as the chickens pecked about in the field and birds twittered and fluttered from tree to tree. George was utterly content. He tried to keep his mind away from Dumbledore's conversation earlier that morning when he'd been fetched from St. Mungos. The very thought of it made his stomach turn over on itself again and again, his palms sweaty from even the memory of the exchange.

"…I bet you didn't think this was how you would spend your morning," Live muttered with a dry sniff. George broke from his reverie and cocked his head to the side. "…Looking after a head-case in your garden."

George grinned. "There's no other head-case I would rather spend it with than you." Live looked up at him and grinned shyly, then a small shriek escaped her lips as an errant gnome running across the garden caught her attention. George saw it and smirked to see that she was scrambling to tuck her feet up under her on the bench. He grinned, a rather fun, wicked idea in his mind. "Hey Live, have you ever been gnome-tossing?"

sSs

"…well not to say that they're not old enough, Albus, but all the same. I don't think I could go through that again. What of the prophecy?"

"There are more forces at work here than I anticipated, but it is my sincerest belief that it is the only way to truly protect them both. Your son is just as much a target as the young lady is, as we have seen. And it would be rather beneficial."

Mrs. Weasley sighed as the door to her kitchen opened, admitting a single twin son and the lightly-laughing girl at his side. George looked at both Dumbledore and his mum, and then at Live proudly. "Live is rather proficient at tossing gnomes, mum."

"You didn't get bit, did you?" Mrs. Weasley asked immediately, looking at Live with minor concern. Gnome bites could be pretty nasty.

"No," Live said with a smile, happy.

"She's rather good at it, mum. You should see. She can throw 'em further than Charlie even."

"I do believe we have a possible Chaser on our hands, hm?" Dumbledore said with a smile to Live. "Have you ever thought of trying out for the Slytherin quidditch team, my dear?"

Live was at an utter loss with all elements of that sentence, and grinned in obvious ignorance.

"She doesn't much like quidditch actually, sir," George told him with a smirk, cocking his head at Live with a grin. She looked at him with a smile herself and whispered, "I don't? What's quidditch?"

"That wouldn't be house rivalry speaking, would it my boy?" Dumbledore remarked with an amused grin.

"Albus, you're still quite the quidditch enthusiast, aren't you?" Mrs. Weasley noted with a smile.

"Never miss a game," he told her, nodding pleasantly.

"I'll have to show you my uniform," George told Live with a conspiratorial grin. He knew she _more _than liked him in that outfit. Perhaps it would help to get her out of her shell.

A scratching noise came at the window, and everyone's attention went to the owl staring in at them. George went to the window and opened it, and the owl gave him a most agitated look before hopping through the sill and swooping down onto the kitchen table.

"What a pretty bird," Live noted of the tawny-colored owl that looked highly irate.

George smirked at it as it held out its leg to his mum. "Ministry owl," he told Live. "Dad gets them all the time."

"Oh I hope Arthur's not going to be late to supper again," Mrs. Weasley said as she untied the note from the owl's leg. It gave another look about the room before deciding to leave through the same window it had appeared in. Mrs. Weasley's face became grave as she read the letter. "Oh dear."

"Is it dad, mum?"

"It's the annulment letter from the ministry," she muttered as she quickly read through the thing once more, a frown on her face for her son. George was flabbergasted.

"What?!"

"Annulment?" Live inquired, touching George's forearm with a slightly puzzled, concerned look.

"I fear time is not on our side," Dumbledore noted. "May I please see the letter, my dear?"

George was fretting, tapping his foot and swearing under his breath while Dumbledore read, awaiting his turn to see the document. Live was rather confused, trying to further figure out whether her last name was indeed Hunter or Weasley. This whole ordeal was greatly puzzling her.

"Things have become a bit more tricky, I am afraid," Dumbledore announced. He allowed George to take the letter from him as he continued. "The ties that bound you by marriage afforded some protection. The same, minor protection that is afforded every married person," he said, looking at Live. "Though with this annulment, you are as vulnerable as ever. Even that ancient magic cannot be of service. I am sorry, my dear."

"This is bollocks, is what it is," George declared with ire, the parchment grasped in his fist.

"What magic?" Live asked as she peered at the parchment. She wanted to see the letter George had before he shredded it out of anger.

"Wizard marriages are much more _involved_ than muggle ones, dear," Mrs. Weasley informed with a troubled heart.

"A couple who is legally bound in wizard matrimony have a deep bond which is so minute, it is almost imperceptible. But it is still there, making the bond of matrimony strongest through love. It is what muggles call the figurative 'heartstrings'. For those who know how to utilize them, a marriage bond can be a wonderful tool," Dumbledore informed. "Such bonds are not as common knowledge today as they once were. The bond can be protective as well. Wizards have been using such bonds for thousands of years to protect their mates, from wizarding Vikings to those magical medieval knights." Dumbledore smiled. "It was common ancient-muggle practice to steal the women of a village. Villages of wizards did not have as hard a problem with tracking down their wives."

"So, what does that mean? If I get taken, you can't find me now?" Live looked at George with minor concern. He patted her hand as he swallowed his own anger, trying to calm her mind.

"It would only be more of a challenge," Dumbledore told her. She was paying apt attention. "The heartstring marriage bond is like a warning to other wizards, as well as a type of tracking device within a certain limit. To take someone else's mate would be inviting trouble in times of old. I fear that these bonds are taken for little more than a novelty now, though some couples have cultivated quite powerful ones."

"Why do we need to be married for this heartstring thing anyway?" George asked angrily, his face flushing.

"Well, you _don't_." Dumbledore looked hard at George, something secretive passing between them, and the young man turned away, avoiding his eyes. Dumbledore continued, looking at Live this time. "Being bound in the eyes of wizard law involves ancient magic. While the ministry are able to forgo any ceremony, such as was the case with these mass marriages, I would suffice it to say that coming by such binding marriage certificates was not an easy task, as they must be created by someone pure of heart and proficient in the ancient ways. It is not just a simple piece of parchment. Annulling them is just as difficult a process, though sometimes necessary. These stringed bonds are easily made strong through the workings of another official whose life has been dedicated to the process of binding others. For sake of keeping that one person in the office at hand, these bonds can be created from over vast stretches of land, which makes them so powerful.

"But as for dear George's insight, people do not need to be bound in wizard matrimony for these heartstrings to develop. It is just by far a more difficult process for them to cultivate without. Often, the bonds- however in love a couple may be- are just not as strong as when they are created by a person with official knowledge in such deep magic. It can take years even to create what a skilled official can in a single day."

Live sighed, her head spinning. "So…we're _not_ married."

Dumbledore looked at her and nodded for her clarification. Mrs. Weasley sighed with worry, observing her uncharacteristically-silent son. He didn't look pleased. He couldn't decide which made him more angry- the fact that the ministry had taken away something they had wrongfully given out in the first place, or that he didn't have a proper claim to the love of his life anymore. Either way, it was all botched.

The girl in his thoughts interrupted them with what he decided was a rather stressing question. "So how long were we married for anyway?"

He turned his attention to her and was a bit startled by the honest curiosity in her green eyes. "A while…" he muttered, which was partly true. They definitely _had_ been married a while. But he wasn't about to admit that he knew the exact amount of days since they'd been bound, or when their monthly anniversary was…

"I am pleased to know that you are overcoming the hindrance of over-truth, my boy," Dumbledore announced to George. The boy in question snorted and leaned against the counter with crossed arms. Live looked to Dumbledore with interest, and he elaborated. "George is afflicted with telling the truth as you are afflicted with memory-loss. Though he seems to be making much more headway with the problem," the old-wizard said with a chuckle. "Some information _needs _to be withheld."

"Yes, with all his snarkiness. It seems I'll have to get the information I want out of him sooner than I thought," Mrs. Weasley said only half-joking, knowing she would soon know the truth of what had _really _killed her begonias.

"Come on, Live. I'll show you the house," George said quickly, extending his hand behind him as he made a beeline for the door. She reached out and grabbed it obediently, and he wrapped his palm warmly about her own as they disappeared through the kitchen door to the living room.

"That letter is going to be a problem," Mrs. Weasley said in a huff.

"I am no longer surprised Lucius Malfoy tried to abduct her last night. The bond must have been severed long before the owls were sent out with their letters this morning," Dumbledore deduced. "He wanted to act quickly before we had any idea that it would have been impossible to track her."

"Should we tell her? She should know something of the surrounding danger, shouldn't she?"

"I think it would be beneficial to inform her to a degree, but I do not want her to worry herself while she is transitioning with Severus' potions. Her emotional state could have an impact upon her health while the potion is in her system. And I do not want that to be negative. I would like to speak with the Sorcerer of the Mountains first."

The worrisome witch sighed heavily, her tone nearly pleading on the blonde's behalf. "She's not even aware of how close to danger she is, Albus. I'm so worried."

"We have more than enough of our personal aurors on the problem, Molly. You should have nothing to fear while she is here. And Tonks is taking care of personal appearances for the young lady at the moment. No one is the wiser that anything is amiss."

"Is Tonks alright with that?" the red-haired woman intoned.

"She rather did a good job of acting the part of our young Slytherin last night. And I do not believe even one Death Eater will attempt an invasion of the Hogwarts property again after that ordeal. It was almost a desperate attack, they won't try again. They know that we are aware of their plans. Tonks will have the girl 'disappear' from the castle tonight."

"Hagrid set the thestrals on the prowl?" she asked of the recent unconventional security measures. Dumbledore nodded. "Then the children will be safe for now."

"Voldemort knows not to repeat such a blatant attack. He will not risk such open measures again."

The fiery-haired woman winced at the name, and sighed. "I suppose it's all a matter of keeping her safe and sound for now."

sSs

"The ghoul's up there, but he's not much to look at, let alone bother with. No fun," George talked amiably, gesturing to the attic door above their heads. "All he does is throw around pipes and stuff. It drives mum mad."

"Hm." Live murmured, though she wasn't really paying attention to what he was saying or where they were going as she walked down stairs with perfunctory ambulation. She was too preoccupied with her thoughts and the information Dumbledore had given her. So George couldn't lie…That meant that everything he had told her- in her room and in the garden- was all true. He didn't mind that the hand he was holding bore the scars of an acidic-potion. And he loved her, though she had nearly drained the life out of him. She didn't understand, and she longed to remember. She wished she could remember the love she must have felt for him, how wonderful it must have been. She _liked_ him at least, but it was more than obvious that he _loved _her.

"And the laundry room," George informed with a smirk at the closed door, eyebrows lifted in some obviously-secret joke she didn't get. He looked at her expectantly, and she just nodded, hoping it would appease him. He cracked a grin. "Care to take a look inside?"

"Why?" she asked innocently, naïve.

"Jog some memories?" he said with a smirk, opening the door.

Pictures in the dark went through her head, memories of sensation, but she didn't understand them and could not remember or figure out why her cheeks were suddenly filled with heat. Just how long _had_ they been married? And had they done what she thought they might have in that laundry room? She gave him an odd look. "What _kind _of memories?" she asked slyly. Whatever memories that might be jogged, she was quite certain they wouldn't be of her doing his laundry.

George sighed, though he was still smiling. "We'll just have to make up for it later." He closed the door and led her further through the house as her cheeks were on fire, cooling a bit as they went up another flight or two of stairs, pointing out little secret doors to nothing more exciting than stored memorabilia and baby pictures.

"And of course you're staying in there," he said, pointing out the door on her right as they walked past and down the hallway to a door a bit more down to the left. He opened it and stood in the doorway leaning on his elbow. "And this is my room," he said with a charming grin. "Care to look around?" he asked with a rather encouraging, mischievous smile, inviting her in.

She crossed her arms and gave him yet another odd look as she peered over his shoulder, mind abuzz with more than minor curiosity at all the bottles and scorch-marks and interesting curios laying about. Though the naughty grin he was giving her told her not to pass the threshold.

"What's wrong, Live?" he inquired with an impish smile, grinning at her. She was silent a moment, wringing her hands as he grinned at her with fascinated curiosity. Her face was an open book.

"You make me nervous," she admitted contritely, a smile trying to form on her lips.

George started laughing heartily and grinned at her with a gleam in his eye. "That's not the half of it, and _I _still have my memories," he said as he tapped his own forehead with a smirk.

She snorted in disbelief and looked away from him and his bedroom with a closed-mouth smile, her cheeks blushing. He approached her and encircled her in his arms, causing her heart rate to pick up and her stomach to drop. He definitely had her attention, and she definitely found him attractive, which was becoming a quick problem.

She was becoming quite nervous as he did nothing but look at her, holding her tight, and she had to break the silence. "How did we meet?" she croaked, throat tight with anxiety.

George grinned at the timid look on her face. "We've known more or less of each other as students since _your _first year," he said with a grin, "but if you're referring to the first time I knew I'd fancied you, well, I'd have to say it was when me and Fred ripped the blankets off you while you were sleeping during the summer…" he told her with a smug grin. "And you liked to sleep in the nude, as I can easily recall."

She gasped at such information, her cheeks burning, though it made sense as to why she had felt uncomfortable in her pajamas last night…She obviously wasn't used to them. She smacked him on the arm for speaking of such shocking things. He only grinned in amusement.

"You're very beautiful Live," he told her, his voice a little less playful, his look sincere.

She put her palm against his chest and looked away in disagreement. She wondered vaguely if he was trying to seduce her…and wondered whether or not it was working…

"George…"

"I told you none of it matters to me," he said, stroking her face. Then he grinned. "You still look and talk the same, as much as it matters, and I'll bet you still kiss the same, too," he assured with an impish smirk as her stomach dropped, tilting her chin as he delicately brought his lips to hers. She was taken by surprise and utterly too stunned and excited to stop him as he kissed her very gently, his lips caressing hers as her heart jumped into her throat and her legs went to jelly.

It felt so familiar, not quite déjà vu, but definitely something her lips remembered, though she couldn't recall ever kissing anyone. Her hands naturally placed themselves about his neck, more or less to support herself as his unassuming kiss was quite literally sweeping _her _off her feet. Her legs were as rubber, and she was afraid she would go to pieces with the way her head was spinning from the simple contact. George made a pleased noise deep in his throat, and it triggered flashes in her mind, more pictures and remnants of memories she tried to grasp like falling stars.

He broke their kiss as both a gasp and a sigh escaped her lips, clinging to him for fear her legs would melt beneath her. He kissed the side of her mouth and smirked playfully. "Want to take this to my _boudoir_?" he suggested with a sly grin and playful tone.

She smirked herself, wondering if it was indeed a wise idea or not. Probably not, but exciting nonetheless. She was interested where this might take her…though she had probably been wherever _that_ was already. She would get answers out of him later. "I keep seeing pictures in my mind," she informed him frankly to avoid answering, cheeks flushed, her body hot.

He stroked her cheek with his thumb, and a pleasant shiver went up her back. "Recall anything?" he asked with a smug grin. She smirked at his implicating tone, but shook her head just the same. He made a dejected look, pouting and looking skyward with tragedy. "What a pity…" A breathed-laugh left her, and he regarded her with an encouraged grin. "Guess we'll just have to fill your head with new memories then."

They both grinned, amused with one another, though Live rolled her eyes skyward for all his playful insinuations. It actually made her worried as well, and she was too much a coward to ask George if they'd done it yet…She needed to write a letter or two to her friends at Hogwarts…Surely she would have told someone if they had.

George smiled pleasantly, fully aware of the way she was clinging to him, and it gave him hope that perhaps she would remember how much she was in love with him, as he her. And that made him incredibly nervous as well.

He kept thinking back to the small satchel in his bag just beyond his door, and what was inside of it. The warning and Dumbledore's cautionary words kept playing through his mind, making his stomach drop to his feet even as he stood so calmly holding her. But it was more than Dumbledore and the danger involved, even worth the risk. That he knew in the deepest depths of his heart, though he didn't want to be forced to act without thinking and make a mistake that could possibly result in everyone losing their lives. And especially not where Live was concerned.

"George?"

He looked down to see her looking up at him with a puzzled expression. She was wondering at the cool, distant look in his eyes. He blinked and the dismal bleakness was gone, replaced with the impish sparkle she'd come to enjoy. She inclined her head, studying him.

"Are you alright?" she asked with concern.

"I'm ok," he said with a nodded grin.

She examined him with concern. "You look like you could use a glass of water," she stated, tucking a stray strand of hair behind his ear. He grinned and she thought twice about her action, moving to withdraw her scarred hand. But he took it and placed it back against his face, closing his eyes and relishing in the warmth of her touch.

Her heart was beating at an awful rate with sensation, and with the warmth rising in her cheeks, she wasn't altogether convinced that it wasn't _she_ who needed a cool glass of water. The sound of his even breathing and her quickly-hitching breaths were the only noises in the long hallway, and she became very aware of just how alone they were. She supposed it was okay for her to cup his face in her hand, to enjoy the confusing feelings settling in her stomach and throat, and allow herself to truly believe that all this horrid scarring on her body mattered not to him. She would leave the question of their coupling to later thought. She greatly liked him, she knew that already. And with his gentle touch and quiet manner, she believed she would come to feel deeply for him.

"Live, dear! Owl for you!"

George's eyes opened from his peaceful reverie as his mother's voice ruined the moment. He looked at Live to find her blushing horribly, and nervously avoiding his eyes as she withdrew her hand almost guiltily. He sighed. Oh well, it might be a bit more work for him, but he was enjoying every second with her.

"Come on then. At least it can't be a howler."

sSs

"A letter from Hermione," Mrs. Weasley told the pair as they came into her kitchen. Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen, presumably off taking care of business elsewhere, and the kitchen smelled of the hearty scents of home-cooking. "Hedwig just brought it," she supplied in motioning to the snowy owl which was happily drinking water and pecking at some seed she had been given.

"Harry let Hermione send her?" George asked as Live took the letter sitting on the table. "A bit recognizable, isn't she?" He scrutinized the white owl, and in turn, she gave him a hoot of reproach. Live smiled as the two stared at one another before Hedwig decided that her seeds were far more interesting than the look the freckled, fiery-haired boy was giving her.

"I thought the same thing. We'll send a reply back asking not to send her again," the red-haired witch said from behind a small cauldron on the stove. "Not that we have anything against you, pretty bird," she added, looking at the intelligent owl.

Live smirked at the letter in her hand. This Hermione was apparently very, very clever, and had many things to tell Live though it had only been a day since they had seen each other. Apart from the news of Kara's new idea for gnome-control and a plot of Fred's which Kelena had successfully foiled, the bushy-haired Gryffindor had included several pieces of advice and encouraging words of wisdom for the Slytherin to adhere to while at the Weasleys. The "try not to swear to floridly" had especially made her grin.

"So, what has she got to say?" George asked, giving way to petting Hedwig on the sill. The owl was happy for it and hooted softly.

Live looked up, willing her face not to flush and betray her omitted lies. "Oh, girl stuff." She wasn't about to mention the racy details Hermione swore Kelena had forced her to write, the sixth year witch refusing to just up and write her own damn letter. Her descriptive words were quite lewd in the least, her 'instructions' even worse, not to mention the list. Live's eyes were quite wide. If she and George hadn't yet sealed their marriage deal, apparently Kelena had all sorts of ideas for how it should go down.

George lifted an eyebrow. "Can I see?"

"Oh George, leave it be," Mrs. Weasley admonished. She added some salt to her concoction, the steamy scents smelled delicious. It was nice to cook for more than two people during the school months.

Live smiled. "It's not that interesting. Stuff about homework and books and stuff."

He frowned in a grin, catching her in a lie. "I thought you just said it was fun girl stuff?"

"Since when do the contents of my letters interest you?" Live snarked at him with sudden courage, quickly trying to change the subject to protect her modesty…Or what little she assumed she had.

If he hadn't given much care or thought to the contents of that letter before, he was quite intrigued now. Just what sort of things would Hermione have to tell her? That blush on her face told him it would be interesting in the least. His impish smirk made her back away, holding the letter to her person with a warning smile.

"If it's just homework and stuff, you wouldn't mind me looking at it," he deduced with a clever grin.

She frowned, daring him to try it, and moved toward the stove and towards his mother for protection. She didn't think he'd try and take it right under the nose of the fiery-haired witch. And if he did dare to do so, she'd be quick to dash it in the flames of the stove.

"Oh honestly," Mrs. Weasley said. She looked at Live with a sigh. "Tonight we're going to teach you a simple knockback jinx at least." She looked at her mischievous son advancing on the blonde, grinning in a way that usually preceded something in the house getting blown up or broken. Her look went from agitated to threatening in about two seconds. "Maybe even a few curses."

George raised a worried eyebrow at that, and turned his attention to his mother as the bustling woman nudged Live aside, urging her from her son's line of sight. Whatever the contents of that letter, if she didn't want it read, she had better go hide it, and probably herself as well. Somewhere he wouldn't look.

"What about counter-curses mum?" George remarked, not liking the scheming look on his mother's face. The woman was a prime curser, he knew that personally.

"No counter-curses until _you _behave yourself. And we'll step up the cursing level as far as she can progress," she threatened with her cooking spoon, turning back to the stove and tasting the contents of the bubbling stew. She waved her wand and a green sprig of leafy plant floated itself over to her. She picked a few leaves of it and added them to the pot.

"Hmph." George looked over his shoulder with a wicked grin, but Live was nowhere to be seen. "Hey!" He bent over and looked under the table, and then glared at his mum's back. "Where'd she go?"

Mrs. Weasley only hummed to herself, a cheery tune, and George smirked and popped out of the kitchen only to apparate into the living room.

"George Weasley! Don't you go chasing that girl!" Mrs. Weasley's voice hollered through the doors.

"Yes mum!" he called back chipperly, every intention to do just that.

He listened and looked, but she was nowhere to be seen. He called out her name in a singsong voice, and went immediately silent. He heard light footsteps. She was trying to hide the sound, but she wasn't as good as she thought. _She_ didn't know about the creak in the third step.

He apparated to the top of the stairs to catch her, wide-eyed, in a rather sneaky-looking position. He cocked an eyebrow in amusement.

"Going somewhere?" he asked with a grin.

She opened her mouth in surprise, about to say something, but turned face rather quickly and started to run back down the stairs, the offensively embarrassing letter grasped in her hand. With a cracking sound he was at the very bottom of the stairs as she had to grind to a halt not to crash into him. He grinned as she stopped, breathing hard from the adrenaline in her veins, and crossed her arms accusingly.

"If you would move, please?" she requested with a note of regal entitlement in her voice. _That_ sounded more like the Live he knew.

He spread his arms with an amused smirk. "Aw come on Live, what naughty things did Hermione put in that letter anyways? You can tell me. As a matter of fact, I bet I was _meant_ to be told!" Her face reddened as she was caught off guard. Just how did he know? Damn Hermione for letting Kelena add her own input.

"George, it's embarrassing girl stuff," Live reported in a rather exaggerated, feigned tone of discomfort. "_Girl_ girl stuff…_You know_?" She tried to hint that it was comprised of _lady_ issues, hoping it would throw him. Lord knows it hadn't thrown Snape.

His amused smile wavered, but he saw that glimmer in her eye, the same sly glimmer she had when she was usually trying to pull a fast one on him. An impish smirk claimed his face and he took a step towards her. In a move he hadn't anticipated, she quickly shoved the letter down her blouse, assuming it would be safe. George watched with a forming smile, a bit taken-aback, yet pleased in the least. Live grinned triumphantly. George felt much the same with this turn of luck.

"What makes you think I won't get it _there_?" he asked cheekily.

She frowned with daring, her tone equal to that of a queen. "You wouldn't _dare_."

George grinned, thinking for a moment: _is this a good idea? Should I do this? She wouldn't care...Or, she wouldn't have before. Well, she won't be _that _mad, will she? Should I? Would she get mad with how she is now? She doesn't remember anything. Maybe she wouldn't care? It's just a _little_ grope…_

Live was contemplating whether she could duck under his arms if she rushed him, or if there was even a slight possibility she could jump over his head aided in the height of the stairs…that's just how dirty the remainder of the obscene letter had been…Dammit Kelena.

There was a single moment's warning in the changed grin on George's face when he made his crazy decision. Throwing reason and thinking to the wind, he thrust his hand down the top of her blouse, and both of her hands flew to her chest, stopping his hand from any further progress with a wide-eyed look of utter surprise on her face. They looked at one another in evaluation, wondering how it had gotten to this point. His hand was resting between her breasts, and _her _hands kept it trapped there.

"George!" she shrieked after the moment of stunned shock. "Get your hand out!"

"I can't! You've got it!!" Which was mostly true. She had it trapped, hoping he wouldn't delve deeper. Though he was in no hurry to remove it.

"Well pull it out!!"

"Then let me go!!"

"You'll take the letter!!"

"No I won't!"

"Yes you will!"

"No _I won't_!!"

"Yes _you will_!!"

"Come on Live!"

"_Get your hand out of my shirt!!_"

"Let go of it then!"

"George!"

He thrummed his fingers and she shrieked, both ticklish and surprised. He extricated his hand, plus the letter, and without missing a beat he took off down the stairs. She ran after him without thought, jumping on his back in the small atrium and tackling him to the floor before he could open it.

"Ha ha!" She jumped up, accidentally stepping on him as he tried to grab at her feet, and leapt with the letter in hand. She barreled down the hall as he wasted no time in apparating after her. He was in front of her with arms spread, trying to grab her with a laugh. She ducked under his arms and fled into the living room with him pursuing close after. He made a lunge and grabbed her around the waist, declaring how he would have it at all costs. She twisted and they both fell to the floor with laughs. The letter slipped from her grasp and fell neatly open, right in the fireplace grate among embers. They both looked up just in time to see the embers ignite and the parchment catch flame. It burnt so quickly, Live wondered if Hermione had penned the thing in gasoline.

Mrs. Weasley passed through one of the doors, seeing the both of them obviously fallen to the floor, immersed in giggles. She rolled her eyes and grabbed her good cauldron from a closet space, then left the same way she had come. She didn't want to know, whatever it was they were up to. "Children," she muttered with forbearance.

They looked at one another and laughed. Live wasn't at all upset with the way things had turned out. If she couldn't hide it from him, destroying it was the next best thing. She wouldn't forget the contents of that letter even if she tried. She was completely flushed, cheeks to chest.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," George started, a look of disappointed amusement on his face, "But was that a naughty drawing from one of Kelena's books I just saw in my hearth?"

Live's red face and wide eyes were all the answer he needed.

sSs


	42. Yay for fish sundaes!

New format officially off and running!

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 42: Yay for fish sundaes!

sSs

"Swish and flick. That's all there is to it. It's alright dear, muscle-memory will guide you."

Live swished her wand, but the tea-tin didn't even so much as levitate. "I'm sorry Mrs. Weasley. I'm trying as hard as I can."

"Maybe something simpler," the red-haired witch suggested.

"I'm willing to try, whatever it takes," Live assured, trying to make it quite certain that she wasn't slacking off. She glared at the tea-tin, mentally cursing the damn thing for not levitating. "Hmph."

"Have her try a curse, mum. She's a natural at that," George remarked with a teasing smirk.

"George Weasley! One more peep out of you and I'll curse you myself!" his mum threatened.

George grinned, amused, and winked at Live encouragingly. She was becoming entirely too nervous, but tried her hardest to concentrate even though the older witch assured her it would not require much thought. She was growing to believe that she didn't possess any inherent magical abilities whatsoever, regardless of the encouraging things George said.

"Is our son behaving himself?" Arthur Weasley asked as he looked in at George, poking his head out into the living room from the kitchen. He was still playing with his collection of spark plugs he had proudly displayed for Live upon the table. She was amused by his quirk for muggle 'artifacts' though she herself had never found spark plugs to be all that interesting.

"Do you think we were so blessed with twin sons so we could freely do away with one?" his wife answered in question, not looking at her gaping son.

"_Mu-um_!" George whined pathetically.

"You'll do best to keep quiet, George," she snapped as she was demonstrating proper wand technique once more for Live's benefit. The blonde witch was smiling, though his father took his wife's tone as business.

"Come and look George, I think I've made a breakthrough with the way these spark plugs work," he said rather proudly in trying to take him off his wife's hands.

George hopped down from the table he was sitting on and gave Live a sidelong glance before obediently following his father. He rolled his eyes as he entered the kitchen, and left Live and his mum to further magical re-education.

"Hmph. Alright, enough of that rubbish," the fiery-haired witch announced of her son's antics. "I know you can do this, dear. Your form is perfect, but why we can't get so much as a spark out of you, I don't know." She smirked. "Perhaps those sparking plugs Arthur is so fond of could help."

Live laughed. "Not likely." She inclined her head with interest. "How long have you been married ma'm?"

Mrs. Weasley snapped to attention. "What?"

Live smiled warmly and shrugged. "I just really like your family." She looked away in thoughtfulness. "I know I haven't known you all for very long, but you seem to love one another a lot, and it's just…it's nice."

Mrs. Weasley smiled. "For what it's worth, dear, I consider you a part of the family."

A warm, soft light went into Live's eyes, and she smiled. "Thank you." She exhaled lightly, looking at her wand and willing it to work so she could accomplish _something _at least. The spots in the black palm wood seemed to mock her with their complacency.

Chance took the moment for images which flashed in her mind, and she was familiarly confused, trying to catch what she could as well as make sense of it. Blood. Her hands. This wand. A city of some sort.

She frowned as the images dissipated, and rubbed at her temple.

"Are you getting tired dear? We've been at it for nearly an hour now."

"I'm alright, just a headache. Images." She shrugged, and Mrs. Weasley looked at the face-clock in her sitting room with contemplation. Mortal peril, traveling, sleeping. She wondered if she should cancel that order from the clocksmith to have Live's face put on it as she wasn't technically married to her son anymore…

"Hm. We'll stop for tonight. I think the potion Severus gave you is still too powerful. We'll try again tomorrow."

"Alright. I think I'll just go to bed then."

"That's alright dear. I've left towels and soaps for you in the upstairs bathroom if you'd like a bath," the kind witch offered.

"Thank you," Live said sincerely, taking her wand and the book she'd been being taught from. Mrs. Weasley nodded and smiled kindly, taking the tea-tin back into the kitchen just as George was coming through.

"Geez mum, a little warning would be nice," he said as he dodged being hit with the door. She shot him a look that made him immediately apparate out of the kitchen and away from her. A look of readiness to further flee if necessary was upon his face, though the red-haired witch didn't bother with him. He was relieved his mum decided not to curse him one, and turned and smiled at Live. She was politely waiting for him on the stairs. He grinned.

"Well I'm going to bed," she informed, leaving him to whatever it was he did at night. She turned and continued up the stairs, getting a tingling feeling up her spine that she ought to look back, or otherwise be eaten by the big bad wolf…

"It's early still," he challenged. She could hear the persuading tone in his voice and smirked to herself. Well, _she_ was tired, and she wasn't sure if she could trust herself around him tonight.

Or any other night for that matter with the way he was looking at her.

"I know it's still kinda early. But I've still got to draw a bath, and by then it'll be late." She chanced a look over her shoulder, but he wasn't where she'd left him. Turning back around, she shrieked to come face-to-face with him. "GAAH!"

"Anything I can help with?" he asked with raised, suggestive eyebrows. He gave her a sly smile. "I'm a natural at bath-drawing."

She rolled her eyes and put a hand to his chest-- his lovely, quite muscular chest-- moving him out of her way. "No thank you, perv."

She passed him as his mouth twisted in an oddly amused smirk. He popped back in front of her, and she gave him an exasperated sigh. He gazed at her with an oddly knowing smirk and a well-put but unbelievable innocent-look upon his face. "And what's with all the 'perv' stuff? I'm just trying to be helpful." He waggled his eyebrows at her, nullifying his own statement.

She looked at him in exasperated disbelief. Hermione had said he might come on strongly, though usually she would know how to handle it. In her altered-state, however, the bushy-haired witch warned her that he might be a bit _familiar_, though it was nothing to panic over. "It's because of your pervy 'help' that you're a perv. And besides, Hermione said I should call you one anyway. And now I find it most appropriate." She continued on past him once more, a self-satisfied grin of amusement on her face.

George was left gaping. Dammit Hermione! So that's what had been in that letter…Among naughty things from Kelena, Godric _bless _that witch…

"Can I tuck you in at least?" he called after her with a grin and wolfish tone.

She stopped in her tracks and turned back to look at him, her hair swishing about her back as she looked down with a mischievous, decidedly naughty gleam in her eye. He was almost sure she would invite him on up. But as he blinked to make certain he was actually seeing that trademark naughty gleam he was hoping she'd regain in time, it was gone, and only a haughty look of daring was left. "You wish."

This time actually running the remainder of the steps up, she was gone from sight, and he was left confused and contemplating his next move.

She didn't know what had gotten into herself as she drew her bath. She'd almost told him that maybe _she'd_ tuck _him_ in. But it would have been more trouble than it was worth. Not that she was still wondering if she might run into him before bed…

Her mind kept going back to when he had kissed her, and suffice it to say, she was nervously wondering when and if he might do it again…

Getting her mind out of the gutter, she finished her bath, letting the water drain out of the tub and watching it swirl down the pipes. She dried herself off, taking her time and wishing she could access her memories, though they seemed to stay to the shadows of her mind.

sSs

George was growing weary of entertaining himself by risking his mother's wrath by agitating her in the kitchen, and decided it was time for bed. And maybe a peep in to Live, just to see that she was well-settled and all…and to see what she might be wearing to bed. Contemplating pursuing the idea of 'tucking her in' while walking down the hall to his room, he nearly jumped out of his skin when a surprised shriek came through the bathroom door.

"_That_ birthmark?! He's seen _THAT_?!"

George grinned smugly, whistling as he decided to call it a night. It looked like she finally found the location of her 'naughty' birthmark.

sSs

The next morning George woke up late and groggily made his way downstairs to the kitchen. He found bacon and eggs on the stove, a pot of tea brewing whilst the smell of fresh bread was circulating the kitchen and dirty breakfast dishes wanting for a wash soaked in the sink. So they hadn't woke him for breakfast. Figured.

He sat down and had himself some bacon, chewing it lazily as he wondered where his mum was. It was unusual that she'd leave her cooking alone and prey to the vices of her children…even if it was only him. Last time she'd done that, he and Fred had spiked the morning tea with Cornelius' Curious Concoction, and dad had had to go to work with purple ears while their mum had sprouted dragon scales. He and Fred had been walloped good for that one, though Ron _did_ look hilarious with webbed feet. And now Mrs. Weasley was less inclined to leave her cooking alone for very long at all.

He poured himself a cup of tea and walked to the window, wondering if Errol had brought the morning paper yet. Though since there was no sign of any crash-landings of recent time, he supposed not. Or mum had already gotten the owl out of the kitchen and on his way.

He rubbed his eyes, peering out the window to see his mum and Live working in the garden. Live was running from a gnome and Mrs. Weasley was trying to hit it with a stunning spell, but the blonde's shrieks were distracting her and Mrs. Weasley was trying not to hit the girl herself.

George was doubled over laughing as Live jumped up onto the bench and then the table itself for added height, shrieking for his mum to "_Get it_!"

As the little gnarly creature was jumping at her, Mrs. Weasley stunned it and 'hmphed' triumphantly. Live jumped off the table and poked at it with her wand. The thing fell over, and she grinned, pointing her wand at it with a loud "HA!" of triumph. She then shoved her wand into a pocket and grabbed the gnome with her garden-gloved hands, carrying it haphazardly over to the garden fence and chucking it far over the hedges. Mrs. Weasley nodded and pointed at a few rows of vegetables and plants, and Live grinned and said something that was inaudible to George from his window-spying. The fiery-haired witch laughed and removed her own gloves, setting them on the garden table as she returned to the house.

George watched as Live sat in a patch of still-green, leafy plants with a smile on her face. Apparently, she was pulling weeds. How his mother got her to do that with a smile, he didn't even want to know.

"Morning George," the plump woman greeted as she entered the kitchen. She kissed his forehead and made her way to the stove as he wiped at his face with the back of his hand.

"Have you got Live doing chores already?" he asked, incredulous.

"Oh George, _really_," she snapped. "The little thing was bored to death and you were still sleeping. I asked her to help me pick a few of the plants before the cold set in, and she volunteered the rest."

"_Mum_," he groaned. "Don't make my girlfriend do yard work."

She clucked her tongue at him. She wasn't going to _make _Live do anything apart from practicing with her wand in the hopes they'd make a few sparks. Poking the gnome with it earlier had counted twice.

"Maybe if I had sons who weren't so lazy, there wouldn't be any weeds _or_ gnomes in my garden, hmm?"

"I get it, I get it," he murmured, looking back out the window. "Is it safe for her to be out there by herself?"

"Remus and Sirius are out there, not to mention the charms on the house. She's perfectly fine."

"They are?" He looked about and skimmed the trees against their yard, seeing nothing but shadow. "I can't see them."

"Well if everyone could see them, they wouldn't be doing a very good job of being stealthy watchmen, would they?"

"Bollocks…" he murmured under his breath.

"I had better not hear you cursing under your breath George Weasley," she chastised. He grinned and decided he might as well join Live in the garden. With any luck he could coerce her out of the weed patch and into the laundry room…Heh heh…

sSs

"Ow! Dammit!" Live cursed loudly, shaking her finger as she pulled off a glove. "Damn thistles!" She sucked on her finger, wishing the gloves were thicker, or that thistles would be blinked out of existence some day. Figures the one thistle plant growing in the garden patch she would have the luck to place her hand on.

She took a little clawed tool Mrs. Weasley had given her and stabbed at the earth mercilessly. Some of the grassy weeds had taken strong root, and she was going to pull the damn things out whether they wanted to go or not. She smiled, happy with working in the patch. It may be dirty work, but it was surprisingly calming and she found she enjoyed it immensely…At least when she wasn't fearing for her life from garden gnomes.

A soft noise on the dirt got her attention, and she saw a black dog trotting up her way from the grove of trees flanking the Weasley's home. She froze, watching it with curiosity, evaluating whether it was dangerous or not. It's tongue was lolling out and tail swinging merrily, and she decided it wasn't dangerous. She grinned, standing on her knees with a smile.

She took off her other glove and clapped her hands together. The dog's ears pricked up and she grinned, having it's full attention. She made smooch noises at the animal, holding out her hand and gesturing for it to come to her. It happily trotted over, tail wagging, and she petted it and laughed, happy panting and quickly-wagging tail making her grin.

"Oh who's a good boy? Who's a good boy?" she said in a high-pitched voice, one used especially just for dogs. She was petting and scratching him, the dog more than happily obliged, licking her hands as she scratched and stroked the soft fur. He was sniffing her and sneezed a dog sneeze, causing her to laugh. "Do you do any tricks? Huh? Do you shake? Shake!" She held out a scarred hand, and the dog gave her his furry black paw. She laughed, utterly delighted. "Nice to meet you," she said with a grin, amused with herself. The dog wagged its tail, licking at her affectionately. No doubt she still smelled of bacon and eggs. She let go of the paw and assessed the dog. "Do you speak? Speak!" she encouraged, and the dog barked and yipped. She laughed and pet him as a reward. This animal was a lot more amusing than chasing the chickens…or being harassed by spiky gnomes. She could have swore it was smiling at her.

The dog started to sniff about the garden, sniffing the plants, weeds she'd pulled, the gloves she'd discarded, a spot where she'd dropped some sausage, and the turned-up earth itself, but with a kissy sound the dog came bounding over for more scratches and petting.

She had her right arm around the dog's middle, scratching it under the chin more leisurely and speaking in that specially reserved high-pitched dog-tone: "Oh good boy! _Guuuud _boy! Oh yes! What a good boy! _Oh how nice_! How nice you are!"

She'd been so caught up in heaping affection on the dog that she hadn't noticed the man approaching from the side of the garden. When she did, she startled, immediately still and stopped in praising the dog. Her fingers tightened in the shaggy fur of the neck, and she watched the man approach with trepidation. She thought quickly as to what she could use as a weapon. Did the dog attack strangers? If not, there was always that clawed tool and hopefully time enough to run.

"Good morning…," she called warily, trying to assess the situation as her heartbeat quickly sped up. Mrs. Weasley had told her that there were stationed guards about the property, but to still beware those she didn't know. They lived pretty far from town, but sometimes the odd muggle wandered past. But as Live didn't know the good from the bad, she hoped she would have enough time to make a mad dash for the house if she'd judged wrong. She didn't even know what the guards looked like.

"Good morning," the man called back, leisurely making his way to her. He had brown hair, slightly graying at the edges, and wore robes that had seen better days. He was fairly tall and looked rather sickly, long scars-- some faded, others looking more fresh- on his face that she could make out the closer he got. While she was considering whether he was good or bad, she realized he was heading for _her_, and not the house as one of the guards might have done as they had no direct business with _her_. It caused her heart to beat in a crazy rhythm in her chest, but she willed herself not to run, tightening her fingers in the dog's fur, drawing from its presence. It panted lazily, looking at her.

"Can I help you?" she asked nervously, loudly, getting to her feet but keeping her hand on the animal next to her. She wondered if Mrs. Weasley had heard her loud greeting. She hoped so.

The man smiled, looking at the dog with what appeared to be amused disbelief. "Really, Sirius, I'm rather disappointed. Begging for scraps?"

The dog whined and wagged its tail. Live looked down at him. _You traitor dog._

"So _this _is Sirius? One of the _guards_?" she asked the man before her. He nodded with a smirk and chastising look at the dog. She looked mildly disappointed. A dog that didn't even attack. Some guardian. "And you would be…?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," he said, dragging a hand through his hair with a smile. "Remus Lupin." He extended his hand, and she begrudgingly accepted it. Mrs. Weasley had said there was a Remus and a Sirius out in the woods. Now she had faces to names. "I used to be your Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," he supplied, recalling their debriefing about the state of her memory.

"Oh," she said, looking down judgingly at the dog. He looked up at her, dog mouth forming into a doggy grin. She rolled her eyes as his tail was wagging slowly. "Mrs. Weasley said there were guards in the woods, but I didn't know an attack dog counted." She was looking rather disdainfully at the animal, though she supposed it wasn't the dog's fault that it was a crappy excuse for a guard…

Lupin laughed. "Well actually--"

"Sirius is really more _dog _than guard," George's voice announced as he came striding into the garden. He was grinning at the dog whom he was quite certain frowned at the statement. Live grinned with relief and moved closer to George. "Right? Mornin' Remus."

"Good morning George," he said with an agreeable grin. Sirius deserved every bit of teasing they were doling out for going all doggy on them. "If I can take this mutt back now?"

"See that he's put to good use. Mum said the bowtruckles in the orchard have been getting cocky," George said with a wicked grin. The dog yipped at such insult and licked its chops at the fiery-haired young man. George only grinned.

"Come on _mutt_," Lupin teased, and the dog trotted after him with a snort, looking up with what might have been a doggy-glare as they disappeared back into the copse of trees.

"Well at least it seems to be a smart dog…" Live muttered to George as she crossed her arms. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and her heart slowly started to return to its normal rhythm. She'd be really worried, if not wholly nervous.

"Hm?" he asked, his mind at other thoughts.

"That scared the crap out of me! I didn't know if he was a guard or not!" Live spat quickly and accusingly at George. He raised an eyebrow and she sighed heavily, not really blaming him, but startled still with adrenaline running through her veins.

"I'll have mum introduce people before she sets them about the property again," George told her thoughtfully as he took her hand. She looked rather addled.

"I'm not really in any danger at all, am I?" Live asked with a disillusioned look, feeling silly. After all, a _dog _as a guard? The way everyone talked it seemed like she was in need of witness protection or something…

George grinned and put his arm around her. "Sirius is…um, well he is really smart for a dog." Live snorted in disbelief. "Really though Live, don't bother petting him anymore…He'll get spoiled." Truth was, he was jealous that she wasn't lavishing such affection on him. And he thought that breaking the truth to her about Sirius' animagus form might freak her out a bit. The way Dumbledore said she had flipped when Tonks had changed to her mirror image gave him something to go by. He learned in muggle studies that muggles had a very hard time accepting magic and what he would deem _normal_, _everyday_ things. And in many respects, she was kind of like those muggles now, although a bit more agreeable. He didn't want to scare her with anything. "Know what I mean?"

"Hn," she agreed.

"And he's got fleas."

"Oh well that's just precious," she told him resentfully. "Last time I love on that dog…Do you have any other pets I should know about? Any tick-ridden chickens?"

George grinned. Sirius would kill him. "He's not house-broken either."

"Eeew."

George laughed and placed a kiss on her cheek, to which she turned beet-red. He grinned, pleased with himself. "So, want to take a break? I know if I had a chance to escape mum's chores, I would," he told her with a smirk.

"Actually, I don't mind," Live said, a smile brightening her face. "I like gardening."

George grinned, undeterred. He knew how to make her come back inside with him... "Alright then," he remarked nonchalantly, walking back towards the house. "I doubt the gnomes will find their way back to the garden so soon anyhow…"

Live's eyes went wide at that statement, and if George's back wasn't facing her, she might have smacked him for the self-satisfied smirk on his face.

"George wait!" she called eagerly, running after him to catch up. He tried to wipe the grin off his face, but the best he could manage was a wolfish smile.

sSs

"…I just don't see the point in it," George whined for the hundredth time.

"It's fun," Live encouraged, smiling as she dealt him another hand.

"But they don't even explode or dance around or anything," George complained of Live's deck of muggle playing cards she'd found in her bag. They were playing War, or some variation of it at least. George wasn't too enamored of it. "The pictures on the cards don't even move."

"Well it can be a lot of fun if you quit your whining," she said with a smile as her queen took his nine. She took the cards and added them to her growing pile on the floor. He was reclining on the couch with a bored look on his face as he tossed another card to the floor with languor.

"I can't imagine muggles thinking this is fun." She grinned, looking up at him as he tossed a card into the air and watched it slice back down nearly hitting him in the face. He sighed tragically.

"It is!" she declared with a smile, trying to convince him. He didn't appear the least bit interested.

"Hmph. I pity muggles. The cards don't even try to bite you."

"Sometimes you scare me," she told him with a grin as she shuffled her cards.

He smirked and sat up, grinning down at her in her place on the floor. "What else do I do to you?" he asked with piqued interest.

She looked up sharply at his tone, and her face immediately reddened. She looked away quickly as she bit her lip to hide the smile, suddenly quite interested in dusting off imaginary particles on her clothes. She hoped he couldn't see the flush that must be in her hot cheeks. She heard him sigh, and looked up. He was twirling a card between his fingers lazily, re-reclined upon the couch and staring wistfully at the ceiling. She smirked.

"When is this game over?" he asked without looking at her. Teasing her wasn't as fun when she wouldn't take the bait.

Her smirk got wider. She was having more fun teasing _him _than actually playing the game. "When one of us has all the cards."

"_All_ the cards? That could take hours!"

"It _is_ called War, George. War takes a long time."

He turned his head toward her, a brow arched. "Are you serious?" He got a blatantly pleased grin in response. "You know what? Here, you win," he said in giving her his cards.

"George! You can't do that!"

"Bollocks. I just did it. The allies surrender. You've got me on my knees. What're you gonna do with me?"

While his voice had been absent of naughty-implication, Live's mind couldn't help but go straight to innuendos and thoughts of dark, secluded places and his lips upon hers. She felt her cheeks flushing as he looked at her with a sincerely curious expression, wondering what she wanted to do now. He quirked an eyebrow as he noticed the stain in her cheeks, and then he realized he had missed his own naughty joke. He grinned, just grasping it.

He got to his feet and offered her his hand with a smile, not calling her on it. She took it and stood up as well, and he smirked. "So what _would_ you like to do now?" His brows were raised and voice implicating, and she looked at him with doe-like eyes, wide and curious as to what _he_ obviously wanted to do _to _her.

"Um…I dunno…" she stammered.

It made him grin that she would hide the obvious thoughts he could see in her face, and he enfolded her in his arms, bringing her close. She was cute when she was worried, and he could wait out this memory thing. He just had to be strong. And resist pouncing her like every three-minute impulse commanded him.

"You know, you make it too easy."

"Hm?"

"Loving you."

She was glad he couldn't see her face. She was certain she was as red as a tomato with embarrassment. And she wasn't quite sure how she felt about such a statement. Well, she knew how she _felt_-- her stomach dropping, heart fluttering, knees weak-- but she wasn't sure how she felt, per se.

"And I do love you, Live. I just wish you could remember, but I'll help you recover all I can."

She sighed with minor frustration, pensive. "I wish I _could_ remember," she told him wistfully.

He let her go to look at her, and she saw in his face a firm determination and a seriousness where there was usually playful laughter or naughty implication. "I promise I won't ever let anything like this happen to you again, Live."

"Oh, it's not _that_ bad…" she said, dismissing the tone of responsibility he had used. He gave her a look which said opposite. "I mean, it bothers me a lot," she told him, "but since I don't know what I'm missing, I can't really miss it, right?" He looked suddenly sad, and she regretted what she'd said. She broached the subject with an example. "I mean…I can't remember what my skin looks like without these scars, but I know they're not supposed to be here…and I wish I could get rid of them, but I can't remember what my hands and such looked like without, so it's not _as_ horrid as it could be…"

He half-heartedly smiled. "Well, maybe we can make a potion or a cream or something for you if it bothers you that much," he indulged her. "You were always better in potions than me, but Fred and I have come up with some pretty ingenious salves ourselves. You know, we get hurt a lot with some of the joke testing. I bet we could work something up."

She was minorly confused and a bit worried about this apparently-dangerous joke testing, but decided to leave it for a later time.

"That would be nice," she said in thanks. He smiled, satisfied that he'd managed to please her. "George, how were we married before?"

A quizzical look took his face at her non sequiter. He wished she wouldn't just blurt out questions before he had ample time to prepare. "Before?"

"Well we're pretty young to have already married…"

"Uh--"

"Like, where did we marry? And why does that Malfoy man have the power to annul it if neither of us filed for it?" _And for that matter, where do we stand together in this mess?_

He stepped away from her and sat back down on the couch with a heaved sigh. He knew it was inevitable, but he'd rather hoped to avoid this conversation altogether. "Well…The thing about _our_ marriage was…" He sighed, trying to think of phrasing that wouldn't shed him in a bad light. "Alright…You see, what happened was…well…"

She sat next to him on the couch, listening to him intently. He took one of her hands in his, lacing their fingers together. He hoped she wouldn't pummel him too badly.

"Well, the thing is…Me and a bunch of the boys at school decided to panty-raid all you girls…"

She snorted in disbelief, but she was quite interested. "Panty-raid? You _panty-raided_ me? That's so seventies…"

"Um, yeah." He chuckled nervously, running a hand through his hair. Live looked both intrigued and amused. "Well, what happened-- and this is because it happened a lot back when mum went to school-- was that there was a law put in place to, you know, discourage panty-raiding…" He took a deep breath, and she was silent, listening. He was growing rather nervous. It wasn't _that_ big a deal. Why was he so nervous? He just had to come out and say it. "And it had to be big…something _really_ big to make it not worth the bother and risking the fun anymore…"

"Are you saying we got married because you _stole _my _underwear_?" she asked in disbelief.

"Long story short? Yeah, that's the gist of it."

She inwardly grimaced. Well, that wasn't half as romantic as she had assumed it had been. Besides, they were both so young to have been married…Bloody school. Or Ministry, as it would have it. She thought it had sounded strange. "So, like where did we _get _married and stuff?"

"Um…they sort of just sent out the certificates…"

She looked at him blankly a moment, trying to figure this out. "But where was the ceremony?" He was silent. "So we didn't even have a ceremony? Well where did you propo-." She didn't bother finishing her sentence as his red face told her the answer to that as well. "I was wondering why I didn't have a wedding ring…This was recent?"

"Yeah, pretty recent, actually…" He appeared utterly chagrined.

"And this was a _punishment_?"

George's face was flushed up to his hair. He was hoping they wouldn't have to go down this road again. "That's the way the ministry did it, more or less…"

"They were marrying people as a punishment? They had no choice in the matter?"

"Well…no..."

"But…that's not right." She was having trouble with that. What kind of idiot was in charge at this ministry that would marry people as a punishment? Marriage was a wonderful thing! Not a punishment.

"No it's not."

"And then they just decided to up and do-away with the marriages, huh?" She sounded highly offended at the matter.

"Basically…Dumbledore thinks it was mainly so that bastard Death Eater could kidnap you that they got annulled. Otherwise they might have stayed intact and lawful."

She looked at him with concern, worried and put-off for several reasons. "Married and annulled…" She was worried. So where did that currently put her? He was acting like she was his one-and-only, and while that made her stomach flop and made her warm in an unusual way, she didn't really have any strong feelings either way. She definitely liked this fellow before her, but she needed to know… "Did we even love each other when we were forced into this? Did, did I--?"

"Yes! Yes Live, I loved you and you loved me. We _did _love each other even though they forced us together, but we were making _that _work," he insisted fervently, taking both her hands in his. "And we _still _love each other. Your memory's just a little foggy, but you'll remember," he said hopefully, a bit desperately. "I still love you, the ministry can't take _that _away." She sighed in worried thought, squeezing his hand back. She had a few letters to write to several people on this matter. "Look Live. Girlfriend, wife, it makes no difference to me." She gave him a look. So he still considered her his girlfriend at least. It made her heart beat faster and her stomach go funny. He was definitely handsome. She thought she rather liked that idea. "I love you. And I won't stop loving you. And I'll keep you safe, even without that damn heartstring thing."

He put an arm around her as she thought heavily, troubled. "Mm." She leaned her head on his shoulder-- it was rather comforting-- thinking to herself. So she was Live Hunter, and she wasn't his wife. Not anymore at least. He had never proposed, they'd never had rings, and she never got to walk down the aisle. But she supposed it didn't matter anyways if she had gone along with it and they'd been boyfriend and girlfriend before. Surely she could have filed for annulment or divorce or something if she hadn't at least been _okay_ with the idea…But she didn't have any memories to compare it against. She did, however, consider sending one of those nasty _howler_ things to whomever was in charge. This was pure idiocy at its best.

"I don't remember any of this," she confided to him, "but I guess I'm happy. It's all still weird, but…I don't mind spending time with you."

He smiled and pulled her closer to his body, nuzzling her as she smiled herself. He supposed that for now, that was as close as he was going to get to a confession of love, though he knew he just had to wait it out and be the best of company to her in the meantime. He was making wondrous headway with his truth-telling problem. He would just have to be a bit more patient with hers.

sSs

It was the fifth day at the Weasleys, and Live was still having problems adjusting. Nothing seemed to stay constant in terms of her abilities while George had fully conquered and vanquished the "horrid plague of truth-telling", though when he commented on his mother's cooking, he blamed it on the horrid, _horrid_ plague, and oh yes, sorry mum! It was frustrating her when she couldn't even perform what Mrs. Weasley assured was the simplest form of magic, and when she would try to make sense of the images she sometimes caught flashing through her mind, she became even more frustrated.

She tried to do her best to avoid frustration and busy herself. She would venture out to the garden to sit in the mornings, or maybe pull some weeds, and the black dog Sirius would join her and sit at her heels and beg for scraps until George would chase him away, or until _she _ran away at the sight of a gnome.

When George had snuck up on her in the living room, Live had accidentally caused a teacup to explode in her surprise. Later that day she'd nearly jumped out of her skin when George had grabbed her affectionately from behind as she'd been looking for a book to study. The glass of the mantel clock had shattered completely and the sand of an hourglass had frozen still in the middle of falling. Those were the first instances in which Snape's potion was beginning to fail. Or at least, when Live had been put into a state in which the potion was put to the test.

Mrs. Weasley had been overjoyed when she had Live take her wand after dinner and she'd caused the vase of a houseplant to explode. It was, of course, fixed in a jiffy, and Mrs. Weasley floo-ed a letter to Snape noting her magic and the wearing-off of the potion. He would arrive on the morrow with a new nasty potion for Live to drink, and she would probably be able to use more magic with less explosive qualities.

George shut himself up in his room for hours on end while Live chatted with Mrs. Weasley. They would both look at the ceiling in consternation when the random explosion sounded, or when an acrid mist would descend the stairs. Sometimes Live read the books on magic spells Mrs. Weasley had lying around, and she was eating them up with a verve that would have made Hermione jealous, carefully filing away everything she learned. She was very careful with the older, more fragile tomes, but the red-haired witch assured her they were tough, and not to worry.

On the sixth day they received a slew of visitors, beginning with the Tonks witch Live had met several days earlier. She had smiled and promised not to change into anything too ghastly while the blonde was around. Live had only flushed with embarrassment, and told her it was no problem. Such changes in-person rather shocked her, but she supposed the Metamorphmagus would just taking getting used to. Or _she_ would have to start getting used to such blatant magic. She still sometimes stared sycophantly while Mrs. Weasley was cooking and objects floated about the kitchen at her disposal. Magic fascinated and terrified her. The gnomes, for one, were something she could do without.

George's older brother Bill stopped in for a visit while Tonks and Live were in the garden preparing it for the winter, laughing and chatting while George kept an eye out for gnomes. Live positively feared the ugly little creatures, and had nearly climbed on top of him when one was making its way straight for her with a vengeful gleam. Apparently she was quite proficient at cleaning out the weeds and filling the holes they liked to hide in, and as consequence she had gained little knee-high enemies with spiky feet.

George watched the women with amusement, pleased that Live was obviously enjoying her time with the spunky witch beside her, the both of them doing more talking than gardening.

"…gnome," George muttered quietly with a smirk as they were working.

"--_where_?!" Live shrieked mid-sentence with Tonks, hopping to her feet and looking around. Tonks had her wand out with a grin as she sat lazily in the dirt, ready to paralyze the thing for the frightened Slytherin at her side. She didn't see any of the creatures, and gave George a castigating look.

"Just making sure you were still paying attention," George replied with a snicker. Live came and smacked him with an outraged gasp, and he laughed as he shielded himself with his arms. Tonks then made piles of dirt chase after him for punishment to such a joke, and both witches were wiping at tears of laughter by the time George had been bombarded by dirt clods.

Bill looked out the kitchen window with a grin. "Ha ha, _very funny_!" he heard George say as he shook his head only to have dusty particles fly everywhere. Live pointed at something over his head, and he looked only to be pelted by the freshly dug earth floating above. George pointed an accusing finger at the Slytherin and took out his own wand.

"I almost pity him, but then I remember how much fun it was tormenting them," he said with a grin to his mum. "Bravo to that blonde."

"You won't think it so funny when you find a young lady you fancy, Bill Weasley!" his mum chastised. He only grinned and drank a long draught from his glass.

A battle-crying howl was heard through the windows of the kitchen as George declared war on the girls outside. Mrs. Weasley's brow furrowed as dirt clumps were flying through the air in two directions. Live and Tonks were giggling and hiding behind crates near the house as George took refuge behind the garden table he'd toppled.

Bill heard the sound of pottery crashing and chicken-squawking, and Mrs. Weasley sighed. "There go my last summer azaleas."

"How is George? Aside from the usual blowing up explosions and things?" Bill inquired with a side-grin.

Mrs. Weasley turned away from the window to look at her eldest son with concern. "I'm actually a bit worried. Your father and I both."

"He'll be alright mum."

"Dumbledore says otherwise."

Bill joined his mum at the window for better vantage, looking out to see Live sneaking up behind his brother with a bucket of water. George surprised her and she ended up spilling it on herself as Tonks howled with laughter. They immediately teamed up against the pink-haired Metamorphmagus who ran shrieking for mercy into the trees.

"What's he worried about now?" Bill asked of the Hogwarts headmaster. "More of that 'prophecy' stuff? I've dealt with the prophetical 'curses' put on some of the tombs and things I break into, mum, and they haven't had near as much power behind them as they claim to."

"What about that crypt in Gibraltar?" Mrs. Weasley pointed out.

"My hair grew back."

"It's in desperate need of a trim, dear."

He smiled. When the girls stopped liking his hair, only _then_ would he consider a trim. "George'll be alright mum, don't worry. I wouldn't think about that prophecy stuff."

"I'm just glad you and Charlie never did anything so crazy behind our backs," she remarked with a sniff of her idiot sons' marriage scandals.

"Your memory's starting to go, mum," Bill stated with a smirk, earning a frown. Fred and George were only the way they were because of some of the crazy crap he and Charlie had gotten away with at school. They had started all the craziness with which the boys paid such apt attention. Though _they_ had still managed to make Head Boy. And come to think of all the stuff they did, they got away with an _awful_ lot that she didn't know about. She gave him a whap on the head for good measure, but he just grinned.

"Oh good, Severus is here," the red-haired witch announced, turning from her son. The dour man had just apparated into the yard with Mr. Weasley, and they were discussing something between themselves rather heatedly. Snape had a small black case with him that housed the new potion for Live. Mrs. Weasley put on a fresh kettle and got out some tea-biscuits as Bill watched the man with a grimace.

"He doesn't look very happy," Bill observed, though when the man ever looked happy was anyone's guess. The scowling potions master cast a most disdainful look at Live and George, the both of them plopped on the ground where they'd stopped chasing Tonks. Live was soaking-- long hair matted in places-- and her hands and arms were stuck with mud, her clothing now brown-hued while George was covered in a very fine layer of dirt dust, larger chunks of it clinging to his fiery strands. They both watched with innocent expressions as Snape and George's father walked past, both with judgmental looks. "Dad doesn't look very happy either," Bill said with a grin at his younger brother's attempt at an innocent expression.

Mrs. Weasley was setting out teacups as her husband came in through the door with the rather unpleasant man trailing behind him.

"Good afternoon, Molly, dear," Arthur Weasley said as he kissed his wife on the temple. She smiled and moved to the stove.

"Can I get you a cup of tea, dear?"

"Yes, please," he said, grateful to just sit and enjoy a nice cup after all the running around he'd been doing this morning. Apparently, some idiot wizards had thought it funny to set a pack of Jarveys loose in a muggle tavern. They'd had to deal with Obliviators and muggle police all while trying to round up the giant, foul-mouthed ferrets with a penchant for biting. It had been a busy start.

"Severus?" Molly offered.

"I won't be staying long," he responded with his usual chilly air. She nodded without bother and fixed her husband with tea and biscuits. Bill ventured to engage in conversation with his ex-professor, who rather diplomatically managed not to insult him in the first five minutes. He settled for unpacking his potion case and setting up the draught Live was to imbibe.

sSs

"I'm a mess," Live reported as she stood next to George. Her hair was sticking to her in places, and she could feel it was rather dirty, which was understandable. She tried to tie it up to a semblance of neatness, notwithstanding the state of her person. 'Filthy' was an understatement.

He looked her up and down, and grinned in agreement. "Quite horrid. Now let's go say a jolly 'ello to Snape!" She snorted with a wry smirk at his enthusiasm. She knew that the man would be insulted just by the sight of her, and she didn't want to get on his bad side (or worse side) regardless of how amused George was by the idea.

"Do I have time for a shower?" she thought aloud as she looked herself over. There was no way she would greet that man looking like this. He already regarded her with looks as if she were an affront to God, and she had to gladly drink whatever he gave her on top of that. She'd prefer it not to be poison.

"I'd say….Yes," George decided with a pensive look her way. She gazed at him hopefully, though she highly doubted she had the time. Then he grinned wickedly, an impish gleam to his eye as her own eyes widened. "But with Snape around, that might not be such a good idea…Best to shower together, I'll protect you," he said with a righteous tone and a brave stance.

She started laughing and gave him a playful shove. "Yeah right. I'd sooner trust you to guard my underthings."

"Oooh, may I?"

She rolled her eyes with a smile, a heated blush stealing to her cheeks, and turned away from him. "_Tooooonks_?" she called out. She knew the witch could probably help her out. She wasn't about to trust George to cleaning her person, which he was a little too interested in doing anyways.

A brightly-colored head poked itself cautiously out from behind a tree. "_Yeees_?" the woman called back with a guarded smirk. She grinned when she saw how dirty they still were. She wasn't a lovely site herself, but her clothes were considerably cleaner than either of theirs.

"Truce," Live shouted, and she walked over to the witch with a grin. "Help me please? I don't have time to shower--"

"What am _I_? Chopped liver?" George said with offense that Live didn't ask him to take the mud off first. Though the idea running through his mind that he might have taken her clothes with it didn't lend him much credit.

"--And anyways," she continued with an eye-roll in his direction, "I've gotta take whatever potion and--"

"The Wonder-Git just showed up on top of things," Tonks finished for her with a smirk. "Sure thing, I'll get you cleaned up good enough to go inside. Don't want to track mud into Molly's clean house," she said with a smile. She had her wand out and mumbled a few things to herself as she helped siphon off the loose dirt. Live's clothes were still rather a fright, but she was clean enough to go inside. At least, nothing fell off when she walked.

Live thanked her and walked past George, who was shaking himself off in a veritable dust-cloud. "Hey, wait for me!" he complained as he brought up the rear and followed her into the kitchen. They were greeted with a disgusted look from Snape and a smile from Bill.

"Hey, Live! You've gotten even prettier since the last time I saw you! I would have flunked on purpose if I knew Hogwarts was turning out such beauties," Bill said with a minor teasing tone and a grin. Her state of person was rather opposite-- clothes damp and smudged, her hair in disarray-- but she was still quite pretty under all that mess.

Live regarded him with a wide-eyed stare and shock at this new person _obviously_ related to the Weasleys. He had just as handsome a face as George but with shaggier hair, older. That fiery hair and cocky grin was reminiscent of the look George was always giving her. It made her stomach drop and her cheeks blush. His statement had all but distracted her from the icy aura Snape was sending off in veritable waves. She didn't know she'd have an audience, and now she was nervous as hell and horridly aware of her state of untidiness and the mottled scars that lined her skin. She quickly grasped her hands behind her back, worrying the hem of her shirt.

"Hey!" George yelled at his older brother as he entered the kitchen a rather dirty mess himself. "Stop hitting on my wife!" He had an accusing finger pointed at the brother who had taught him a thing or two about girls. Oh, how the tables had turned on him. But whether Bill was just teasing or not, as he expected, he wasn't going to let him get away with it. Bill quirked an eyebrow at his indignant little brother.

"She's not your wife anymore, dear," Mrs. Weasley pointed out rather tactlessly as she set her husband up with jam.

"Oh, is that _so_?" Bill said with amusement. His quirked brow raised inches higher as he grinned at George, who was more than red with irritation.

"They were annulled a week ago."

"Oh _reeeally_?"

Bill winked at Live and gave her a charming smile. Her face was in flames.

"Quit it Bill!"

"Unattached now, eh?"

Another wink.

"She's _still_ MY girlfriend!!" George put a dirt-laden arm around Live's waist, drawing her against him with a bump as he set claim to his property. She blushed even further while her stomach did flip-flops, George's hand snug at her hips as he frowned at his brother.

"Oh is that so? What a pity," Bill replied conversationally to the witch, completely ignoring his little brother at her side.

"Shut up Bill!"

Bill grinned with a look at George and winked at _him _this time. He was only teasing, and found it much more satisfying than pummeling him like when they were younger. He winked at Live and grinned. "Well he can really pick 'em," he said with a smirk. Live was blushing all the way to her toes, and took a step closer towards George with nervousness as the Gryffindor glared daggers at his older brother for all his flirting. Live considered making a dash right back out the door lest she die of embarrassment right there.

"If I may proceed?" Snape said with icy disgust, bringing everyone back down to earth with the reason for his 'visit'. Live bit her lip and disentangled herself from George's possessive arm (which was not easy) as she sat as far away from Bill as she could, which also happened to be closer to Snape that she preferred. Bill was grinning as George sent him glares that he probably deserved, and went to stand behind Live at the table. Mrs. Weasley and her husband were enjoying their tea, trying to ignore their sons' exchange, while the red-headed witch wrinkled her nose in disgust at George's state of person. She'd make him mop her whole kitchen again. _Without _magic.

There were small vials of different colored liquids sitting before the dour potions master. Live didn't think any of them looked too appetizing, but with the way he was already glaring at her messy state-- and probably blaming her for the current state of things-- she wasn't about to voice her opinions.

George, on the other hand, didn't have a problem with it.

"Drink this first, followed by the peppermint draught," Snape ordered as he slid a vial of dark green liquid towards Live.

"What's that gonna do?" George inquired suspiciously as he looked at the bottle Live held in her hand. She hesitated, waiting for the man to answer George's inquiry.

Snape regarded him with a withering look. "If you had paid any attention in my potions class for the past seven years, you would be able to deduce that it is Essence of Valerian infused with Draught of Peace." George looked sheepish. Yes, he _would_ have known that, judging by the color and type of bottle it was stored in, but he was too busy being annoyed with the man to think properly. He glared as Live popped the cork that contained the liquid, and was surprised as the viscous material fizzed. She glanced at George as she quickly downed it, and willed herself not to make any more of a disgusted face than she currently was.

It was thick and disgusting, and she felt like gagging as it reminded her of medicine most foul. She would have given anything for a glass of water, though with Snape's discriminating looks, she didn't dare ask.

"Now the peppermint," Snape instructed, and Live was quick in uncorking and drinking that, welcoming the sweet, minty potion. It turned out to be a mistake, however, as even though it was supposedly a peppermint draught, it tasted more like rotten eggs and black licorice…that had been turned into vinegar-wine. She coughed and gagged as she set the bottle down, and Bill wrinkled his nose at the other end of the table.

"_That _was a _peppermint _draught?" Bill asked with incredulous disbelief. "It smells more like a fresh crypt."

Snape smiled down at him-- which was alarming because the man hardly ever smiled, and when he did, it wasn't due to good fortune. "There was peppermint _in_ it."

Live gagged down at the other end of the table as George made a sickened face at the smell. He graciously grabbed her a glass of water which she downed with eternal gratitude. Though it didn't completely wipe such a horrid taste from her tongue, it did at least dilute the flavor. The only reason Live didn't immediately expel the entire hideous concoction from her stomach was due to the sincere belief that if she did, Snape would only make her repeat the process, and there was no way in hell she would be doing that anytime soon.

Live put a hand over her mouth (for safety concerns) as she stared at the empty bottle on the table and willed it forever away. She wanted to brush her teeth. With industrial-strength toothpaste.

"Two minutes past. Now this one," Snape instructed as he produced yet another bottle from a different part of the black case. Live's eyes widened with horrific disappointment that there was yet another potion to be taken. He tapped it with his wand as the entire thing frosted over and turned from red to purple. He handed it to her, and she looked at him as if he were crazy. George thought as much.

"And what's in _that_ one? Bubotuber pus?" he accused, the stench of the previous bottles still hovering in the air and causing his nostrils to flare. "Or maybe stinksap?"

"George!" Mrs. Weasley shushed him, embarrassed at his rudeness even if it _was_ what they were all thinking.

"Shut up George, I'm gonna throw up," Live warned, the idea of pus and whatever stinksap might be filling her mind with unpleasant, stomach-churning thoughts.

Snape was glaring icy venom at the dirt-covered Weasley behind the blonde, and regarded him with a look of superior authority while considering his state of being rather appropriate to his person. "If it was necessary for either, Weasley, then so it would be. It just so happens that I'm in a rather _benevolent _mood today and this aperitif will help to deal with the flavor along with binding the other potions."

Live looked ill as she held the bottle in her hands, thinking just how unfair it was that she was subjected to this. Snape watched her with calculated eyes and waited. Her hand shook very slightly as she prayed his words were true. But she wasn't brave enough to fly gung-ho into tossing back the nasty shot.

"Well?" Snape spoke frigidly. Live looked up at him with the most pitiful expression on her face, and it didn't take much effort to make it. He frowned. As a student of potions, she should be more than prepared to test potions and deal with the consequence of their flavors. Amnesiac or not. He fixed her with a commanding glare. "Drink. It."

She grimaced as she uncorked the bottle, not sure if she should sniff it before she swallowed. George was grimacing behind her, his mouth twisted into an expression of repulsed sympathy as everyone in the kitchen watched her expectantly. Bill's nose wrinkled as she lifted the bottle to her lips and tossed back the contents. They were sharing the horrid experience with her through observation, and it was just as disturbing to watch as it was to smell.

"Well?" George asked as he bent down to stick his head over her shoulder. He was curious as to what score this bottle would receive on the scale of disgustingness.

Live smacked her lips together, wholly surprised at the sweet taste that went past her teeth and helped to dilute the nastiness that made her want to cut out her tongue.

"Actually, it's really sweet," she said as she still rubbed the thick taste about her palate, trying to block out any of the previous nasty concoction.

George looked minorly disappointed as he saw the satisfied smirk on Snape's face. While he was glad it didn't taste nasty- for her sake- he was upset that Snape, in such a way, had won.

"That's a…surprise…" he muttered, trying to think up something nasty to still speculate about.

Snape rose from the table, gathering the bottles about him, re-corking and such, signaling he was through with them all.

"Well, at least it doesn't stink," Bill supplied as he happily drained the teacup in front of him, inhaling the scent of the leaves to try and block out the stench that was still offending his nostrils. Snape only shot a glare at him, but had nothing more to say on the matter. His duty was done, and now he could leave, Weasley-free.

"Uh-ungh," Live shuddered as the aftertaste hit her. She tried to be quiet in voicing her displeasure, but Snape had caught it. She was sure of it by the sneer he sent simpering her way.

George looked a bit perked up at this disclosure. He smirked smugly across the table and accusingly at the simple-looking bottle in Snape's hand. Then looked at Live. "Hm?"

"…it's…_whoa_, the aftertaste is bitter…" she told him quietly, trying not to be so offensive to the man who was offended by anything and everything. Of course, it didn't help.

"Come wash your mouth out, Live," George offered with a satisfied smirk in the direction of the dark, scowling man. He was certain he'd pay for all his little 'witticisms' back at Hogwarts. Right now, he didn't care. It was worth it.

"I feel a little nauseous," she said, and she rather looked it. He didn't blame her. The smells were disgusting enough, but she'd had to drink them. She could still taste the previous potions, only now it was amplified by the bitterness of the chaser. So much for helping.

Live got up from the table and decided that she didn't care if it was rude or not to wash out her mouth, and she hung her head over the kitchen sink and running water as George rubbed circles on her back and sent glares the way of his potions professor. The dour man merely sneered and packed up his case and empty bottles with leisurely precision.

George put a damp towel on the back of Live's neck as she just needed to hang her head over the surface of running water a few moments more, every now and again rinsing her mouth out. He held her hair and grinned at a small chunk of dirt caught in the strands.

Mrs. Weasley shrugged and went about collecting the used teacups from the table as Mr. Weasley saw Bill off, gracious to be out in the fresh air after the reek that hovered in their kitchen.

"Want me to check the wards around the yard before I go, dad? I've picked up a few new spells doing curse-breaking in the Valley of the Kings."

"I think it would put your mother's mind at ease, yes," he agreed, seeing his son to the backyard with a hug and a goodbye as he circled the house, concentrating on feeling the wards and making them stronger so that even he couldn't break them. Mr. Weasley smiled and took out his own wand, righting the garden table and rounding up other tools strewn about the yard, no doubt alluding to the state of his son and would-be daughter-in-law.

Several times Live's hand disappeared into the sink where she had to clasp it over her mouth, but she was starting to feel better, nothing but the memory of the nasty taste in her mouth now. George grimaced as he caught the words "putrid" and "horrid" as Live whispered to herself in the sink. He grinned when he heard "freak nasty" and patted her back affectionately.

"At least it wasn't fish heads," George joked as he pet her back.

"…oh shut up George, I swear I'm gonna totally vom," Live threatened. She put her hand to her temple and shut her eyes, wincing as images in her mind chose the worst possible time to flit through. It made her even more sick. She concentrated on the sound of the water rushing by her head and took deep breaths, thankful for the soothing circles George was rubbing into her back.

"Hey Live, don't be offended if I don't kiss you for a while," George confided with a chuckle.

"Ungh," she murmured in acknowledgement, blushing into the sink.

Mrs. Weasley saw to the pleasantries of seeing the git potions master off, though she was at a loss for words to apologize for her son's rudeness even though the man himself was more than impossible. At least she was a gracious hostess. "Thank you for coming, Severus."

"Keep me informed of her progress. She should be able to perform some _controlled _magic with this batch. See that it doesn't go to waste."

Mrs. Weasley looked over at the sink where George was now dabbing at Live's pale face with a damp cloth, the blonde witch with her back to the sink and eyes closed in concentration, face looking up quite sickly. "I will," the red-haired woman promised. "Will her magic misfire again?"

Snape looked at her with calculating eyes, but he himself wasn't certain on that matter. Things still needed fine-tuning. "If it does-- _and see that it is tested properly_-- let me know and I will make up another potion. Have her focus her magic through her wand."

"Thank you so much Severus."

He merely exhaled with irritation as she chatted a few more moments with him, trying to be polite, but rather boring him with idle prattle. He was surprised he was able to tolerate it so. George grinned from the sink, glad the man was visibly annoyed.

"Hey Live, at least he had to be over that cauldron with that nasty smell all around him for _hours_," he consoled, trying to make fun and soothe her. "You only had it a few moments."

"I feel sick," she murmured with disgust, looking to the ceiling as if it would bless her with a settled stomach. She felt distressed with the rottenness of it all. "Bleh. What was in that? _Really_. I can't imagine what would make it taste like that." Then, as an afterthought, "…magic sucks."

George grinned and rubbed his forefinger over hers, deciding not to enlighten her as to some of the more _interesting _ingredients a Draught of Peace utilized. "You'll be alright once you get some fresh air."

"Hn," she responded, still shuddering at the sickness of it. If this was her professor _helping_ her, she never wanted to be on the receiving end of his wrath. "I don't feel good."

"It's alright," he said, giving her shoulder an affectionate squeeze.

"No, I really don't feel good," she said, clutching her stomach. She hissed twice as she felt minor stabbing pains that brought tears to her eyes. Perfect time for cramps to show themselves.

"Are you okay?" George asked with pitied concern, standing in front of her and rubbing both arms. She held her stomach, doubled over. This wasn't normal cramps.

"No George, I'm not," she confessed as she slid against the counter cabinet to sit on the floor, standing making her even more nauseous. She put her head back against the cool wood, trying not to cry as the pain moved from her gut to her temple.

"Are you alright?!"

"George dear, is she okay?" Mrs. Weasley inquired from the door. Snape poked his head back in, and any other time, George might have thought such an uncharacteristic move comical. But this was neither the place nor the time.

Live was breathing hard with the sharp pain in her head and had both hands to her face now. "Oh god…this is like, the worst migraine _ever_," she hissed out in pain.

George was crouched low to her, his hands warm and comforting, yet not, as the pain lanced its way through her temple and she didn't want to be touched by anyone. Suddenly his hands were gone, and she opened her eyes to see not George in front of her, but the sallow visage of her Head of House, and he was looking at her with scrutiny and a deep frown.

He took her chin in his hand and made her look at him. She winced as the pain went through her again, unshed tears blurring her vision as she willed it to either go away, or to kill her where she sat. She squirmed under his touch and wanted to crawl into a dark, cool hole somewhere until the pain passed. Or she died from nausea. What the hell was in those nasty bottles anyway?! She had been foolish to trust drinking them.

"Open your eyes, Hunter," Snape commanded, and she opened them and looked at him, feeling warm tears on each side slowly dripping down her cheeks. George's eyes went wide at the sight, and Mrs. Weasley looked panicked. Her eyes-- black pupil on red sclera-- were dripping blood-tinged tears down her face. Snape's eyes widened. They had seen something similar to this before, when she had been attacked by the wraith. Though it appeared to be reverse. Had his potion triggered something?

Live gritted her teeth as another painful lance shot through, nearly blinding her with pain, and she held back the floodgates, though she wanted to ball and maybe scream with the nauseous pain. She felt something start to drip from her nose, and felt-- on top of everything else-- humiliated as she was without a tissue.

Suddenly Snape had a grip on her chin and was tilting her face up hard. She hissed in pain and embarrassment and George let out an aggravated "Hey!"

"Shut up Weasley and bring me my valise," he ordered with an icy seriousness that warranted no complaint from the Gryffindor.

"…my head," she whined pathetically, hands held very hard against her temple, trying to somehow stop the pain from the outside.

She was starting to lose conscious thought to the throbbing, instead surrendering to instinct and sensation as she was certain her head would explode. The pain was lancing through her like lightning, and the warm tears dripping down her face were only a taste of the firestorm within. She wiped her hand unceremoniously above her lips, blinking wet eyelashes to see with shock her red-smudged hand. Great. Not snot. On top of everything she had a bloody nose.

And it wasn't stopping.

"Don't move, Hunter," Snape demanded as she tried to wipe at her nose, or roll into the fetal position on the floor like she wanted to-- unmoved and untouched as the heat of others was making her feel even more sick to her stomach. The pain lanced through her head and she whimpered. She wanted to die, she felt so sick. Or maybe pull out her hair to cool her brain. Any small comfort would be welcome at the moment.

George gave the man his bag and he reached inside and unhooked a securely fastened vial from within. Live was sniffing, trying to stop the flow of blood from her nose. Mrs. Weasley handed the dour man a cloth to which he ignored, and tried to think of what she could do to help, though this was far out of her range of expertise. Snape uncorked the small bottle, and George had the sheer brass to grab his arm before he could administer the potion to Live.

Snape fixed him with a deadly glare of promised harm for daring to accost his person, but the Gryffindor didn't let go as he looked panicked and suddenly angry.

"And is that supposed to poison her more?!"

Live opened her eyes half-lidded with worry, his words barely registering as she was too preoccupied with the agony, vision bleared with tears. George had his hand on the man and a determined look on his face. She winced again as her migraine decided to invite over a friend- Mr. Icecream-Headache- and have a wild party on her frontal and occipital lobes.

"Her magic is _fighting _my potion and wreaking _physical harm _on her body" Snape hissed with icy venom to the red-head attached to him. "If you prefer her to bleed to death, please, keep your hand where it is."

George immediately removed his hand with horror, and Snape had the nerve to look disgusted at him before forcing Live's hands off her face long enough to administer the potion. She didn't want to drink it.

She knew she would throw it right back up if he made her. She'd be sick all over again, perhaps worse. She weakly pushed away the hand that tried to make her drink, and she cried with pain as another throbbing bolt went from one side of her head to the other. The sound of her low whines and whimpering was the only noise filling the kitchen. She was beginning to weaken to her magic that desperately wanted to be freed under its strict constraint.

"Damned woman, drink the drink!"

"I don't want it!" she cried. More pain in her temple. She wanted to die.

Snape sighed with exasperation. He didn't care what kind of pain she thought she was in, she needed to drink or she would die. Her magic wasn't as un-restricted as it wanted to be, or perhaps needed to be. Like too-much pressurized water trying to leave through a crack in a dam, it was breaking her physically to get out. And the bottle he held in his hand was a precautionary antidote he'd made to his own potion.

"Weasley, you'll have to hold her," he assessed. George's eyes went wide. He wasn't going to help Snape force her to drink it, but he didn't want her to bleed out either.

"Dammit Live, drink the drink!" George demanded with panicked worry. He looked about helplessly, though he knew it had to be _him_ to do it.

She just shook her head, not even bothering to sniff anymore as her face was wet with tears and blood anyways. She thought somewhere in the back of her mind that she must look quite a sight, all dirtied and muddied with crimson and tears staining her shirt. A painful gash went through her mind, and she held her head knowing nothing but pain. And why, why with the damned images? They made her nausea even worse, and they interfered with her concentration on trying to block it all out. She would have traded anything in the world for it all to stop.

George took the bottle from Snape's hand and carefully cupped her cheek in his palm. She opened her eyes to pained slits to see him looking at her insistently, eyes studying her own with a gleam of horrified panic. Her eyes were normal again. The deep-set green shining against the white of her pained orbs, gleaming with bloody tears. He didn't understand what was happening. If this potion could save her, he didn't care. "Live…please…"

She just stared at his worried eyes, hypnotized and dizzy from the pain and blood loss, too exhausted to cry out. She blinked wetly at the now-silent tears still streaming down her face. She thought that George looked so worried, but it was getting harder to keep his face in focus. She blinked very heavily, willing the tears clinging to her lashes to fall, and looked at him. He was still blurred.

George gasped at her eyes, the horrible red spreading out from her irises, viciously encompassing the whiteness of her sclera, and the black in her irises permeating the green until they were as dark as jet. There came a vacant look in her eyes as he stared, and he let out a cry in panic.

She was trying to think _when_ the pain had stopped hurting, or at least, when she had stopped noticing it. She could taste the saltiness of her tears and the copper of her blood, and thought momentarily that the taste was welcomed in comparison to the nasty potions before, and would it be possible to get a cup of peppermint tea and some scones?

She felt something cool and smooth at her lips, felt something further flowing into her mouth and burning down her throat. When had her vision gone black?

She blinked, and her vision was hazed in red. And she was confused.

She rubbed her eyes, and the world seemed to have gone garnet in hue on her, the sky itself a bloody, silent color.

And what was she doing outside and in the middle of the ruined countryside?

The pain in her head was gone, and she was utterly alone. She couldn't smell anything either. Not the grass that swayed in the warm breeze that was blowing, not the rain that threatened to pour, or the freshly drudged-up dirt beneath her feet. Everything seemed so silent and unnatural.

"George?" she called out, but her voice was hollow and empty, no one around to even hear it.

She saw smoke rising up from behind a small bluff, and she ran up it with a sinking feeling in her gut. She found a person at the top of the hill, one she didn't recognize, yet somehow she _knew_ him; he was familiar. She knew he didn't exist, whoever he was. She was sure of that much.

He wasn't someone she knew either from before or now. But she knew so well the eyes observing her with scrutiny, the accusing blame in them, and she followed their gaze to look out over the bluff where the smoke originated. Her hand immediately went over her mouth in horror.

Bodies. Hundreds of them.

She felt a violent scream building in her lungs as the figure to her right gave her a dissatisfied look that seemed to say _Well, what are you gonna do about it?_

sSs


	43. Boyfriends make great human shields

Have fun. Luv, me.

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 43: Boyfriends make great human shields

sSs

She bolted upright with a scream on the edge of her lips, and George shrieked with surprise as he caught her about the waist, reeling her into his arms. He was immediately thankful and utterly relieved she was alright.

Live held a hand over her mouth in instinctual compulsion, trying not to scream with nightmarish-horror as she realized where she was and that she was safe and she must have been dreaming, though when had she fallen asleep and why were they in the living room?

"Is she alright?" Tonks asked with head-cocked as she sat on an ottoman, her hands in her lap and dirt on her shirt.

Live was breathing hard, quick-hitched breaths as she willed herself to calm down. George had her firm in his arms, and she melted into him with an anxiety she wasn't sure of. The alarmed scream on her lips still attempted to get out, but she closed her eyes and counted to ten, repeating that it wasn't real and she was alright. She dug her fingers into the cushion of the couch, grounding herself, as she heard shuffled footsteps in the room. She was slowly becoming aware of her surroundings, coming back to reality.

"How do you feel, young lady?"

She opened her eyes to see Arthur Weasley looking down at her skeptically, his brow knit in deep concern. She didn't trust herself to speak yet. Her hand dug into George's thigh.

"Should we floo a healer, dad?"

"I think she's ok, Bill."

There were people in the room Live didn't recognize. Lupin was there standing behind Tonks, and Bill was standing behind the couch opposite Mr. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley and Snape were nowhere in sight, but there was a man with long black hair and handsome face hanging around the door to the kitchen, a tall man with dark complexion and bald head standing next to him with his arms crossed.

A murmured whimper escaped from behind Live's hand, and she bit her lip as she willed herself to be calm. She looked down and realized that her clothes were still damp, her shirt still wet with her blood. She must not have been out very long at all.

"…Live…"

She turned her head to look at George, and he studied her face with worried relief. She looked pained, but as they had inspected, she hadn't been hurt in the aftermath.

"…where is Snape?" she asked him, slowly lowering her hand from her mouth. She suppressed the scream and held it locked tight in her ribs. She needed to seriously calm down.

"In the kitchen…why?" George asked, holding her close for support.

"I think…I think I shall kill him," she said with an air of acceptance. George half-smirked, and there were a few nervous laughs about the room. No doubt she was having murderous thoughts over those disgusting potions and searing headaches.

"You nearly did," the black-haired man said with a spiteful laugh. There was a puzzled expression on her face at that. Arthur frowned and Bill ran a hand through his hair with a sigh, staying silent as Lupin frowned.

"That's not funny Sirius," Lupin rebuked.

"Sure it is," he snapped back, a thinking frown on his face. The bald-headed man near the door disappeared through it while Lupin and Tonks made small talk that fully chastised the one making mean jokes. Bill looked to his father, who needed a serious cup of coffee to wake up from this nightmare.

"…Sirius…?" Live murmured the name with recognition, looking slowly back at George.

"Um…he's…he's an animagus…" he whispered against her ear, thinking that calm, quiet words might engender a calm, quiet mind. She looked at him with minor confusion. "…he can turn into a dog…" George admitted, feeling guilty for keeping it from her. "…a _black_ dog," he supplied rather sheepishly.

She slowly turned her head back to look at the man against the wall smirking in thought to himself and not listening to his companions, and she realized that indeed his eyes looked familiar and damn it, the dog she'd snuck extra bacon to had been him…

She knew it was _too_ smart a dog.

"He's Harry's godfather," George muttered, keeping his arms firmly around her, wondering if he might be in want of a smack. She merely leaned into him, too puzzled and too startled to interrogate him at the moment.

"_Who _are these people?" she asked quizzically.

"Order members and aurors."

She exhaled and looked at her hands, dirt still under her fingernails. "…George what happened?" she asked curiously, purposely distancing herself from whatever it was she had seen.

George swallowed hard. "…I'm sorry Live, I gave you that potion-"

_Potion_…

"-and then you just sort of seized up and you stopped breathing for a few moments, and then…it must have released your magic or something because it…" He looked nervous, trying to find the right words, though there was no other way of wording it, really.

_What did I do?_

"Well the explosion brought everyone running--"

She snapped smartly up and looked at him. "_Explosion_?"

"--but it only took out most of the kitchen. And you're okay now."

"George…_What_?"

"Um, your magic sort of has a mind of its own, and…well, there's a wall or two that's missing, but I wouldn't worry too much about that--" he stated optimistically-chipper.

"A _wall_ or two?!" Holy shit.

"--and dad says a few simple spells will fix the windows, and everyone is basically okay. That git shielded in time…_enough_."

She grabbed his hand and looked back at him with horror. "Did I _kill_ anyone?!"

On the table nearest Tonks a teacup suddenly decided life was not worth living and exploded. The witch jumped and looked at Live with concern while Arthur Weasley looked at his son with sharp accusation. "Are you upsetting her George?!"

"_Wha_?" he shot back in quick offense.

Live looked at Mr. Weasley with perplexed worry writ all over her face, and he gave his son a stern look. "George Weasley not another worrying word out of you…" The threat was left open as he looked pointedly at his younger son, then back to his eldest.

George looked adequately chastised, and Live immediately felt nervous as everyone's eyes were on her. Now Tonks disappeared through the kitchen door.

"George?" Live asked of the matter, her hand still on his.

"No no, everyone's fine," he supplied quickly with a smile and a light tone. He chanced a glance at his father, who gave him the evil eye, but settled back to talking with an auror called Knight in subdued tones. "Just, the force of it was enough to knock out a few walls is all."

She looked down at the blood on her shirt and now began to wonder if all of it _was _hers or not. She had never exactly seen just how much she had bled. And she began to panic anew. "Where's your mum?"

Another teacup decided to take its life near Sirius and Lupin. They cast raised brows her way.

"She's at the Apothecary, she'll be right back," George promised as he rubbed her forearm, trying for easy tones to soothe her lest his father come and actually enforce his mother's threatening words for once.

She leaned back into him and tried to calm her mind. She felt dirty, like one big smudge, and she wanted to spend a week in the shower. George was whispering little uplifting things- like how they needed to do some remodeling anyways- and stroking her in a calming manner when she decided she rather wanted to see the damage she'd wrought.

She sat up from him, and he loosened his hold with a puzzled frown. "Where are you going?"

"Just what did I do?" she replied in a manner that referred to 'seeing is believing'.

"Just wait a little bit, alright?" George pressured with anxiety, tightening his hold once more. "Till Snape's done in there, ok?"

Her brows knit together, and she wondered if she'd hurt him terribly and they were actually hiding it from her. She hoped not. She wasn't pissed anymore that he had given her that nasty stuff, but was concerned that she did anyone undo harm.

"George, _what_ happened?"

It gave him chills thinking about it, how she had looked, but she was okay now, so that shouldn't matter. "Just like I said…After the magic released itself, you were okay again." He didn't mention how he had been going to pieces over her halted breathing. He had thought she had bled out.

"But I knocked out walls?" she added curiously.

"Yeah."

"How?"

"It sort of-- _well bollocks Live_! I'm just glad you're alright!"

She bit the inside of her cheek, a flash of her dream in her mind. She blinked it away. "How are _you_ alright then? I remember, you and Snape were right next to me…"

He raised a surprised brow. He hadn't actually thought about that. "I…I don't know." He frowned in thought. "It sort of went over me." He quirked a brow at her, confused himself. Was it _his _mutable magic that had saved him? Being a _duoforme_ wasn't so amazing that it would have protected him. He should have gotten the full brunt of it. He hadn't even had time to shield himself. How _was _he okay? Why, if Snape hadn't shielded _him_self in time…

She frowned and whispered to him confidentially. "George, I _saw_ things." Her eyes started to tear up at the memory of it, nice and fresh in her mind. She needed to talk about it. And now.

"Here ya go Live!" Tonks interrupted cheerily as she came back through the kitchen door with a drink in her hand. "I made ya a drink! Plenty of booze in it too!"

"You shouldn't be giving her booze, she's dehydrated enough," Bill commented. One didn't spend time busting into tombs and losing sweat and blood in the process to not know alcohol contributed to poor blood circulation. And she was missing enough already.

George scoffed with disbelief at that even as Tonks gave Bill an agitated look. "Where's mine?" George asked cockily, ignoring his older brother with a smirk at the Metamorphmagus.

She stuck her tongue out at him and scooted a seat next to the worrisome blonde. "How are you? You look like shit."

Live actually laughed in spite of herself, and accepted the drink from her hands. She sipped it, and found it cold and inviting against her abused throat. She could barely taste the booze, which she supposed was a good thing. Tonks rubbed a hand on her back affectionately and stole a very pointed, informational look at George. His brow twitched in sudden realization, but he didn't say anything.

"Hey Live, you wanna change or something?" the pink-haired witch suggested. "I'm sorry, but I think that shirt is pretty much ruined. Even magic couldn't save that mess."

Live smiled. She felt sticky and dirty and an utter muddle. "Yeah, actually," she agreed. She disentangled herself from George and got to her feet only to neatly fall right back into the couch, off-balance. She felt incredibly dizzy, and said as much.

"Too much blood loss," Tonks concurred. "Just sit tight a few minutes, I'll get you some water." Tonks took the drink from her and disappeared back into the kitchen.

Live leaned rather heavily against George, her vision blurring and head very dizzy. He wrapped his arms back around her with worry, feeling the wetness of spilt blood soak into his shirtsleeves. He didn't care. He didn't like this shirt anyway.

She suddenly dug her fingers into his thigh and lolled her head back far enough so she could make out his face. "George I-I think she drugged me," she said weakly, and he frowned heavily as her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she slumped against him, unconscious.

"Alrighty, there's no ice, but water is wa--." Tonks stopped with water glass in hand after the door closed behind her to meet the accusing glares of everyone in the room. "What?"

"You _drugged_ her?" Lupin exclaimed, dumbfounded. "How could you do such a thing with her current state, Nymphadora?"

Tonks frowned at her first name, then raised a guilty brow as she saw Live slumped in George's arms. "She's already out cold? It shouldn't have worked _that _fast." She had meant for the blonde to change her clothes, maybe have a shower, and by _then_ the sedative would have kicked in and she would feel lovely and relaxed.

"Well she _is_ missing a lot of blood, idiot," Sirius said from the wall. "It would have worked immediately. Didn't you ever learn your math?" She wrinkled her nose at her cousin, though he was making a good point.

"What did you give her?" George asked with concern. Now _he _was wracked with guilt for allowing the crazy-haired witch to slip Live something.

"Just a little sedative Snape had." She was met with accusing looks all around. She crossed her arms contritely. "Well what was I supposed to do? If she was sedated she'd be calm and wouldn't be blowing up teacups!" she insisted, hands now on hips.

Arthur Weasley had his hand at the bridge of his nose, soothing away a tension headache. "What's done is done, let's leave it at that."

"Well now she's not going to trust any potions we try to give her," George concluded with a guilty, worried frown.

Tonks made an offended noise, though now she felt rather guilty. "She'll forgive me…" she hoped.

"You should have given her the water _first_," Bill insisted. Though now he thought _he_ could use a nice stiff drink.

"Well dammit people!" she declared, taking her seat back on the ottoman in defeat. She'd make it up to Live one way or another. Maybe throw some guilt-points Slytherin's way back at school…

George shrugged. "When will she wake up?" Tonks bit her lip.

"One hour," a snarky voice informed them. They noticed Snape was standing in the kitchen doorway and sneering at them all with his usual holier-than-thou expression. They could see the ruined kitchen behind him, plaster and glass on the floor while larger pieces stuck into walls at odd angles. "The new potion is almost complete. Until then, I need several _fresh _ingredients."

"Molly should be back anytime now," Arthur supplied exasperatedly, thoroughly bothered. He just wanted a nice cup of tea or coffee or maybe firewhiskey, and the Daily Prophet and he would be happy.

"The ingredients I require must be picked prior to adding them." Snape fixed Sirius with a disdainful look. "Black, why don't you make yourself useful and gather what's on this list," he proposed as he walked to the man and held out a sheet of parchment with a sneer on his face. George noticed he was favoring walking on his left leg. He wouldn't tell Live about it. "You don't seem to hold any other _innate_ usefulness."

"Why don't _you_?"

"Because _my_ skills are far too valuable to be wasting time collecting sparse vegetation."

Sirius stood up from leaning against the wall, his dark eyes dangerous and pugnacious, and Lupin took the list from Snape's outstretched hand. "Come along, Sirius. It's for the girl."

Growling, he passed Snape with an amazing resistance to the urge to curse him blind, and stepped through the kitchen door with Lupin.

Snape sneered at Tonks, and she shrugged as he scowled at her with scrutiny. "And _you_ don't know how to properly mix a sedative into an alcoholic compound."

"Well I don't have as much experience as you in that area so sor-_ry_!" she declared, and walked out the living room with a frown on her face to challenge the unequivocal glare he now assumed. With a look that promised bodily harm should any of them say a word, he swept away in his bat-like glory back to the cauldron heating in the kitchen.

Bill and George were stifling their laughter, snorts and snickers escaping as their father was too tired to be amused, but definitely appreciated the statement.

In the words of Kara, what a burn.

sSs

Live sleepily awoke a while later to find Mrs. Weasley smiling down at her kindly. She blinked a few times, and realized she was still in the living room propped up on pillows on the couch, though George wasn't anywhere to be seen and his warmth was obviously absent. She felt like she was majorly hungover.

"Mrs. Weasley…" she murmured, trying to wake herself further.

"It's alright dear, I'm here now."

"…they drugged me," Live said in a tired and spiteful voice.

"I know, I heard," the witch replied spitefully herself, looking disdainfully towards the kitchen. It was such a dirty way to operate.

"…I'm gonna curse them when I learn how…"

"I'll teach you some good ones," she promised. Live smiled weakly, and the red-haired witch put her hand to the blonde's forehead soothingly. "How do you feel?"

"Ok…Where is George?"

"He's helping everyone put the kitchen back together."

"…I'm sorry…"

Mrs. Weasley laughed. "Don't worry about it, dear. Everyone is pitching in helping, and it'll be fixed in no-time flat. Honestly, Fred and George have caused more damage to this house than I can recall. We just fix what we can and rebuild what we can't. I'm just glad no one was hurt. Surprised, but not hurt."

"Mm." She sat up a bit, and still felt lightheaded. It showed on her face.

"Dizzy?"

"Yeah, a little."

"That's because you lost a lot of blood. I picked up a blood-replenishing potion in Diagon Alley I want you to take, dear," she insisted, ready for resistance. "You'll feel better after that."

"Please, no more potions…"

"I'm sorry, dear, I truly am, but potions aren't all bad. And Severus may not show it, but he _is_ sorry for putting you through that horridness earlier today," she confided. Live sighed. "I promise you, it doesn't taste bad. Most potions on the market today _have_ to taste good, otherwise people wouldn't buy them."

A weak smile claimed Live's face, and Mrs. Weasley gave her the little red bottle marked _Rutherford's Blood Replenishing Elixir_ all scrawled out in neat little calligraphy. She opened the dainty top and sniffed experimentally.

"It's strong dear, so drink only half," Mrs. Weasley instructed. Live did as she was told, trusting the woman, and drank half the bottle as instructed. She was pleased to find it didn't taste horrid, and there was no lurking aftertaste come to attack her taste buds. "There you are, good girl," she said lovingly, and re-corked the bottle as Live eased back down to the pillows propping her up. "Now, you should be fine by tomorrow, but don't exert yourself today, alright dear? If you still feel dizzy, well, that's what the rest of the bottle is for."

"Thanks," she said, though now she was concerned about this wild magic of hers. She had yet to see the damage it had wrought, but rumor alone was upsetting. "Can I see George?"

"You want him?"

"Mm-hm."

"I'll get him for you, dear." The kindly witch got up from the cushion and disappeared through the door into the kitchen. As it swung open, Live could see it didn't look all that horrid from her vantage point…except perhaps that there were no windows. She was inwardly relieved and exhaled in such. Blasted-out windows alone didn't scream 'lawsuit!'.

"Hello my sweet love, you're awake now?" George announced as he flounced through the door. Live smiled. "Tonks didn't meant to drug you out so bad, you know," he immediately told her, guilty on his part too for allowing it. "She's been regretting ever giving it to you."

"That's ok," Live said with hindsight, accepting it, "I would have done the same in her position." George grinned and sat next to her, taking her hand and entwining her fingers with his. She looked at their hands, appreciating his warmth. She liked the feel of his hands. They were comforting and strong. "I'm dangerous aren't I?"

He looked completely taken aback at the sudden turn of conversation. "What?"

"I'm dangerous." She said it like she had already come to terms with it. He gave her a slightly exasperated look.

"Nah, you're fine. Maybe a little scary sometimes," he told her with a grin, "but you're fine, Live."

She frowned and looked down in thought. She didn't think so. "George, I dreamt something."

"What?"

She was utterly blunt. "A lot of dead people." He raised an eyebrow. "Only I don't think it was a dream." She looked pensively worried.

He looked at her with disagreement. "We've been watching you sleep, you couldn't have--"

"Not a dream from now, earlier in the kitchen I mean," she interrupted him.

"What was it then, if not a dream?"

"I don't know. But it gives me the chills."

"Maybe Dumbledore would know," George suggested thoughtfully.

Live was surprised. "He's here?"

"Yeah. Lupin floo-ed him or something, and he decided to come on by. Been helping out with the repairs, actually. With so many people working on it the kitchen should be back to normal by dinner time." He gave her a large grin, and she smiled at his optimism. "No harm done."

She fixed him with a mournful gaze, and the look on his face softened. "I'm really worried George."

He put his other hand over hers very gently, and she felt her heart flutter. "I know, Live, I know."

"I need my memories back. I don't understand any of this."

He moved towards her and snaked his arms around her in a silent movement, embracing her fully. He planted a kiss on her cheek and nuzzled her to his chest. He wanted to shield her from everything bad that seemed to constantly hover between them. He loved her so much. It wasn't fair that she was still suffering the side-effects of the Soul Bubble. In the route of headway with his forced truth-telling he'd been able to lie his arse off the past few days, but she couldn't even recall her own mother's name.

"Live, I'll help you. Dumbledore said your memories are in there somewhere, and by Godric we'll find them if I have to go in there and drag them out myself."

She smiled and wondered if such a thing was actually possible. "Thank you," she told him genuinely. She felt so grateful to have him with her. He was being utterly patient with her, informing and helpful through her everyday confusions. And now, she had apparently destroyed their kitchen, yet he laughed it off and gave her kisses. It made her stomach drop and her heart race when he was close. She felt closer to him than any other, and the pull she felt was both puzzling and exciting.

Her cheek was at the throat of his shirt, her skin on his skin. She could feel his heartbeat in his neck and smell his wonderful, earthy scent. It was warm and delightful. She relished in the moment and closed her eyes. She wondered if this was how things had been before-- warm, comfortable, safe…Well, _before_ she had lost her memories at any rate.

His hand was in her hair, playing with a piece, and he smiled to himself. "I found more dirt," he said, and she lightly murmured, not really paying attention. He smirked. "You're quite a mess, you know. Whatever would you do without me?"

Her ears caught that, a bit puzzled as she registered something she'd missed. "Hmm?" He allowed her to distance herself for more self-evaluation, and she looked at her person. "Hey, my shirt--"

"It's one of Tonks'. She changed it for you," George supplied with a wry grin. "Though I assured her it was _my_ chore to be done…she wouldn't let me." Live's face heated up, but she couldn't help but inwardly smile at his teasing. "Anyways, I can always draw baths for you and the like. Scrub your back and other such bothersome chores."

Her face flamed scarlet and she bit back an amused smile at his grinning suggestions. He was pleased that he had obviously tickled her _delicate _sensibilities. He enfolded her in another embrace, firmly holding her with a grin in case she decided to smack him. "No need to be bashful, Live. I already know what you look like naked."

Live was most grateful he couldn't see the shade of red her face had turned as well as the expression of shock she wore at such a statement. He was surprised that she didn't attempt to free herself from his arms and smack at him as she was prone to do, but rather, she said in a voice ripe with certain dignity, "You, sir, are a perv."

He scoffed at that, grinning from cheek-to-cheek at her haughty words of reproach. He snorted in amusement. Where _she _was concerned, he most definitely had perverted thoughts. A few of them involved her in that sparkly, barely-there outfit Kelena owned. Or that black and red bra she liked to tease him with coupled with what Kara termed "hooker heels". So he didn't argue the point, but rather smirked at himself. He knew she was just teasing him right back anyhow.

He felt her arms go around him and pull herself to him, hugging him tightly. He was rather surprised. Especially when she whispered in his ear, and her words were completely free of rebuke or tease, just honest, plainly spoken words that he held rather close to his heart. "Don't ever change George Weasley."

"I love you…And that will never change."

She smiled to herself. That statement held allure she couldn't comprehend.

The door to the kitchen swung open and Dumbledore walked in with a smile on his face. The two of them separated, a bit slower than Live would have liked for modesty's sake, though modesty was the last thing on George's mind at the moment. Especially since he had a very pretty blonde in his arms that he loved dearly and was dearly attracted to. Well of all the people to interrupt them, Dumbledore was most welcome.

"Happy to see you are awake and well, young lady," Dumbledore told her. George released all but her hands, and she fought the furious blush in her cheeks as she looked at the Headmaster. He graciously made no movement that relayed he cared about whatever it was they had been doing. If their closeness did offend any of his sensibilities, he certainly didn't show it.

"Thank you, sir," she replied. George brushed his fingers over her knuckles, and it sent a shivering tremble down her spin. He grinned.

"Professor, there's actually something we'd like to talk to you about," George spoke up as he turned from her. He regarded the man with a look that said it was not about what he assumed from their last talk. The old man sighed but smiled kindly anyways.

"Whatever is it, my boy?"

George looked to Live, and she suddenly realized he was talking about her dream. Hse spoke up immediately. "Oh! Well yes, um…Professor…I…I _saw_ something…that I'm not sure about."

"What have you seen?" he asked with infinite patience.

"Um, well, it was in my dream…only I don't think it _was _a dream…" she thought to herself. "Um, a dream I had _before _I blew up the kitchen…" She looked at him with a guilty gleam to her eyes. "…like, right before…"

Dumbledore actually chuckled, and it eased a weight off her heart. "Tell me, dear girl."

She bit her lip in consternation, wishing the thoughts could be banished from her mind. The door to the kitchen swung open again and Snape was in the doorway with a scowling frown at George. He walked to the other side of the room near the other door, and stood to one side quite a ways from the Weasley's living room couch.

"You. Here," he insisted pointedly, the traitorous velvet tone overlying the animosity in his voice.

George sighed with irritation and got up (out of courtesy to Dumbledore alone) to meet the man for whatever horrid task he probably had waiting for him. Live watched as he stood before her Head of House, the man saying something in hushed tones to George which caused the fiery-haired young man to cast his eyes to the floor with defiance. He didn't look at the dour potions master as he was being spoken to in heated, yet hushed tones, but kept his eyes on an unfocused spot as he listened, his look one of defiant obedience.

Dumbledore cleared his throat lightly, and Live jumped.

"Oh I'm sorry!" she apologized, her cheeks flaring with embarrassment at her blatant lack of manners and guilty for staring.

"Do not worry. I am more concerned with your state of being, my dear." She smiled weakly at that, but he pressed on with concern. "Now, about this dream."

"It was frightening…there were so many bodies…so much dug-up earth…" She had a look in her eyes that was vacant, remembering and seeing something that was not there. Dumbledore watched her eyes very carefully, waiting. "There was someone there, someone I'm certain I know," she supplied, looking at him. "But I've never seen him before. Not in my life."

"A man, you say?"

"Yeah…Older than George, but not much. I'm _sure_ I know him…" She thought hard to herself as Dumbledore considered her words. Her thoughts were shattered as George loudly broke from Snape's presence and briskly walked right past them through the kitchen door, an angry expression on his face. Snape, sans usual sneer, followed with a thinking scowl and disappeared through the same door, not yet done with the young man.

Live looked alarmed, but Dumbledore didn't say anything on the matter of his staff and trusted man. "My dear, if you wouldn't mind, I would like to visit this dream of yours personally."

She immediately nodded her agreement. "Sure, no problem. Only, I really don't think it was a dream."

"Your memory of the incident will suffice, with your blessing," he concurred pensively.

"It's won't…_backlash_, will it?"

"No," he assured her. "You are aware of what I am doing, and your magic will cooperate with that knowledge. Remember, my dear, as long as you give others the permission, your magic will allow it. Otherwise you would most certainly know your mind was being invaded. _You _are in control of the magic, not the other way around. Just be calm and relax and we will have no trouble. Just think of the incident. It will be enough."

"Alright."

She waited as she supposed he was readying himself, but then the image of him blurred before her, and she could feel her mind being picked over, her memories transporting herself back to that horrid plane.

_Just think of the dream. Get it over with. The hazy red sky. The bodies. _

Clearly before her was the field she had been in, everything a red haze as she remembered it. She strode up the hill of freshly upturned earth- which she now knew to be grave soil- to reach the peak that overlooked the death scene below. She didn't want to see it again and so clearly, but the images were falling into place whether she wanted them to or not.

Dumbledore made deep mental notes on what he saw, the wheels of his mind turning as he encountered the images of her psyche. His vision followed her up the mound of dirt to a valley of bodies. And there was the man she had mentioned seeing. While he couldn't place the youth, he thought he indeed looked familiar. The phantom inclined his head towards the ancient wizard, light brow furrowing. A memory shouldn't be looking at him, let alone be aware that he was there.

In a flash everything went black and he was forced out, a vision of black-centered crimson eyes. So that was what Severus had mentioned earlier. Reminiscent of the wraith, but reverse.

The old wizard blinked several times in mild surprise. He looked at the blonde sitting still, her breath coming in easy, relaxed rhythms. She was unaware of the moment, still in her altered state. He found it curious in the least. She held his interest a few moments until he decided to rouse her from her state. He paid close attention to her eyes.

"Miss Hunter," he spoke gently.

She exhaled softly and opened her eyes to find him staring at her. She raised a brow. "Is that it?"

He examined her face a minute, unsatisfied at the moment, though he smiled kindly. "Yes, that is it."

She smiled silently and inwardly reflected a few moments. That was easy enough with minor unpleasantness. Though she was certain she'd be having nightmares of bodies and graves tonight.

"Who _was _that man, dear girl?"

Live raised her eyes to his, her face coloring for a lack of information. Apparently, he didn't know either. And she had to disappoint him as she was still utterly ignorant. "Um…I don't know. I was hoping you could give me some insight into it all," she affirmed. "Is he someone I should know?"

Dumbledore sighed in thought. "It is uncertain at the moment, though I am under the belief that that is no dream in your mind." His eyes were unfocused behind the rims of his eyeglasses in deep thought. Things seemed to be coming to a head for some purpose, and too quickly for him to make adequate sense of things. He could only predict so far into the close future, and with the movements of the Dark Lord and his minions as of late, and their curious interest in the girl, things were becoming rather troublesome. The reports Snape gave him were not so good. "There is something important here, my dear. And it is meant for your personal instruction and you alone." She frowned in disagreement but he silenced her with words of warning. "For now, I only ask that you be cautious with yourself and the conduct of those around you."

"…my magic?" she murmured sheepishly.

"Hm, yes. I can only speculate, but I believe some unknown variable is making its move, and for that we must proceed with the utmost caution."

"Sir, this prophecy I was told about--"

"Perhaps," he agreed pensively, nodding shortly as he cut her off. He gave her an appraising look to see her watching him with wide, trustful eyes. He would do what he could to see things didn't blow up in their faces. "I have a few lessons for you which might help to control the wildness of your magic." She let out a surprised 'oh!' and listened to him with the utmost attentiveness. "I have spent the past couple of days in the company of a sorcerer, and I have learned a great many things I wish to impart to you."

She looked at him with expectance, waiting, and he smiled at her attentiveness.

"Young lady, it is not uncommon for magic to seem like it has a will of its own, but you must not let that thought overpower your own control. All magic, summoned or wild, is connected to our emotional states and can be made stronger or weaker depending upon one's feelings. You have heard of muggles lifting incredible weights off the bodies of fallen loved ones, yes?"

"Yeah! Like that kid trapped under a tractor," she supplied with easy understanding. He nodded sagely.

"Even muggles can tap into that power, and it is the same elemental power with which you can control the intensity of your magic. Currently, your magic is intent upon self-preservation and protecting you, though this can sometimes result in dire consequences. We have seen the destruction it can cause and the havoc it can wreak, and it is in your best interest to learn to subdue it without the use of your wand."

"_Without_ my wand, professor?" Everything she had been told up until now was focusing on the importance of her being able to use her wand.

He nodded to the contrary idea. "Rest your fears my dear, you will be able to utilize your wand with as much mastery as you previously held. Only it is a precaution that I wish you to learn to recognize the signs of your magic building up before it lashes out. This will help to control the destructive ways it sometimes manifests. Magic comes so naturally that most wizards and witches do not and cannot recognize their magic when it is lying in wait, but I wish for you to learn to feel it before spells are enacted and put into effect. This happens in fractions of a second-- instantaneous for some-- yet I have no doubt that you will become more than proficient in recognizing it."

Live sighed with a hopeless, moping look. This sounded hard. Or closer to near-impossible. All she had done so far was cause things to explode and blow out kitchen walls, and she hadn't even been aware of doing any of it. "Sir, I…I can't even tell when I cause things to happen…how can I hope to control it?"

Dumbledore smiled. "You will. I am certain of it." Her shoulders slumped in hopelessness. "I do not expect you to become a master overnight, dear girl. Until that time comes, however, Severus is concocting new potions in smaller doses for you." She looked alarmed, and he knew as much. He could feel her magic flaring even where she was unaware. It spiked with her anxiety. "How do you feel right now, young lady?"

"Wha?" she asked, taken aback by his sudden subject change. "Um…worried?" she tried with truth.

He closed his eyes in thought, then looked pointedly at her. "Close your eyes. Feel deep inside yourself. How do you _feel_?"

She frowned in trying to figure out what answer he wanted and what point he was trying to currently make, and followed with this concession, closing her eyes.

How did she feel? Silly, for one, and worried, scared, weary at the promise of the dragging on of such practices, upset, wanting George close by, in need of a shower…

"Well my fingertips are cold. And my foot feels like it's asleep," she offered obstinately, though she knew he wanted a different, perhaps more existential answer. She opened her eyes with frustration.

He smiled at her, his features suggestive of an endless well of patience. "Your magic is not flaring up as largely as it was a few moments ago, and I can tell you've calmed considerably and quite quickly," he confided. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights, mouth gaping. "It was waking, but it settled back to sleep. I have lived a very long time, my dear. One tends to be able to pick up on the magic of others at such a ripe old age," he informed. "What I have gained with age you will gain through practice and acute observation."

She looked at her hands in her lap. There was still dirt under her nails. She thought she would like a manicure. "What about these potions, professor?" she inquired dismally. She'd had enough of potions, thank you very much.

"They will only temporarily block your magic, and they will wear off just as quickly," he supplied, as they learned that such strong blocking of her magic lead to disaster. "Alternating between allowing your magic to be raw and free, and just as equivalently restrained, it should create a harmony which will also aid in your recognition of magical flare-ups. Of course, such potions will require altering as your skills grow, or if your magic itself continues to grow, so Professor Snape will persist with his adjustments."

"_Continues_?" she repeated the word with worried puzzlement.

"Yes. _Multiforme_s are rather variable creatures at best. I am afraid there are not many precedents with which we can predict the extent of your magical powers." Live shrugged, more worried. "But taking such potions will keep you safe from accidentally harming yourself where emotions run high." He smiled. "Such as when you are in Professor Snape's classroom."

Live thought to herself, worried. _And keep others safe from me_.

"Sir, it…they _will_ help?" she stated with hope. "I don't want to be the cause of anymore destroyed kitchens," she offered in weak joke. Or the cause of bodily harm to others. She shivered in thought of her dream.

"I guarantee they will, my dear. Severus knows what he is doing, I trust his skills. But prediction in the case of your magic is a bit problematic, yet nothing we cannot see done."

Live sighed with dismay. Looks like she didn't have much choice in the way of things. She wondered if one ever got used to the nasty taste of 'essence of fish head' or whatever the hell he had made her drink …Ugh…"Alright."

He thought she looked rather hopeless, but there was more hope on their side than she realized. She was talented and did not lack in ambition, she just lacked the enthusiasm. "Sorcerers are not made overnight, Miss Hunter.," he informed firmly. "There are not many left in the world because their magic utterly destroys them. Many do not survive learning to manipulate and recognize their magic before it is too late. For some, it takes years to perfect. They are like _multiformes,_ but far more powerful. Even wands cannot help them focus such power." Live's eyes went wide with a shocked look and spiking hopelessness. "But you were not born a true sorceress, my dear. _You_ can use a wand._ Multiforme_ aside, you are first and foremost a witch with unique abilities and talents. Do not forget, you are the master of your magic. You control it, it does not control you."

Live smiled weakly. She knew he was right though. "Thank you, sir."

sSs

"Curse me."

"Huh?"

"Curse me."

"I don't wanna curse you, George."

"That's just 'cause you don't know how," he baited her.

"I'm not cursing you. Reverse psychology won't work on me."

"What if I gave you a present?"

"For the last time, drawing my baths is _not _a present to _me_."

George grinned wolfishly. "What if I gave you a kiss?"

She blushed. "Oh shut up, George…"

"Why? You going to curse me if I don't?"

Live was sitting on the bench outside in the garden, her right foot twitching with annoyance over her left knee. She wasn't going to let him get to her.

She was trying to _feel_ her magic, or whatever it was Dumbledore had meant when speaking the day before. He had imparted much wisdom upon her direct from the mouth of the sorcerer he had seen. Much of it had been rather philosophical, she thought, but there were little tips and little tricks in the stories and information he had imparted. And she was doing her best to cooperate with what she had learned. She truly wanted to get this nonsense under control, maybe even attempt to unlock her memories, if possible.

George kept apparating about the garden in boredom, poking at her when she wouldn't open her eyes and look at him. While he figured it might help if her magic decided to lash out at him and curse the daylights out of him, she thought otherwise and insisted he was more troublesome than helpful. And for him, sitting and staring quietly while she tried to get her Zen on didn't hold much appeal, though if he looked _juuuust_ right, he could get a nice glimpse down her v-neck shirt…and then she smacked him when he was too quiet for his own good, caught in the act of peeping. Sitting was boring, bothering his mum resulted in being cursed, and teasing about gnomes only got him yelled threats from Tonks as she made her rounds.

"Gnome…"

Live's eyes popped open. "--_where_?!"

George grinned.

"Argh…Quit it, George."

"Make me."

She sighed. "I'm not gonna curse you."

"Only 'cause you can't," he provoked, teasing grin on his face.

She fixed him with an entirely-Slytherin glare, and he took steps back enough to be out of striking range. "Be _glad _I can't," she threatened, though she never wanted her magic to _really _lash out at him. An evil, threatening smile that would have even made Snape proud graced her features before she took a deep breath and closed her eyes to George once more in concentration. If his annoyances didn't cause her magic to flare, then what would?

She tried to feel it out. Her foot was going to sleep again- an indicator that she had been sitting in this position a rather long time without results. That was about the extent of things. She re-crossed her legs the other way. Unless a numbed foot was a sign that she was beginning to understand all this crap, she didn't think she was making any progress.

George settled on the bench next to her, leaning his elbows back on the table behind them. He audibly sighed, bored. He looked up at the sky, wondering how many more sunny days they were going to get before the cold rains came. The winds were already becoming chilled, moving the clouds about the sky at a hurried pace. Ha, as if clouds were in a hurry to go anywhere. "I'm bored."

"You're ruining my concentration," she muttered, eyes still closed with fruitless efforts.

"Concentration on what?"

"Reaching enlightenment," she muttered sarcastically.

He shrugged and watched the shadowy form of Tonks walking amongst the trees to where he knew Lupin to be. He grinned. The werewolf was no doubt in for a little surprise of the amorous nature. He himself was rather curious about such a lover's situation…Tonks _could_ change any of her, er, attributes. And he wasn't the first guy to wonder what that was like for whoever she was dating either. Lee had a few theories of his own…

"I can't do it," Live murmured, her voice interrupting George's rather disturbing train of thought. She looked at him with disappointment. "I can't feel _any_thing."

"Want me to--"

"Don't even start, George." She blushed furiously.

He grinned impishly. "Maybe the potion hasn't worn off yet."

"No, Snape said it would wear-off by the time I woke up this morning," she disagreed with his theory. "That was hours ago."

He shrugged and looked to the sky. Two crows flew across, cawing as they were being pursued by a smaller bird most likely protecting its nest from the egg-thieves. "I'm bored," George said for the second time. "Blow up another wall or something, Live. Liven things up," he suggested with a grin.

She frowned at him, guilt crossing her face. While the kitchen indeed looked basically the same, she still felt horrid. "I'll no sooner blow up your mother's house than give a gnome a kiss."

"Well, if you're not up for that, I can think of a few other activities which are much more fun and a lot more…_productive_."

She raised a brow at him as her stomach completely dropped, the look in his eyes all but innocent. He grinned charmingly and she busied herself in the finer aspects of re-crossing her legs and smoothing out her robes, trying hopelessly to ignore him. She felt his arm go around her shoulders, and his lips ghosting over her ear as he whispered of previous instances they'd shared that made her blush straight to her toes. She shouldn't allow him to tell her of such naughty things, though a perverted curiosity kept her from turning away and wondering if what he was telling her was true. Her eyes widened at a particularly more-creative description, and she turned her head to him, shocked. "George that's positively indecent!"

He grinned with extreme amusement. "Believe it or not, _that_ little escapade was _your_ idea, woman."

She bit her lips with wide eyes. Damn, she was more adventurous than she assumed. She hoped Harry's Invisibility Cloak or whatever-it-was was able to be dry-cleaned.

"Live…?"

"Yeah?"

He gazed at her as an oddly nervous, edgy look passed over his features. She waited, but he just shrugged it off instead, smiling and running a hand through his hair. "Um…nothing!" he said with nervous chuckles.

She smiled and allowed her head to lay on his shoulder with a confused frown. "You're weird." He laughed and she sighed. "I need my memories back, George." She took her head off his shoulder and looked at him with hope. "In the letter Hermione sent me, she told me there were people who specialized in memory charms. Couldn't, like, one of them make my memories come back?"

"Well, it's risky, Live. Otherwise Dumbledore might have already tried it. He already said he couldn't get access to _those _memories."

"I know it's risky," she agreed, having read all four pages of the delicate, tiny print Hermione had had to say on the matter. "But I can't stand this. It's frustrating."

"Well…what we _can_ do is try jogging your memories back into place, and _that's_ a lot less risky, and works for some," he suggested. She looked at him with delight. Then her eyes widened as he grinned and went in for her lips with his own. She only managed a surprised little noise before his mouth was hungrily upon hers, and she felt everything in her come alive and alert with his warm proximity, closing her eyes to his gentle touch.

His mouth laid siege and claim to her own, his tongue tasting her and causing her to become delirious with the euphoria of it. She gladly allowed him to pull her against him, crushing her chest to his own as she sighed with delicious helplessness at his touch. He was causing her to utterly melt. Her arms were flung around his neck as his own hands were at the back of her and around her waist, keeping her tight to him as he chased her tongue with his own. She was practically sitting in his lap.

For just a moment-- and she wasn't quite certain as to what had made her want to look--Live opened her eyes, and in that split-second she didn't even have time to warn George to look behind him.

The fiery-haired Gryffindor shrieked along with his Slytherin love as they were being drenched in cold water, literally hosed down by the oldest male Weasley who was laughing his head off at the spectacle.

"Cool it down you two!" Bill's amused voice laughed as he was hosing them with cold water, the chill fluid flowing out in a torrent from his wand.

Live was shrieking in indignity and embarrassment, too shocked to wonder what the hell Bill was still doing at the house, as she attempted to use George as a human shield. She slipped in the mud the water had created and landed rather ungracefully on her bottom, glaring as George was attempting to fire off curses at his brother, only he was too busy trying to get away from the chilly water as Bill was focusing mainly on _him_.

"Dammit Bill! _Bloody hell_!" George cursed as he slipped in the mud trying to get away.

Bill was laughing with mirth as the flow from his wand lessened, but he didn't completely stop it. "You, little brother, need to reign it in," he told him between laughs.

Live was sitting in the mud, repeating to herself that some women paid hundreds for quality mud baths, when she decided that one day of being covered in mud had been plenty for her. She glared at Bill- but whether she was mad that he had drenched them, or that he had _interrupted_ whatever it might have turned into, she wasn't sure. She wished the water would spray the bugger in the face as she harrumphed with arms crossed on the ground and face flaming, hoping her clothes wouldn't be dirt-stained.

George was attempting to curse Bill with jelly legs as the eldest Weasley suddenly cried out, the water having turned against him. Live's eyes widened as the stream was arced towards Bill and completely drenching him in sardonic revenge. He turned his wand from himself and quit the spell as George was grinning with confusion. _He_ hadn't done it.

But that wouldn't stop him from enacting his own brand of judgment.

George got to his feet and quickly disarmed his brother with a shouted _Expeliarmus!_ Bill's wand flew from his grasp and George fired off another rather interesting spell- in Live's opinion- that bound the older Weasley in ropes. George was careful of his footing as he trudged over to his brother with a most-agitated look.

"What should we do with him, Live?" he asked over his shoulder. She sat in the mud looking mildly surprised, little tufts of wild grass sticking out of the mess next to her, and her expression was so utterly endearing to him that he considered taking right back up where they had been interrupted.

"How about mercy?" Bill suggested from the confines of his ropes. He looked like a drenched cat, and he was stuck in the mud of his own creation, ends of his hair thick with muck. George turned back to him with a wicked grin.

"I think we should cut his hair," George decided with an evil smirk. Bill's eyes widened at that, and now he struggled to get out of the ropes while cursing rather floridly. Whether he deserved it or not, he liked his hair right where it was. Though these ropes were on rather tight. He was a curse-breaker, dammit. Bindings from his little brother should be a piece of cake.

"No," Live said as she struggled to her feet. She slipped and landed back in the mud as George watched her with more than a little interest. Her robes were open at the front revealing her v-neck over capri pants. And she was drenched. And it was cold out. And she was _drenched_.

He couldn't stop himself from staring (and panting) at her chest, considering dropping everything and dragging her into the darkness of the tool shed. As she cussed under her breath as she climbed to her feet, it brought him back to earth.

Sad day for him.

Live was standing with hands on hips. The hem of her robes was caked in mud and weighed down. And she was cold. And now dangerously annoyed. "Let's _bleach_ it."

A wide grin came over George's face as he remembered a time when he'd had to live with green hair for a few weeks-- her idea. He snickered. "Then dye it," he added with a grin.

She clapped her hands excitedly, the thrill of the kill rushing through her. "Ooh! Then lets braid it and take pictures!!" She smiled evilly at the Weasley hog-tied and muddied on the ground.

He raised an eyebrow in horror at her and tried his most supplicating expression. It didn't work.

sSs

Looking into the mirror in her room, Live was fondly brushing her wet, dark locks as she thought of the damage they'd wrought upon poor Bill. Adding insult to injury, Tonks had come out of the woodwork to take a picture of their handiwork, and George assured his older brother that he'd be sending out copies.

To everyone. At Hogwarts.

Live had to admit they hadn't done the best dye-job, and the colors had looked a bit splotchy and run-together, but the rainbow hues looked rather brilliant against Bill's complexion and the braids and flowers had really brought out his eyes. Lupin had agreed wholeheartedly on the matter.

Snickering, Live set down the brush she had been using and towel-dried her hair further. Against George's wishes and complaints about needing to conserve water, she had endeavored to take care of bathing on her own and was happily clean and mud-free. He'd allowed her to shower first at the insurance that he'd be the first one to towel-dry her, though she had run shrieking from him when he'd tried to make good on his assertions. Though it was a rather small distance, she was amazed she had made it from the bathroom to her room in only a towel that had graciously managed to stay put. With the grins and winks he was giving her, she was amazed she hadn't ended up more scandalized than she already was.

She smirked to herself and applied a cream George had made just for her for her scaring. She'd nearly cried with gratitude when he gave her the little jar last night, and told her he was still experimenting with it but so far he'd managed to do away with a scar Fred had given him in quidditch practice. She wasn't sure if it was working or not- she couldn't tell- but it did wonders for her self-confidence as she rubbed the stuff into her skin. She would repay him somehow. She knew how he'd probably _like_ to receive this impromptu gratitude, but she figured it was in her best interests to stay as far away from raunchy thoughts as possible. He had enough for the both of them.

She looked at her hands, hoping that the scarring would fade given time, and screwed the lid back on. She sighed and settled on her bed in thought. She didn't just want her memories, she _needed_ them. There was so much she had to try and make sense of, and it was all so utterly confusing. She'd poured through the books the Weasley's owned in search of something that might help her, and the books Hermione sent her were interesting but full of dead-ends. And then there was the fact that she still didn't have a proper handle on this magic stuff. She supposed she might have a future career in building demolition if things kept going the way they were.

She sighed and closed her eyes. _Relax_, Dumbledore had told her. _Feel_, he advised. She saw how well that had worked out with George in the garden…Sneak-attacked, cold, wet, muddy…The vengeance they took on Bill had been rather satisfying. Though she thought George enjoyed it a bit too much as he kept rubbing in how Bill wouldn't flirt with another guy's girlfriend anymore, now would he?

Grinning, she wondered how she had known Bill was sneaking up on them. Was it just the natural alertness one had? Or had she _felt_ it the way Dumbledore meant? It had been _her _doing that caused the water jet to spray Bill, that much she and George had concluded amongst themselves. Had she found the thread to controlling her magic?

Sighing, she dismissed the fancy and turned on her side. Whatever it was, it had been fleeting anyway. And she was tired. Bill hadn't let go of his natural hair color without a fight, but oh it had been worth it. Though her bottom was thoroughly bruised, she was certain. And her robes were a big muddy mess. At least no one else had seen she and George lustily making out at the garden table. Or at least no one else had _said_ anything about said incident.

Her face flushed thinking about the aurors skulking about the property, and then the many windows into the kitchen. Oh no….Had everyone seen?

Scrunching up into a ball on the bed, Live grimaced at the thought and prayed to anyone listening that they had not had an audience. She was going to die of embarrassment. Next time, they'd have to find someplace a whole lot more private and a lot more personal.

She opened her eyes at the track her thoughts had begun to take. Oh dear. Deep breaths, deep breaths, think un-sexy thoughts. Nothing about the delicious muscles she had felt under his shirt, no reminiscing about the way it felt when he held her so close, no wondering if his whole body was toned or not, and definitely no thoughts about the way he had kissed her.

She had to sit up and breath deeply until the flush left her cheeks. She willed herself to be calm and collected, reminded herself not to let her emotions go nuts. She hadn't taken the other potion due today. She couldn't afford to bring the house down if things got a little out of control.

_Gnomes, mud, garden gnomes chasing me, nasty potions, gnomes_…

She sighed as her mind was restoring its sanity, her Zen returned to her. Well, thoughts of garden gnomes definitely got her off the track of uncontrollably-sexy thoughts. She was now in the middle safe ground, she decided. Calmed enough from thinking about George (…_gnomes_!) but not freaked enough to be scared. Ah. Calm. Relaxation for once. It was a wondrous thing.

Exhaling, she finally felt in control. She stretched lazily and good, then recoiled to lick her paw--

_Lick _her _paw_?

She looked at her hands. No, not hands, but orangey paws. Cat paws.

Panicked, she turned her head and looked at her tail--_ her _tail. She stood, all four cat-feet on the bedspread, and looked at herself in the mirror in a panic. She saw a tabby cat staring back at her with a look of frightened alarm on its feline face. She immediately tore her eyes away and closed them.

_Okay Live, that's it. You've finally gone off the deep end. You've lost it. You're crazy. They're going to lock you away and swallow the key._

_But will they throw me in the asylum or the pound?_

She giggled with giddy fear, and the noise she made was cat-like and scary to her ears. Her fur-- _oh god,_ she was as furry as a fluff ball-- stood on end.

_Okay, okay, shut up, you're fine, you're just having a psychotic episode. Just relax, breathe. Close your eyes, and you'll be fine. You're not a cat, you're a person. You've just been pushed a little far today. Yes, that's it, you're tired, and you're going a little crazy, but that's okay, you'll be just fine. Just calm down and breathe. You'll be right as rain. No problem._

She breathed deeply, anxiety levels rising, and opened her eyes to see a cat reflecting back at her in the mirror. She turned tail on it and stared at her paws. _Oh god, I have paws._ She willed herself to calm down as a glass bottle sitting on the dresser began to crack and squeal with the threat of shattering.

The indignant thought that she was _not_ going to ruin yet another part of the Weasley house calmed her considerably, and she grounded herself to that indignation which seemed so utterly sane right now.

_Ok Live, you're a cat. No big deal. Wizards turn into animals all the time, right? Yeah, that Sirius fellow, he was the dog you'd liked. He can do the same thing. Yeah, it was probably normal. Just fine. Now, just figure out how to turn back, and you'll be alright. A bad dream, that's all it is. So you yourself turned into a cat. Bravo for you. And here we thought we didn't know any magic. Now change back. _

Live was staring with growing horror at the cat paws still before her. She willed herself back, wanted the change, but it wasn't happening.

A thought occurred to her: Get George. He would know what to do. He could figure out how to turn her back to normal. Did he know she could turn into this? Hell, he probably _did_ know she could turn into a cat, and didn't tell her. Bloody hell. What a git.

_And see how freaked out we are now? Yeah, maybe we're better off _not_ knowing. Okay, so we're not blaming George. We're just scared shitless. Yes. And we're a cat. Oh god. He'll know what to do._

She more or less slid off the bed to the floor, and noticed how huge everything seemed, and how well she could see under the bed with her cat's eyes. She could see dust particles and a few shoe-box sized cases probably filled with memorabilia of the room's true occupant. She turned from the sight and tried to get the door to the hallway open, but she couldn't even reach the knob. She reached as best she could, flexed her claw, but she wasn't even close.

She pawed at the door (she didn't want to scratch up the wood) but it didn't make any difference, just a dull, wooden noise.

She tried calling for George, but it just came out as a loud meow. It didn't stop her from trying though.

sSs

Welcome to the soap opera I like to call _Fucking with the Characters_, where secrets are revealed and lives are turned upside down. I actually cut out a good four pages that were originally at the end of this chap, and I decided to stick it in the beginning of the next. So the next chapter is well underway, and I think I'm going to throw you all through a loop with it. Dun-dun-dun! Take a guess, you're all smart ;D hur hur hur.

Please to Review. Point out any spelling errors etc I might have made, or just cater to my ego, hahaha. My grammar is crap and I can't catch everything, though I certainly try. Leave an e-mail and an ok if you wanna be on my mailing list. Have fun.

To my lurves:

Luniepoo: haha yeah, we're all still confused XD haha. But there's a point for it, to be sure ;) lol we'll get more into that, I promise :D It has special significance…take a stab at it ;D heh heh. Love, me :D

Karma-k2: You are so damn smart, like, no joke. I can't comment on a lot of that…I plead the fifth! HAHAH and '_really_ safe sex' made me laugh my ass off. XD ha, I'm using that to my advantage where Dumbledore is concerned ;) Er, not the safe sex, haha! Based off something JKR, I believe, once said, in which basically in the books it's safe to say that anything Dumbledore (or Hermione) says is law and we can use it as a basis for story truths, facts, etc. Anyways, that's where a lot of the theories about the books are grounded. But how I utilize such a presumption…well…heh heh…Wink ;) Hee hee. That's all I'll say on that, and I'll add that I'm a very tricky, cunning person, and like to seriously screw with the characters. Thank you :D

Raianofthe6thSquad: Woot, I am so happy for you:D Good stuff! Woo! I wish you much luck and love :D hee hee. Lol yeah I don't really say anything on myspace or anything when I've uploaded, cuz then my friends are all "What's MotWB? What's fan fiction?" and I'm just like…yeah…stay away from my stuff XD haha you know how you got a few people you would never want reading your stuff? Yeah, it's like that lol. I'll do it next time, just for you ;) hee hee

Chineseretard92: hahaha I've always loved vamps, like no joke, ever since I was little :D It seems all I read are smutty vamp bodice rippers…hee hee, romance novels rawk. hee hee. When I was a little girl, I totally wanted to be a vampire XD HAHAH then again, I'm weird and probably not mentally stable. HAHAHA! And thank you so much. I know what you mean about quality. I joined the site back in either '03 or '04...I'd have to look to be certain, lol But back then it was still a jumble, but the stories were generally better and well written and you could always find decent work…and now…yeah…lol :D haha I don't read any fan fiction on this site anymore. It's too frustrating trying to find something I like that wasn't written by a monkey with their toes XD HAHA so thanks much, love! Heh heh, like what I did to Bill in this chap:D heh heh heh lol sad day for him. I try to keep it good, but I don't always like ending the way I do…I'm going through some different techniques and writing POVs right now, so I'm trying to be a little more creative…we'll see it come through in later chaps I hope O.O haha.

redheadlover: HAHAHA oh man, yeah well I hope you're a little _less_ confused…though not by much. Heh heh, take a gander at what it's about? Heh heh, though I won't admit anything if you got it right :D Let's just say that with her memories of the past inactive and her present horridly confusing, her future is looking bleak ;) And that's all you get of that, haha :D

NaraOccult: Thank you so much love, you have no idea! Believe it or not, I actually hate leaving off chaps so dramatically. I feel like all I'm ever doing is "Well, let's see what shit I can put them all through this chap?" Every chapter I nearly end up erasing and starting over cuz it bothers me so, but sometimes its necessary, other times I feel like I'm constantly going overboard. Ha, just before posting I cut off the last four pages to have a better, less "OMFG" chapter ending and just put it at the beginning of the next. I just keep telling myself that after we get through this _one_ bit, then they can have a nice reprieve. Heh, I also leave off in such ways because it helps me have a place to start with the next chap. Ugh, lol it's tough cuz I feel like I'm always constantly contradicting myself. It's like 'la dee da, having my normal life and fun times…wait, crap, there's all this stuff hanging over my head, how can I be so carefree? Oh the humanity! Oh look, a balloon!' ha, like, in a figurative nutshell, that's what's always going through my brain. Ha thanks for the honest opinion, we're in the same boat, but I can actually do something about it XD haha. I love writing carefree fun and whatnot. See, another one of my secret fears? The fact that the story has deviated so far from the original sort of point-of-view, per se…yet not. Like, it's hard to describe, but just the way it reads now is so different from other chaps, and that's where I took over from the other writers who had input stuff before but then flaked off, and then I'm like, crap, did I fuck up the story? Ugh, I guess it's just an acquired taste. Heh heh. Anyways, thanks for allowing me to vent! Haha. You pointed out exactly what was in my mind already. I appreciate it a lot. :D

Dckveg: Thank you very much my darling:D woot! Hee hee, I love writing it, to be sure :D I've been thinking the past few weeks, where am I gonna cut the fic off? I have never in my life finished a fic to date o.O They're all still ongoing or waiting to be finished XD haha. I keep thinking I'd like to end it at a certain point, and maybe do a part II sort of thing, but I dunno O.O lol And it's already so long, and there are other fic ideas I'd like to pursue XD hee hee. But yeah, I live to please and I'm glad you're having a good read:D heh heh.


	44. In Which the Plot thickens

Happy early fourth of July to us Americans (or anyone else who celebrates it, lol). Be careful with those fireworks…Don't wanna end up like Disfigured Dave or anything O.O

Hope everyone has fun at the premiers and such for Order of the Phoenix. I'll be going in full costume, putting Dark Marks on any takers while hanging around in line (haha my custom temporary-tattoos…it's gonna be so bombskis). I'll post pics. Ha. **Oh yeah**, I'm being realistic here, but it might take a bit longer for me to get the next chap out due to the Order of the Phoenix in theatres next week and all the prepping I have to do for that, and then of course, the book release on the 21st, and we all know we'll be busy reading and trying to absorb all the (ghastly, I'm guessing) plot twists and stuff she's written. It'll take me a day and a half to read the book, but the rest is trying to come to terms with everything that's sure to have happened O.O Ha, I'm a pessimist, and it _is_ the 7th book. I think she's gonna kill everyone. I'm near positive. But that's okay, that's what fan fiction is for :D

Ok, review me and give me food for thought, cuz no doubt the next book will have me huddled in a corner in the fetal position. Haha. Have fun. Luv, me.

_Well they encourage your complete cooperation  
__Send ya roses when they think ya need to smile  
__I can't control myself because I don't know how  
__And they love me for it honestly, I'll be here for a while  
_-My Chemical Romance, _Blood_

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 44: In Which the plot Thickens, the shit hits the fan, and the author wasn't strong enough to fight off the smut bunnies…_kinda_.

sSs

George wrapped a towel around his waist and wiped the steam off the bathroom mirror, looking at himself with a smirk. He was sporting a pretty large bruise on his jaw, but he decided it was totally worth it. Bill had managed to head butt him pretty hard while he had held his eldest brother down, but Live had been able to do a smashing job on his hair even with the struggling. George grinned at his reflection. The photo alone of his rainbow-haired brother he was going to have framed when they developed the film. It would be one of his favorite pictures to date. He chuckled to himself. Yes, it was going to need a lovely new sparkling frame at that.

He inclined his head as he thought he heard his name being called. Was it dinner already? He listened, the sound of draining bath-water meeting his ears until he distinctly heard his name, clearer this time.

He opened the bathroom door and poked his head out amidst steam to see Live peeking into his room at the other end of the hall. His eyebrows raised with pleasantly shocked surprise. She was in short booty shorts that were closer to panties, and a tight shirt; an outfit he knew she usually wore to bed at Hogwarts when she actually _chose_ to wear pajamas. He decided he would have to thank Dobby personally for packing her clothes, and give thanks to whatever deity had inspired her to nance about in such.

Gazing at her from down the hall, he thought it was too early to go to bed just yet, and what was she doing, anyways? He decided to go ahead and get his hopes up that she'd decided to seduce him, and he whistled to her from his end with a smirking, playful grin.

"Looking for me?" he said with an expectant tone and wolfish smile.

She just about jumped out of her skin in surprise when she turned to see him poking his head out of the bathroom. He was looking her over with a smile, wrapped in a yellow towel and a cloud of steam. Oh, of course. He had taken a shower, too.

He grinned as she practically ran down the hall to him, but his grin faded as she got nearer and he saw there were tears in her eyes. He opened his arms to her and she immediately went into them, wrapping her own arms around his warm waist and pressing her frightened face to his skin.

"Oi, what's wrong? Are you alright?" He held her close as she sniffled, trying to get a hold of herself, and he could smell the clean, saccharine scent she was giving off against the musky-clean of his own bathing items; the scent of the cream he'd made for her wafting off in pleasant perfume. He pet her hair as her fingers splayed across his back with concern. "What's wrong?"

She turned her face up to look at him, eyes watery, though she told herself she wouldn't cry. She refused to do so. She needed to get a hold on herself. She was just scared was all.

She noticed his hair was still damp from the shower, and further realized just how nearly-naked he was in only a towel, and that in its own was hanging precariously from his waist. He was warm and his skin was soft and clean, his muscles gleaming from the steamy shower.

She couldn't help but notice how toned and strong his bicep was as he held her, or the little important fact that only a towel and her small and rather revealing booty shorts separated them from each other. She felt a blush steal to her cheeks as she realized just how much naked flesh they had exposed in sum total and how little was actually covering the both of them, as well as that her scars were exposed to the light of day and anyone who might pass through would see them. She would never have put on such revealing items if she had known she was going to be nancing about the house in her skivvies, though it occurred to her that she should be more worried about the fact that she was in his arms and he was just as nearly-nekkid as she.

"I'll inquire as to the rather intriguing and, dare I get my hopes up, _fun _look on your face in a minute," he promised her as he looked down to her open-book-like eyes and the blush on her cheek, "But tell me, what's upset you?"

She looked down, which happened to be a mistake (a _large_ mistake) as she was treated to an even better view of a rather nicely toned stomach with the future promise of six-pack abs and other fun niceties to explore. She realized just how low the towel was hanging on his hips, her eyes following the fine hair trailing down his navel to forbidden territory. She swallowed, sensory perception overwhelmed.

"George, I--the scariest thing just happened," she relayed to him as she decided his face was the safer bet of the two views, and when had that gnarly bruise gotten on his chin?

"What?" he inquired. His face was furrowed in a frown as he regarded her with concern and intrigue.

"I…I just changed into a cat!" she blurted.

He blinked several times, not sure if he was hearing her correctly. "You _what_?"

"I was just stuck in little kitty-cat form!" she whimpered in high-toned fear, biting her bottom lip with a frown.

He had a vague, surprised look on his face. "Are…are you an animagus, Live?"

"What? How the hell should _I _know?" she cried out with fright.

He looked pensive. "Hm, well it figures, your sister is one…I don't know why I never thought you wouldn't be one, too," he pondered aloud, looking thoughtfully amazed. His mood changed and he was suddenly mildly angry. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

She looked taken aback, confused, and then she became defensive. "_I_ didn't know I was one!" she declared with defense, still scared by the situation.

He frowned, but then he kicked himself as he thought he couldn't _really_ be mad at her until she got her memories back. She didn't know anything much about herself as of right now; she wasn't aware that she'd kept a secret from him. But she _had _been keeping this from him when she _had _known. But why? He certainly didn't know. He found it an intriguing part to who she was. It took hard work and determination to become an animagus. Especially illegally. But he wondered what other secrets she might be keeping from him.

"I don't want to be stuck like that again!" she added, looking at him with worry.

He looked back down at her and realized she was actually scared by what had happened. He brought her back into his arms and held her tight, pushing back his anger for a later date of reproach. "Hey don't worry about that right now. Wizards can turn into animals. It's not a problem. No one's ever gotten stuck anyway," he affirmed. She whimpered with worried acceptance. He sighed, troubled. "Well, I'd keep this to yourself anyhow. You can get in real trouble if you're an illegal animagus, and I'd bet the House Cup you are. Hell, I bet it was _you_ that taught Kara how to do it."

She frowned. "Kara _can _change?"

He looked at her curiously, his mind still turning over this new information. "Into a white wolf," he supplied absentmindedly in thought.

Live mentally noted to write a letter to her sister. This was something she needed to know more about. Shit, she dabbled in _illegal_ magic? Huh, it figured. She felt the need more than ever to have her memories restored. She seemed a regular delinquent, and it would be nice to be certain that she hadn't been caught yet or had a record she needed to worry about. She'd write to Hermione once more.

"So your animagus is a cat, eh?" he inquired further with brow raised. This might be a rather productive piece of information. He was already thinking about the ways he could sneak her into his room at Hogwarts right in front of everyone….

He shook his head. Allowing his thoughts to travel that path wasn't smart in his current state of undress. Especially since he'd already noticed how he could feel her body against his and that her pajamas weren't all that thick or restricting either. After all, he was only a man. "Let's see it."

"Huh?"

He grinned as he was still having trouble gathering his thoughts. "Show me this kitty of yours."

Her eyes widened and she suppressed a giddy, half-crazed chuckle at the unintended pun. "…that's dirty."

His own eyes widened but he didn't allow himself to think much past reaction. "Change, I mean," he said with an amused smirk. "Let's see what you can do," he encouraged thickly.

"Well I certainly don't know how!" she declared with bewilderment. "And what if I can't change back?" she insisted with fright.

"You won't get stuck, I promise," he soothed.

"But I don't even know how I did it the first time, _or_ how I turned back! It just happened! What if I'm not an animagus at all and my magic is screwing me up or something?! Dumbledore said that _multiformes _are basically unprecedented for--"

"Being an animagus is something you have to work at," he interrupted, trying to reassure her. "Magic doesn't just transform you one way and then right back at random, love. Not even for someone with your crazy magic." She pouted and he offered her an encouraging smile. "You just did it without realizing."

"But…how?"

"Well Kara told us it felt like she was flowing, like water. She told us she just relaxed all her muscles and just willed it. That help?"

"But I wasn't thinking about becoming something else," she insisted, pressing her fingers into his skin in fretful insistence. He rather enjoyed the feeling.

"Well, that's just what Kara said. She says it's easy. And it happens so fast, Live, you wouldn't even have to think about doing it at all. You've probably got it down pat and it just happened. Muscle-memory is probably to blame," he reasoned. "I've seen Sirius do it a couple of times, and McGonagall is always doing it in class to show off."

She frowned, but she wasn't going to deny his encouragements and not even attempt to try. "…Okay."

She looked scared, and he rubbed her arms encouragingly. "Look, I'm right here, you'll be perfectly fine. I promise. You won't get stuck." She gave him a wry look, and he grinned. "And even if you did, we can change you back, no problem."

She frowned, but he laughed and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. She bit her lip and exhaled through her nose. Her brow was furrowed in worry. He gave her another reassuring squeeze, and she scrunched up her eyes in concentration. Nothing happened for several moments, and she opened her eyes back up to look at him with annoyance, an unsurprised sigh leaving her lips as she gave up.

"George it's not wor--"

She saw him immediately grow before her, and she realized she was shrinking at an alarming rate. She was fully cat once again. She was looking at her paws quickly in a way that looked like a cat-trotting dance, worry and surprise rising to the forefront of her mind though it was considerably less than before now that George was here to supervise. She looked up at him, willing herself to change back again, as he took a step back in utter shock.

"Ki-_Kitty-Nimbles_?"

As if Live wasn't panicked enough as she stared at herself once again in cat form, she found she didn't like the shocked look George was giving her, and she absorbed it with anxiety and worry. While the whole changing might have seemed cool had he reacted differently, she was now even more freaked out by this reaction. She wanted to immediately change back. Which in itself was a curious problem.

Okay, so she had given up on _trying_ to change when she had _actually _changed…Was that the trick? She hadn't cared so much; she'd given up; relaxed without worry in a strange sort of way.

She concentrated on the change and then decided to just…_let go_. Opening her eyes after a certain strange sinking feeling, she found that she was back to normal, and she was so utterly elated and relieved-- and even a bit proud of herself-- that it took her a few moments to realize that George seemed to be mad. Though the fact that he was clad in a duckling-yellow towel lowered the threatening quality of such a look considerably.

"_You're_ Kitty-Nimbles…"

"Kitty-Nimbles?" she echoed with confusion. Was that her cat name? …she _had _a cat name? The anger in his eyes worried her. Why was he so mad? He'd said that turning into an animal was what a lot of wizards did. Had she done something wrong? What had she done to earn such an awful look from him? Crap, what kind of secrets _did_ she have?

"Bloody hell, Live. Of course. It all makes sense," he angrily concluded aloud, his tone holding an edge of bitterness as the gears in his mind turned. She wondered if he would enlighten her as to what made sense because she was utterly confused. "I can't bloody believe it. Why would you keep this from me?!" he fired off in quick anger.

She frowned. She didn't think she was deserving of his resentment or tone, memories intact or otherwise. She knew she was smart, and that there must have been _some _reason she hadn't wanted this to get out…aside from the ridiculous cat name and obvious illegality. Maybe she had kept it a secret from everyone, including him? Either way, she refused to allow him to yell at her for something she didn't have any memory of doing.

She crossed her arms, frown deepening on her face as she decided he'd gone from helpful to harmful all too quickly. "Well judging by how mad you are, I must've had a pretty good reason for hiding it," she snapped back at him, still worried by the whole idea of being an animagus in the first place. Why did he have to be angry?

"Dammit Live!" he spat, angrily searching for words. He realized how stupid they must look arguing in the middle of the hallway, him in a towel and her in rather revealing nightclothes. But he was too mad to be worried about their states of dress. He was completely thunderstruck that _she_ could be Kitty-Nimbles, the damn cat that had scratched him on innumerable occasions and destroyed his pillows and his childhood toy, Mr. Bunnykins. And that wasn't the half of what that cat had done to his room in Gryffindor Tower. And Kelena and Kara _knew_. They had to have known all along that it was Live. Horrid bloody Gryffin-traitors, he'd get them for this. He was angry and hurt and _angry_. "I can't believe you're that damn cat! Why in the _hell_ would you keep this from me?!"

He knew the answer to that, though, just with the way he was reacting. Judging by the defiant, if somewhat confused look on her face, he instantly knew she'd kept it from him for the anger he was currently feeling at past wrongs and secrecy; that she wouldn't have wanted to hurt him in their newfound love. But he wasn't in the mood for logic to reign. She'd done rather wicked things as Kitty-Nimbles before they had gotten together. And now he was furious.

"I told you, George, this _scares_ me. I didn't even know I could do this!" she defended. She would no doubt have some serious explaining to do once she got her memories back.

If she ever got them back.

"That's just it, you _did_ know when you were doing it…_before_!" he added indignantly, a deep frown on his usually playful face.

She drew in a deep breath of anger. Yes, _before_. Time she currently couldn't account for. She was upset and hurt that he had turned on her when she had come to him for help, and she wished she was better informed about the whole situation so she could try to explain to him or apologize, but there was nothing for it. The situation couldn't be helped. And what she hated most of all were the bewildering emotions running high in her; guilt at things she couldn't identify, anger for being accused, hurt at being yelled at by someone she rather liked. She decided she wouldn't cry…she would get angry.

"My memories are _gone_, George! And whatever you're accusing me of doing _before_, you probably _deserved_ it." He frowned deeply, but she didn't care. She felt like being cruel; to justify whatever it was she had done in their past that he seemed so jilted over. She hoped it wasn't too bad, though. What kind of evil deeds could a cat get up to? Right now though, it didn't even matter. She felt quarrelsome, and she blamed him for _that_ wholly. Everything was confusing and she'd gone to him for help and now he was making accusations and yelling at her.

She exhaled angrily through her nose and turned on her heel without a word. She didn't want him to yell at her anymore, and she certainly didn't want to yell at him. She didn't have to take this. She'd had enough.

George stopped her and grabbed her by the forearm. She was immediately halted. He was strong. She hadn't realized just how strong he actually was. He always held her so gently and never forcefully. And now he had her arm in a grip he wasn't about to easily relinquish.

He circled her to face him once more, and he was surprisingly met with a horridly spiteful glare to go with her words. She looked at his offending hand in a manner obviously saying 'how dare you grab me?' but he wasn't about to back down. "What other secrets are you keeping from me, Live?" he inquired in distrustful, severe tones, looking her up and down. Suspicion and doubt began to grow in him even though he tried to fight it; his heart told him she wouldn't ever happily betray his trust.

Her brows knit together in a deep frown at his words. While she honestly didn't know what other 'secrets' she might have, she was tired of trying to make that point. It wasn't getting through to him, and with the course of things she rather felt more inclined to picking a fight and even lying just to provoke him. She wanted to have the last word, and she wanted it to be spiteful and mean; to hurt him the way his words and looks were hurting her.

"Whatever secrets I _do_ have, I won't be telling them to _you_."

She shook her shoulder hard in order to shake him off, and he let go. But only for a moment. He grabbed her by the wrist as she tried to leave. He wasn't going to let things end like this. He was pissed off and frustrated, and she was being difficult. He couldn't believe she would keep something so big from him. Even if she _didn't_ remember at the moment, how could she have kept it from him at all? He would have forgiven her. He _loved_ her, loved everything about her that she had declared would ultimately separate them, and yet she'd kept something so huge from him even before she'd lost her mind, figuratively speaking. She loved him, too, or at least, he believed she had. She hadn't pretended any of that, yet keeping it a secret that she was an illegal animagus…Why?

He fixed her with a glare to equal the one she had fixed on him. "I'm not done with you yet!" he spat with determination.

"Well I'm done with you!" she declared angrily, hurt by his tone. She tugged her wrist but he wouldn't release her. "Let me go."

"No, we're not done here," he told her with frustration. He wasn't through venting at her, and he was having trouble coming up with a new line of questioning and accusation. "Just, _what in the bloody hell_, Live?! Why?!" he asked, waiting for some sort, _any_ sort of explanation. Hell, he didn't care if she made it up if it was enough to appease his anger and displeasure.

"I already told you I can't remember any of this crap!" she exclaimed with frustrated tears welling up. It was starting to really upset her. Why did he have to be like this? "I don't _know _why! And I told you to let me go."

She moved to reclaim her wrist, but his grip was too strong. He wasn't even gripping her tightly, but he was just too strong for her to free herself. _Well, fuck this_.

George caught her other hand just as she moved to slap him--and hard, he could tell-- in the face. Man, if she had gotten his bruised jaw…

Suddenly a wicked sense of déjà vu hit him with such force that he momentarily forgot his anger, a wave of bemusement as he held both her wrists in his hands. She had tried, and succeeded, in smacking him in the face before.

She fixed him with an indignant, determined glare. She wasn't ready to stop her resistance to being physically restrained. She was having none of this.

"Ahh! Dammit Live, don't you dare try that again! I want children someday!" he affirmed with surprise as he had to pin her against the wall and bring his legs hard against hers to trap them lest she try to de-man him once more. Even so, of all the favorable jobs in the world, this was definitely in the top ten. Even angry and quarreling with her, she was still the woman he loved, in too little of clothing, and there he was, stuck in a towel and his starkies.

Live was pinned and bested physically, but her sharp tongue was left intact, and she'd give him a lashing if she ever could. "Well, I was _trying_ to do the unfortunate mother a _favor_!" she spat venomously, glaring at him even though she was, in all aspects, beaten.

He looked at her for a few moments in slighted amusement as she glared right back at him with determination. His feisty little viper. This was stupid, of course. He was just bitter about stupid things. And surprised by this information. He looked down in deep thought, still frowning though pensive, and she thought of a million things to say to accuse him and his roving eyes of, but the venom left her as he looked back at her, his eyes suddenly far softer and a lot more promising than moments before.

"…Don't you know I want that mother to be you someday?"

Her heart stopped beating as she looked at him, the blood draining from her face with utter shock at his complete change of attitude. The fight completely went out of her with disbelief at his tone. He moved towards her, barely an inch, and her stomach immediately dropped and flipped, the blood in her face returning as she looked at him and backed up. She didn't go far, being pinned against a wall and all. A giddy, half-crazed thought flitted through her mind at his words, and she would have laughed if she wasn't so utterly filled with nerves. _What, like, right now?_

She watched his face with apt attention, grasping for words like fallen straws. Well, that adrenaline had to be put to some use, and apparently he was utilizing it for other than ire and insult. "…aren't…aren't we fighting…?"

He slid his hands up her arms to her shoulders before she even realized he'd let go of her wrists, and all thoughts of escape fled her mind as he moved in for the kill, one hand on the side of her head, fingers in the hair behind her ear, the other's palm resting against the crook of her neck in a caress that no doubt felt the ridiculous thundering of her heart.

Her skin was electrified where his fingers had touched. Goosebumps went up her entire body as his mouth was mere moments from hers, and she was so utterly confused and terribly aware of the heat radiating off his chest that her breath came in short, quick huffs. Thoughts of the way he had kissed her earlier in the garden were flitting through her mind, pushing back thoughts of anger and rebuke as a rising heat filled her cheeks. Her heart was going crazy in her ribs, and she was so…so _aware_ of the fact that they were wearing so little, and his skin was on hers, and his lips were so close to her own…and weren't they discussing something a few moments ago? Something about cats? "…George…what're you--…?"

Oh.

His mouth was tenderly on hers in a hungry yet gentle caress, and he was kissing her with ardent verve. It took her breath away.

She sighed in an involuntary whimper, and he took that opportunity to caress her tongue with his as she simply melted, helpless between the wall behind her and the wall of half-naked dishy manflesh pressed against her. She was surprised by this turn of events. Her stomach kept dropping as her senses were overrun, captive and melting against his lips. So strange that his lips had such power over her. Somehow she managed to wrap her arms about his bare back and arch her body into his as she desperately craved his closeness, her lashes wet with unshed tears of ire. He kissed her with love, with vigor and force, and she was powerless to do anything but return the kisses, helpless sighs alleviating her heartache.

She whimpered as he kissed down her mouth to directly below her jaw, slowly along her neck. She shuddered at the sensation, drawing him close with arms curled up under his biceps and over his shoulders. Her cheeks held a heavy blush as she was a victim of sensation, eyes closed with the wonderfulness of his lips' caress, mind hopelessly overloaded with him except for one niggling little problem.

"…_ah_…_George-_…I don't….can't we-…_ah_…I just…I just…ai…"

She wasn't exactly sure what point she was trying to get across to him, but he seemed to know, and with a pop she was no longer against a wall in the exposed hallway, but they were standing in the privacy of his room at the foot of his bed. She was puzzled and momentarily distracted, and she realized this was the first time within her mind that he had ever apparated her with him. He kissed her lips once more, and he left her there a moment as he kicked the door shut and warded it quickly. Her legs were like rubber, and she plopped down on the mattress as he turned back to her. Her cheeks were stained pink, and there was a flush on her chest to match as she was breathing shallow, heated breaths. His eyes went to her breasts, the lack of bra thereof, her interest in him obvious, her dilated eyes. Godric help him, he was only in a towel, and he was more than interested himself.

She was watching him with a nearly hypnotized gaze, still dizzy with feeling, waiting those few moments in which it took him to ward the door and put his wand back down as he came back to her. Her expression stayed the same, captivated as he stood before her until his mouth once again held hers and her eyes fluttered closed with his in sensation. She was spinning with his kisses, noting with curious interest for later reflection that he appeared to be…ah…_gifted_. She couldn't have missed that if she had wanted to.

He had a large hand on the side of her breast, the other at the back of her neck as he kissed her hungrily, and she languished in the taste of him. She was pulling him down to her with a hand at the back of his own neck as she laid back, the soft brushing of his towel against her bare thigh causing shivers to go up her back. She pushed back against the bed with her heel to lay further wholly upon it, drawing him with her until only her toes hung off the edge. He had a hand splayed over her stomach under the light shirt she wore, exploring and caressing as she lightly gasped into his mouth, pulling him closer in consequence.

Her fingers were caressing the back of his head, his hair between the digits as she explored his mouth with her own tongue, pulling his face as close to hers as she could get it, wanting his closeness as much as she needed it. A deep rumbling noise reverberated though George's throat as his hand cupped one of her breasts, and she sighed heavily with how wonderful it felt and how right, and how _he_ felt so right. She gasped very softly, arching her back to his touch as his fingers ghosted over the tip of her breast.

Had she ever been touched this way before? By _him_? She hoped so and wanted to believe so, regardless of the absence of memories. He seemed to know his way around and what strings to pull. But right now, past didn't matter. He was touching her with such loving deference, and she felt like his willing puppet whose strings he was manipulating with deftly skilled fingers. Her heart felt like it was made of molten lava, her blood boiling at his touch. That she reacted to him so fiercely was both confusing and exciting, and she was all on board for it.

Both his hands were upon her body, inching her shirt up, and she gladly peeled the damn thing off with his assistance up and over her head. He grinned momentarily at the sight as she slid her hands up his chest and neck. She had them settled on either side of his face, cupping his bruised jaw as she brought his mouth to hers for a gratifying kiss. She sighed as his lips left her mouth once again to kiss down to her neck and collar. He swirled his tongue on the sensitive spot on her neck that he knew was the trigger to her undoing, and she sighed heavily as all thought left her mind. He was greatly pleased as she wrapped a leg around him and hooked it against his hip, trying to get closer contact with him. He accommodated her as she pulled him down the length of her body, his weight settling upon her as she sighed with sensation. He was ridiculously aware of the fact that his towel was slipping from its already precarious position, and it was rather (un)favorably separating them and helping to keep him somewhat sane.

Live ground her hips into his, a purely female, primal pleasure of having all of his weight upon her at once. She brought his hips even closer to hers with the leg wrapped around him, pulling him towards her. He felt the barriers of his sanity being slowly chipped away by the siren beneath him.

"…_oh_…_George_…" she muttered instinctually, and she flicked her tongue across his earlobe, causing him to shudder with pleasure.

This was torture. So was the leg wrapped about his thighs, dragging that towel completely off his backside and relocating it somewhere off the bed. There was so little separating them now, and Live had never been big on heavy, oppressive undergarments. He fancied he could feel everything, and she had nothing to hide from him. If she did, he didn't care anymore. He was far too distracted by the way he fit so wonderfully and agonizingly against her. It seemed liked ages since they'd gotten close and enjoyed one another's presence…and bodies.

She ground into him as he groaned with utter pleasure, feeling her heat. Her fingers were kneading the flesh of his back with lusty delight, her moans music to his ears as he nibbled her throat and kissed her breasts. She was writhing underneath him, the movements setting his veins on fire as her hands grasped at his skin. The small noises she was making wasn't helping his reserve at all.

He devoured her mouth as his hands trailed themselves down her belly to play with the waistband of the little shorts she was wearing. A sound like a sighed-whine left her throat, and he smiled and caressed her tongue with his own as he dipped his hand into the last bit of clothing between them.

_Oh_, the thin cloth that was separating them was so _insignificant_. That it should hinder him at all was amazing and wrong. She might as well not be wearing them. He could feel every part of her, the heat between them spurring him on. And he wanted, _oh_ how he _wanted_. She was driving him crazy.

But what about her memories? This wasn't technically anything new they were doing…As a matter of fact, her panties were still on, and that in its own was somewhat uncharacteristic and amazing…But for her right now, memories missing in action, this was something relatively new. Did he want to risk her anger later that he hadn't just waited until her memories were back? Would she think that he had taken advantage of her in some way? But he wasn't, right? She was as wanton as he in this area, and they loved one another, and it wasn't like the very first time they had ever gotten close…She didn't have her legs wrapped around him for lack of interest.

He had a hand on her breast as her own were on his biceps, squeezing the muscles with pleasure, and he knew that the image of her at this very moment, beneath him on his bed with hair wild and looking properly disheveled, would be forever imprinted upon his mind.

"…._oh Live_…_I love you so much_…" he rasped, the few tethers of his restraint being pulled taut and broken. He kissed her again, and she whimpered into his mouth. She had her cheek pressed against his as she caressed his face with abandon, and she whispered very lightly, the breeze of her breath on his ear causing him to shiver.

"…George, _I want you_…" she whispered out ever so genuinely, every part of her drunk with the very sensation of him. His body received and processed her words quicker than his mind had, and he was pained with wanting her so badly right back.

"Live, I want you too…" he grunted with a deep huskiness to his voice.

He kissed her face and looked at her, _really_ looked at her, his mind having a losing ethical battle with his raging hormones. He fancied he saw the shadow of her old self looking out at him from half-closed eyes, and he realized just how much he wanted her to have her memories back, for her to recognize the few new techniques he had learnt about just to make her smirk with pleasant surprise. He wanted all of her to be there, her memories unlocked. But she didn't recognize any of it because she couldn't even recall the first time he had ever kissed her, or the crazy times they'd had in Gryffindor Tower or in the Slytherin dormitories. The thought helped cool him down with pining. He thought his heart might burst, he wanted her to be aware so badly.

His mind was side-tracked as she was kissing his neck with lusty attention, squirming beneath him without restriction and urging him with her body. It was murder to endure this and not just give in. There was only so much he could take.

He raked his fingers through her hair with both hands, lifting her lips to his and moving his tongue wildly about in her mouth, the movement taking her breath away and causing heat to pool deep in her belly. She thought she might die of such agonizingly wonderful pleasure.

She moved her hands back up to gently hold his face between them, eyes fluttering. "…_George, can't we…ah…just a little_…" She was murmuring half-broken sentences of desire, and he opened his eyes to regard her, wondering, what would it hurt if they just _did_…Gave in just a little…or a lot? Screw prophecies and ethics and waiting and morals and heartache and principles. They wanted one another, and that's what mattered right now.

He blinked twice and his eyes widened, and he gently took her face between his hands and really looked at her, the expression on his face changed from that of passion to speculation. She was looking back at him with a craving in her eyes, her permission obvious as she kneaded the flesh of his back. He studied her eyes rather intensely. She was wondering what he was looking for. She wiggled beneath him considering if that was what he was searching for, and why was he delaying, and who cares what her mind thought or might think, her body said _yes_.

"Live."

"…mm yes?"

"...your eyes, darling."

She looked at him with slight confusion. "…my…_eyes_?"

"They're…they're the same way they looked before you passed out in the kitchen," he told her with a heavy sigh, his hormones screaming in disappointment.

She frowned up at him while still panting, trying in vain to ignore the demands of her electrified nerve endings. His words were somehow breaking through the crazy, heated fog of her oversexed mind. "How is that?"

He was worried, putting his needs on the backburner- the close one, mind-- as he really looked at her. It was hard to focus, but he needed to. Godric, of all times for bad things to happen…The last time he'd seen her eyes this way, she had stopped breathing and passed out. And then their kitchen had been remodeled. How was he going to explain her half-naked, disheveled form passed out in his bedroom? _Why no mum, I actually found her here this way. What? No, that is not my towel lying next to her shirt._ "Do you feel alright?"

She ground against him in answer, nearly putting him right back on the edge of ripping her scant clothing off. Yeah, he knew how she currently _felt_. Oh god, the way she felt…

"I mean, you don't feel dodgy or anything?" he stated with gruff hope, trying in vain to focus and still form sentences, her eyes still holding that crimson appeal. He felt a ridiculous pull towards her, one that had wrapped itself around him and refused to let go. It was hard to ignore, though fight it he did, for her sake.

She was calming ridiculously slowly as her mind came back on-line, which added to the current sexual frustration she was feeling, which was thus not well-received.

He explained the problem at hand to her as best he could, tried to detail it as she kissed him absentmindedly with disinterest for the issue, and he looked back at her, and he saw her green eyes gazing back at him. She was fine now? Or was she? She seemed fine. But what did it mean? Could she control it somehow? What _was_ it?

He couldn't believe he was saying it-- would be ribbed by his mates when they found out, doing a disservice to males everywhere-- as he reigned in his passions and wished he wasn't so damned noble. "Maybe we should cool things down a bit…"

Her noise of protest was enough to make his Id jump on her bandwagon and throw his Conscience right out the door, but he grimaced and remarkably held his ground. It might be smarter to wait things out a bit longer, at least until they figured out what was going on and there wasn't a risk that she might pass out halfway through…er…whatever they might get up to. Though now that she herself was calming and her senses were returning, she had a tiny inkling that maybe she _shouldn't_ just be jumping into something like this with someone she barely knew, and that she had let her passions get the best of her though it seemed oh so right, and he was oh so good looking, and _ooh_, she liked looking at him naked and feeling his body…

She was still breathing heavily, still under his spell, cheeks flushed. He saw a familiar quirk of her lip and a compromising look in her eye, and her words almost made him laugh and cry at once with wistful yearning. "Well, there's a lot you can do without actually _doing_ it."

He smirked at her and gave her an amused look, his hormones applauding her. "You know, that's not the first time you've ever told me that," he informed her with a playful smirk.

Her eyebrows raised completely to her hair, her surprise and the blush on her cheeks almost making him laugh at the absurdity. He was completely naked on top of her, and he was two seconds away from stripping her as stark nude as he, yet she was embarrassed by past words and insinuations. And he knew why. The things she was thinking of were positively indecent and a whole lot of fun. At least they had been the first time she'd told him that. Well, she seemed to be out of harm's way for now. Maybe there was no harm…

He put a finger beneath her chin to lift it for a kiss. "You're so cute, Live."

sSs

"Is that…a _hickey_?"

"Gah! Shut up!" Live shushed Tonks as her face grew brilliantly red in the garden. She pulled her hair to the side of her neck to cover the love bite that hadn't been there yesterday, and prayed to God George's mother hadn't had a chance of seeing it. Her eyes searched out the trees on the edge of the property, praying the other aurors out there hadn't heard anything. Tonks was grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"Is that _another_ one?" she asked with wide-eyed surprise and an excited grin. She moved Live's head to the side to see, and the blonde witch didn't recoil, allowing her to look as her face grew as red as a raspberry. "Oho, that's a nice one!" Tonks cooed convivially. "When did that happen? It wasn't there last night."

"Don't you have, like, the perimeter to patrol or something?!" Live declared with humiliation as the Metamorphmagus just grinned. She hadn't had hickeys when she woke up this morning…they must have just decided to show themselves this afternoon. Blast it. "Or classes to teach _back at Hogwarts_?" she implied with an agitated look.

"Snape's covering my DADA classes for today," she informed with a grin.

"Oh god…" Live muttered with humiliation. It was bad enough that she turned red and couldn't look George in the eye whenever she saw him (which was for a very, _very_ good reason), but to have a girlfriend in on it too, one who was in no hurry to go anywhere…oh, this was too much to handle.

Tonks fixed Live with a smug grin. "So…I hear you and George have been getting more…_friendly_…" She waggled her eyebrows and Live could have died from embarrassment. "Or, I _see_ you and George have been getting more friendly," she corrected with a smirk.

"Oh god…" Live repeated.

Tonks giggled. "I wish you had your memories back, then maybe you'd share the tale with me," Tonks affirmed with a smirk. The Live Hunter she was familiar with would be telling interesting little tidbits through a red face, but this mortified, little amnesiac one wasn't ready to even admit if she had hickeys elsewhere.

Which Tonks was certain she _must_, the way George kept staring dreamily at her throughout the day, and the way she nervously reddened at his attentions.

"I wouldn't tell you even if I _did_ have my memories," she affirmed through a blush. The things she and he had gotten up to were enough for her to be doing penance the rest of the year. Especially since she had actually utilized a few of the things in the original letter from Kelena, even a few of the things she had _dared_ her to do thanks to the courage adrenaline inspired…Oh dear. "You're agitating."

"_I'd_ share with _you_," Tonks sniffed with feigned-wounded pride. Live actually smirked at that, deciding to turn the tables.

"George says the things you and Lupin get up to should be kept _hidden_…at all costs," she implied slyly. The Metamorphmagus at her side turned beet red, and Live grinned, the fib having paid off. "Well, now I _know_ it's true."

"Bah," Tonks spouted as she charmed a tiny weed out of the dirt.

"Come on now," Live cajoled with a charming voice, giving the bubblegum-pink-haired witch a sly look. "What sorts of secrets do _you_ have? You can change your features at will…that's _got_ to get all kinds of kinky…"

Tonks coughed uncomfortably, her hair turning a bright color. "Okay, drop it."

Live smirked, her own cheeks blushing with wild suppositions. Now she was _actually _curious. "Have you ever…_changed _anything…like…made certain parts of yourself…_you know_…"

"Alright, point well-taken," Tonks muttered without looking at her. Live grinned. "And for your information Little Miss Slytherin, things don't get half as kinky as you and your little boyfriend might think…"

Live smiled. "So things _do _get a _little _kinky…"

Tonks snorted with laughter. "He's not into that," she said with what was possibly a mournful smirk, biting her bottom lip as she looked at the blonde confidingly. Live grinned right back at her as she turned her head quickly, her eyes darting towards the trees at their backs, and she leaned over to whisper to Live. "…I've made my breasts a little, er, fuller, but it's more for me than for him…I wasn't naturally gifted in the bosom area like you, and it does loads for confidence," she giggled conspiratorially. "You know, since you're curious." She winked.

Live smirked. "Oh dear," she giggled. She and Tonks were having a great old time at one another's expense, though when it had become more _educational_, in a sense, she wasn't certain. She was supposed to be working more on her casting abilities, and while she'd been able to levitate a large stone without much effort, they were really getting more gossip done than actual work. But she didn't mind. It was nice to take her mind off the more worrisome facts of her existence, and the Metamorphmagus was amiable and easy to talk to.

She _still_ couldn't feel her magic in the way Dumbledore meant her to. She was trying though, but nothing seemed consistent. Even when she and George had been quarreling yesterday, she hadn't blown out any walls or anything. Nothing was broken in the hall. No picture frames decided to implode or crack. And she had been _really_ pissed off then. Well, until he changed that. Yet still, nothing had gone horridly wrong.

And the bottles in his room when they'd gotten a bit _closer_? Nothing there either, though he had mentioned the thing about her eyes that she had yet to see for herself. What was happening? She didn't think she'd had any sort of control over her magic in those cases, though maybe things were different with George somehow? For certain, her magic should have attacked him, or whatever it was Dumbledore told her it would often try to do to protect her. What in the hell? Was nothing consistent? This magic crap was hard. And here she was trying to charm some stones out of their field of gravity.

"…but he didn't see that one coming, and it was a _very_ nice little interlude, let me tell you," the elder witch tittered. They both giggled in enthusiasm.

"How's the casting coming?" a soft voice asked from behind.

They both turned around with wide eyes and deer-in-the-headlights expressions. They hadn't heard the two men approaching, and their expressions revealed as much, cheeks flushed horridly.

Lupin regarded them with a cocked head and a slightly puzzled look.

"What're you ladies talking about?" George asked with a furtive grin. Their eyes moved as one from the scarred, ex-professor's face to George's bruised mug. Apparently they had a taste for wounded men. And they wickedly liked it.

"Nothing," they said as one, sly grins breaking out.

Lupin's brows knit together, and he smiled but didn't say anything on the matter. "Knight's been detained, so Molly would like it if you would stay on for a bit longer, if you don't mind."

"That's super!" the elder witch said a little too enthusiastically. He shook his head with a smirk and went into the house. Tonks watched his departure until he was safe inside from her lecherous eyes.

George regarded them with much more than obvious suspicion, his hands in his robes pockets making him look authoritative. He wasn't about to take the high road, as Lupin had. "So, what _are_ you talking about?" He looked interested, if not a bit knowledgeable.

"Okay, if you must know," Tonks started without missing a beat as Live shot her a wide-eyed look of shock, "we were talking about thongs and bras-" his eyebrows shot straight up in surprise, "-and how you would look in both. Live says stripes, I say spots."

Live bust out laughing with relief as George looked properly horrified at such a prospect, but then he grinned. "Live _knows _I prefer not to wear underthings," he said with implicating entitlement. Her face grew hot and Tonks had a good laugh at that. The elder witch got up and brushed the debris off her legs with the idea to pursue her own inspection of what color underthings _her _man was wearing today.

"Alrighty kids, play nice, I'm going inside for some of your mum's lemonade," she said to George with a grin. "Live, I think we'll try something harder tomorrow. And I'd watch it, George. She cursed a gnome a good twenty meters earlier."

"I was scared," Live supplied. It was the one spell she'd managed to pull off correctly, and she hadn't even been thinking about it. She doubted she could repeat the feat, but Tonks was confident. And it had taught the gnome a thing or two about trying to get the drop on her.

The Metamorphmagus smirked. "Well, I'll tell Molly, she'll be thrilled anyways. Behave yourselves," she laughed without meaning it as she walked away.

"She's certainly in a good mood today," George noted, offering Live his hand up from the yard.

"She likes getting to spend time with Lupin," Live intoned innocently as she brushed herself off. George quirked a brow. "I'm not even going there," she snickered in response to his interested, insinuating look.

"Live, I, um, come with me for a minute?" he requested with a nervous smirk.

She smiled at him as her cheeks flushed, wondering what exactly he had in mind and where he wanted her to go.

"Your face is an open book, sweetness," he snickered rather confidently. She was rather surprised at his perceptiveness and bit her lip, looking away so he couldn't read the rather dirty thoughts gracing her features. He grinned as he took her hand and didn't press the matter, leading her away from the house and towards the pond.

Live halted in his wake as he stopped beneath a tree, and she wondered what they were doing. Or _going_ to do. The tree itself was devoid of any green leaves, and the few it did have were orangey brown, waiting to fall. She reclaimed her hand as he released it, his own rather clammy, and watched a leaf that fell from the tree to float lightly upon the surface of the water.

She looked him over from head to toe, and decided that he looked far more alluring than a person wearing simple robes over trousers and shirt had a right to. She could easily imagine what he looked like beneath it, and the thought caused her cheeks to heat. He had such wonderful stature and was so easy on the eyes. And he rather liked her though she was covered in unpleasant scars. She still had a hard time believing that. She felt pride in such a thought, and embarrassed heat in her cheeks as well.

She peeked at his face covertly, but he seemed to be deep in thought and not paying any mind to the lecherous looks she was most likely giving him, so she amused herself by looking into the water's surface. She amused herself to think it might be fun to swim here during the warmer months, but boy how it looked chilly right now. She squatted down to look for frogs or guppies.

"Live, do you remember anything?" George asked as his voice broke the silence.

She turned her head back to look at him and smiled, feeling silly for her frog-searching. She got up to her feet and surveyed his face. He seemed preoccupied, and she didn't know what he meant. "Like what?"

"This was the place we first kissed," he told her with a nervous smirk. He didn't mention that the kiss was a byproduct of his breathing life back into her, or that she had been drowned by Grindylows near this very spot.

"Really?" she asked with pleasant curiosity, looking the place over without a single worried thought in her head. She looked at him with interest and intrigue. Was he planning to 'jog her memory' again? Her cheeks were flushed at the exciting thought.

"Y-yeah," he stuttered, running a hand through his hair. He thought of the way she had provoked him so playfully during the summer…and how their weight had snapped the tree branch that was now a rotting log near the pond. All events that had started here had brought them back to where they currently stood. All painful events. He wondered if it was a larger sign, but hoped it was not. "This is sorta where we began."

She looked back at him curiously from her observation of the surroundings. She half-smiled. Where _they_ began? Their relationship? He sure was acting weird all of a sudden. "Yeah?" Of all places for a first kiss…hopefully not a first date.

He surprised her when he took her hand, and she turned to look at him, her heart rate slightly picking up as her cheeks flushed on instinct. She wondered if she'd have adequate time to remind him that there were others probably watching before he decided to maul her with kisses. Though the possibility in itself was exciting. She rather liked the idea of how they got on with one another.

He held her hand with his own clammy one and looked into her eyes, his heart racing while perspiration beaded at the back of his neck. She gave him a curious look and gave his fingers a reassuring squeeze. Was he feeling ill? He put his other hand into his pocket and took out a small box. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. She looked at the little box with an inquisitive, odd sort of feeling as he spoke and grasped it in the hand not holding her own.

"Live, I know I tell you I love you all the time, but I want you to know that I really mean it. I do. I love you in a way I could never love anyone else in the world." He got down on one knee, and Live's hand went to her mouth in utter shock, eyes wide, thoughts ground to a halt. His hand was shaking as he held the box, and he looked into her eyes with a self-assured gaze. "Please, Live, do me the honor of giving me your hand in marriage." He opened the small box, revealing a ring fashioned out of the dragon scale he had procured from Charlie ages ago. It shone brilliant white and iridescent with color against the box's soft red cushioning. He offered her a shaky smile. "Be my wife…Marry me."

Live could feel her heart racing and mind whirling, the air seeming to have been sucked right out of her lungs. She was blinking rapidly, utterly dumbfounded and dizzy as heat rose in her cheeks.

"…I…….m-marry…?" she stammered, utterly stunned.

The self-assured look in his eyes faltered. George panicked. Live was shocked, trying to decipher this and break through her mind's haze. He stood up, still holding her hand as the one with the ring fell to his side. Both of them were silent for a minute, mutually trying to understand each other as they stood facing one another with oddly blank looks and minds going a million miles an hour. George's stomach dropped like someone had hit him in the gut.

It wasn't an outright 'no', or even a negative response, but there was no doubt in his mind that it held a rejection. He hadn't counted on this, on even the possibility of this. It left his brain completely fried. It made him angry with humiliation. It put a weight heavy and terrible upon his chest. Worst of all, it broke his heart.

"I-um…nevermind…" he was barely able to utter. It wasn't something one could easily take back or brush off, but there was nothing he could do about that now. He thought for sure she would say yes. Was it because they had quarreled the day before? Had he taken things too fast for her? Didn't she love him? Was it because she didn't remember loving him? Did she think they were too young? Was it her previous hate for forced marriage? He wasn't going to beg her to marry him proper if she didn't want to. Never would he beg. He wouldn't even repeat it. Why why why?

There were no words for such silent rejection, and no answers for his mind's wild suppositions. His heart was breaking to wild pieces inside his chest, and he kept repeating to himself that it had been too soon, he had ruined his chances by proposing too soon. He couldn't look her in the eyes. Anywhere but there. He was hurt by her silence, even more by the fact that he loved her so. He held out the open ring box with self-made dragon-scale band inside, waiting as she mechanically took it from his outstretched hand. "…you can keep it…" he affirmed about the ring as he turned away, his mind a tumult of emotion. He surely didn't want it. It wasn't right, and it was also a matter of pride. "It wasn't meant for anyone else."

She could feel his dejection thick in the air like putrid smoke. It was suffocating and horrid. She didn't know what to do or say or what course of action to take or what to even think. She found her voice cracked and dry. She needed to say more than her inane stuttering, to somehow make things better than she'd inactively mussed them. To say something even though she was too shocked to process coherent thought or a proper answer. He already accepted the idea that she'd said no. But did she want to say yes? What did she even think about this? What sort of relationship did they even have right now? What would she say if she had her memories restored? "…George…I--"

"You don't have to explain," he cut her off quickly, his face red with discomfiture. He couldn't speak to her about it in earnest terms now. Perhaps later when he had time to recover from this rebuff, but not after this. Not when he felt so crushed. He had tried to be romantic but apparently failed. "I…I understand…"

She felt tears pricking in her eyes at the horridly hurt tone of his voice. Her hand clasped tight around the wooden box, and she felt herself moving towards him though she hadn't been aware of it. She reached out for him. Something inside her was suddenly fearful, as if her world was crumbling, and she should stop it. She didn't know what she was doing, but something inside her didn't think this was right. She wanted him to look at her. She needed to actually speak useful words. She didn't want him to turn away from her. "…_George_…"

He looked over his shoulder at her, and in that brief moment the look on his face made part of her die inside with anguish. He turned away from her just as promptly, and with a cracked-pop, he was gone.

A crippling sense of ethereal pain magnified by the sorrow of the situation hit her straight in the chest, like a horrid blow delivered right to her heart. She fell to her knees in the grass as the surprising pain spread; an imploding hole had just opened in her ribcage, and it screamed for George to come back. She clutched her chest in one hand, the ring box in the other. That pain, that horrid, familiar pain was back. She knew it couldn't hurt her physically, but she felt like now all she had left were her emotions, and this gaping phantom hole was sucking them right out of her with urgency.

She could focus on that, how _that_ made her feel, and she could identify it apart from the pain of the remorse she felt for having basically betrayed him and the thoughts of a future spent together. But what she couldn't wrap her mind around was why she felt so horrid inside, why images stormed her mind with a sudden fury. She knew they were painful and demanding and pushing her to action, but what course of action should she take? Where had he gone?

What had she done…? Or, what hadn't she done? She should have said something, _anything_ to keep him there if only a moment longer. But her brain was in total fog. She was too stunned; part of her wildly expectant but not coherent enough to do something about it.

Trying to sort out her emotions in the grass and what she should do to assuage this pain, she was aware of hurried footsteps running in her direction, and then there were concerned hands on her shoulders, hands lifting her head from its pensive remorse to look her in the eyes, checking for any signs of injury or enchantment.

"What happened?! Are you alright? Where's George?!" Lupin asked, first on scene. Kingsley Shacklebolt was behind Live, wand out at the ready as he scanned the grounds. They hadn't seen anyone, but it didn't mean someone wasn't there. Had someone gotten through their charms? And where had George gone?

A sudden sob escaped her throat as warm tears dripped from her eyes. The fog lifted from her mind, and she felt the gravity of the situation fully as it weighed down her soul. She felt awful. "H-h-he left," she tried with hitched breath, the pain in her chest as a hand with a merciless vice-grip on her heart, squeezing and wrenching every good feeling from her body and making her want nothing more than _him_. And the drips of happiness and hope that _that_ feelingdidn't get, the sudden emotional heartache did quickly away with. She felt like she utterly deserved it, too, for the look he had given her was so betrayed she couldn't stomach it.

"He _left_? Where did he go?" Kingsley asked, confused. So they weren't under attack then. He signaled the other two aurors on the property that it was alright.

"Is everything alright?" Tonks asked as she exhaled heavily from running around the house, her auroring duties and perimeter sweep done. She inclined her head to look at the blonde witch, and she wondered where that pawing boyfriend of hers had gotten to, and what the threat was.

"What is that in your hand?" Lupin asked with concern, looking but not touching the box. The other two aurors cocked their heads to get a look at it. Had someone tricked her into possessing a cursed item? Had George been put under the Imperius somehow and was now gone, his duty done?

Live put the box inside her robes without an answer for them. She was too ashamed of herself to say what had happened. Her pitiful tears turned into weeping as her throat closed up on her, no words to say in explanation except that he was gone. She couldn't speak. How could she? Her insubstantial words were what had driven him off. Her tears choked her and filled her with pain, his loss both mentally and physically devastating. She didn't know what to think or do. She needed to explain herself, to tell him. He wouldn't be taking this event lightly at all. She felt he shouldn't have left. And the whole time after, she spent wondering where he had gone and wallowing in her own guilt.

sSs

"Kelena! I've just received a letter from Live!" Hermione reported happily as the bushy-haired witch hopped through the portrait hole in Gryffindor Tower.

"What's it say?" the sixth-year asked with interest, looking up from her latest smutty book.

"Well I haven't read it yet," Hermione pointed out, breaking the seal on the letter. "It just came." She perused the letter, her eyebrows shooting to her hair as Kelena regarded her with interest. "She says she blew up their kitchen!"

"What?!" Kara asked, her head popping up from behind the sofa. Both girls looked at Hermione with impatience.

"Back to normal already apparently…" she muttered as she read.

"I can't believe she blew up their kitchen," Kelena murmured with shock.

"Geez, she _must_ be part of the family now…" Kara decided. Both girls looked at her with puzzled shock. "Well, how many times have Fred and George blown stuff up there? What about Disfigured Dave?" she pointed out. Hermione rolled her eyes and Kel offered her a smirk for shrewdness.

The bushy-haired fifth year scanned the letter over, her brown eyes busily zipping back and forth. "Oh dear…Hm…She says no one was hurt and that the new potions Snape made her work great now…That's a relief." Though now it clicked in her mind as to why Professor Snape had been limping lately; something she had noticed in the substituted Defense Against the Dark Arts class that afternoon. He _must_ have gotten hurt in the incident. Live had mentioned nothing about it, but perhaps she didn't know.

She read the lines of the letter involving some rather interesting dialogue about how she and George had been getting along _quite well_ with one another, and her cheeks blushed.

"What's it say, 'Mione?" Kel asked with intrigue.

"Um, well she says not to worry about her, that she's getting on rather well…Things have been pretty strange but she's rather happy…there's a few things about gnomes…hum…"

"_What is it_?" Kel pressed, impatient for whatever tidbit had made the girl blush.

"I'm really worried about Live," Hermione disclosed evasively, deciding the risqué information wasn't something she was going to announce to the common room at large.

"How so?" Kara asked as she moved her workstation from behind the couch to the table in front of the fire. Her experimentations didn't bode well for the chocolate frogs hidden in her bag.

Hermione looked at her fellow Gryffindors. "Her letters are too…_upbeat_, for one. Like overconfident, even for her." Not only that, but they read strange even for memory-impaired Live. She couldn't put her finger on it, but Live's letters seemed _off_ lately. Hermione had told the Slytherin not to try any tricky spells as they could easily backfire, and Live wholeheartedly agreed as she could hardly do any focused magic anyway, and _that _was with assistance. She had written not to worry about her, and that she couldn't wait to see them again, and don't worry, she was well, and the books from the library should be on their way to her anytime. She also noted in this letter that she would be more careful and act with caution where her magic was concerned, but Hermione was still wary. She hoped George was taking good care of her.

Kelena raised a brow. "Now that _is_ something we should be worried about," the sixth year said with concern. She set her book down to stand next to the fifth year and perused the letter in Hermione's hand. "Damn, I owe her a galleon…I didn't think she'd honestly do _that_ to George…at least not with her memories gone," she snickered. "I wonder what she got in return?"

"You're not allowed to add anything to Hermione's letters anymore," Kara said with distaste, her nose wrinkled in disgust. Hermione seemed to agree with her, and Kelena only shrugged with a grin.

"I'll write her again," she smartly decided with concern. "Do you think Harry would let me use Hedwig? I think we're wearing out the normal owl I've been using."

"Well, maybe if you didn't make the poor thing go back and forth so often, it wouldn't be a problem," Kelena intoned with a smirk. "Or start tipping better."

"Live said not to use Hedwig, remember? She's too noticeable, even if she is faster," Kara reminded. "Besides, it's gonna be late by the time you've finished the letter."

Kel looked thoughtfully at the large window of the common room. "Well, it _is_ dark out already. Maybe it would be alright?"

"Hm. I suppose I could just send an owl tomorrow before breakfast," Hermione worried. "It'll give me extra time to write more anyway."

"And for me to sneak in a few things," Kel said through a smirk. Hermione frowned and Kara made several disgusted, strangled noises.

The portrait hole popped open and Fred jumped through with a large box in his hand and a grin. He was followed by Lee and Neville who both looked curious and excited.

"Whatcha got Fred?" Kelena asked as he walked by.

"Top secret," he said with a smirk as he climbed the stairs to his dormitory with Neville following. Lee stayed behind to warm himself by the fire. The trek to Hagrid's was damn chilling.

Kel frowned. "Dammit, he doesn't tell me anything anymore," she noted bitterly.

"Not since the law took away your official nagging rights," Kara referred to the annulments with a wide, toothy grin at the elder Gryffindor. She seemed rather pleased at this development. "He doesn't have to, remember?" she reminded with a wry smirk.

Kelena's mouth twisted in annoyance. "Oh shove a broomstick in it."

Kara grinned and decided to ignore Kelena. "What _does _he have, Lee?" she asked with curiosity. As if her asking would get a better response. Lee had been celebrating _his _freedom from Kara since the annulment plans had been pre-conceived.

"Top secret," Lee repeated Fred's words as he observed the messy state of affairs on the table. Where _her _experiments for joke products were messy, Fred and George's ideas were just as equally dangerous. He wasn't sure which business partner he would rather work with, and he'd just as soon as not with either where his person's safety was concerned.

Kara gave him a slit-eyed frown, a look she had perfected by mimicking Live. "It had better not be any _secret _joke items that involve your business partner over here," she threatened. Lee's eyes widened, but he held his hands up, warding her off.

"Nothing of the sort," he affirmed.

"Well, what's he got then?" she asked frivolously, playing with a chocolate frog she was trying to drizzle a potion on. Lee blinked. Her mood swings were varied and frightening to him.

The portrait hole swung strongly open and Ron jumped through it followed by Harry and Ginny. "Where's Fred?" he asked.

"He just went up to his room," Hermione reported as they filled the area, the Fat Lady's aggravated words following them into the common room. Ron's face was flushed like he had just run, and he looked very bothered. "What's happened? You look dreadful."

"I just got an owl from mum," he murmured with a look at Harry. The boy grasped his shoulder supportively before he took the stairs two at a time to fetch Fred.

"A Howler?" Kel intoned with expectance.

"Is your mum alright?" Hermione asked.

"No, no, it's worse," Ginny said, distressed. "She wants to know if we've seen George."

"If we've seen _George_?" Lee echoed with confusion. "Isn't he supposed to _be _at your mum's?"

"Wait, what are you talking about? Is my sister alright?" Kara quickly asked with sudden worry. The frog in her hand made its escape as she was fully focused on Ginny. The fourth year shook her head as she shrugged with worry and a lack of information. "Well, were they attacked? What happened?"

"She didn't say anything about an attack…Mum wants us to give him up if we're hiding him or something," Ginny huffed with annoyance, though she was quite concerned about the disappearance of her older brother. She took back all the mean thoughts she'd had about doing away with one of the twins since there were two of them anyway. She hoped he was just being stupid and apparated off on a lark or something. Whyever would he leave Live at home? "As if. I certainly haven't seen him, and if I did, I'd curse him right back where he should be."

"Mum says George apparated away somewhere _hours _ago, and they haven't been able to find him since," Ron confided. "No one has seen him."

"What?!"

"Why? Did they tell Dumbledore?"

"It doesn't say, but she said to check Hogwarts just in case," Ginny reported to them. "Or more like make him come out of hiding. I've already asked around. Dean and Seamus haven't seen him."

"But you can't apparate onto Hogwarts grounds," Hermione reasoned. "He wouldn't be able to."

"That's why I told Ron we should sneak down to Hogsmeade and check there," Ginny brought up. "Last place George would go is _school_."

"You think George is in Hogsmeade? Why would he go there?" Hermione intoned with worry.

"I think he'd go to Zonkos," Ginny told them with a pensive frown.

"But _why_?"

"For joke stuff of course," Ginny supplied. Hermione sighed with frustration.

"I mean why would he leave at all? Zonkos would be closed, or clos_ing_. It's late."

"Maybe Live got too frisky for him," Kelena tried to joke.

"Shut up Kel," Kara muttered as she was already deducing ways to make Lee apparate her to the Burrow and see what was going on firsthand. "Live's in pain when he's not around. Why in the hell did he leave anyway?"

"Did something happen?" Lee asked Ginny. She took the letter from Ron's hand and gave it to Lee without concern. He read over it, but there really wasn't any more information that what they'd already gotten. Just a lot of their mum trying to firmly coax them into handing George over to Dumbledore if they had him, and to please tell their head of house at once. "I don't understand…why did he leave?"

Fred came down the stairs several at a time, a puzzled look of interest on his face. "So George flew the coop?"

"How can you make fun, Fred?" Ginny chastised.

"Oi, if that prat were in any kind of trouble, _I'd_ know," he affirmed. Ginny rolled her eyes. "Twin thing." He grinned.

"Fred, he and Live need to stay within the same property to properly heal. Remember what she said Dumbledore did to them?" Hermione pointed out.

Fred merely shrugged without worry, smirking. "Maybe they had a fight and he needed to get away for a few hours." He gave Kelena a pointed look.

"Maybe someone should throw you off the astronomy tower," Kel threatened.

He gave her a charming grin in response. "My dear, being forcibly bound to you nearly made me jump off the astronomy tower voluntarily." There were several snorts of laughter from the few people supposedly doing their homework and reading in the common room. Kelena shot them all death glares.

"But Live said they were getting on so well," Hermione counter-pointed with disbelief. She still held the letter in her hand, though she wouldn't show the actual text to Fred. That was just a scandal waiting to happen. "And this letter was written this morning."

Fred shrugged. "Well I'm not worried."

Kara's eyes turned to slits as she regarded the lone twin. "I think he _knows _something."

He raised his hands in protest. He seriously knew nothing on the matter. "I haven't heard from George in days except on matters strictly business. I'm just surprised he didn't take Live with him for a tryst or two." Kara ground her death-stare into him, and he actually leaned away, as if it would lessen the severity of it. If Snape had ever learned to master such a look…Thank Godric Kara was on their side. "Hey, if anything happened to George, I'd lose the rights to the franchise. I'm sure everything's fine!" he declared in supplication.

Kara put her chin in her hand with a pout. That was good enough for her. Now she was stumped.

Ron looked agitated, and gave Ginny a look. "See? I told you it wasn't anything big." All that energy wasted on worrying for his older brother. Chances were that George knew what he was doing and having a great old laugh at their expense. It wouldn't be the first time, though it _was _the first time he had acted alone. "I bet they had a row and he took off for a while."

"But for hours? This is all odd," Hermione said with worry. Something was up, and they were being kept in the dark. "I'll send a letter right away." She grabbed her bag from beside the couch and shoved Live's correspondence into her pouch. She'd compose it on the way to the Owlry in her mind and put it to parchment once she was there.

She side-stepped one of Kara's escaped chocolate frogs and climbed into the portrait hole only to have it open before she touched it. She came face-to-face with McGonagall.

"Miss Granger, if you don't mind?" the Deputy-Headmistress indicated as Hermione backed up back into the common room. Their head of house climbed through and stood with satisfaction looking at them all. "Good, you're all here."

Several students grabbed their stuff and quickly motored to their respective dormitories at the sight of their head of house. No doubt hiding things against the rules, but she was too busy to care at the moment to investigate. The little group gathered around the fireplace stood waiting expectantly as she took them in. All of whom she suspected would be involved were present, so she wasted no time.

"I assume you've all gotten word of George Weasley's disappearance," she started, not surprised when they all more or less nodded. "Good. Well then you know that he needs to return to…hm, he needs to return immediately." She had caught herself. Though the little group knew the secretive whereabouts of the Slytherin and the Gryffindor, it was to remain hidden to the general populous until the girl had regained some sense of her former self, and just because it looked like they were the only ones in the common room didn't mean it was true. "For both their sakes."

"Professor, we haven't seen him," Hermione told her honestly. "No one has."

"Is everything alright? Is my sister okay?" Kara asked with certainty to receive answers.

"She's no different than when you last saw her," McGonagall reported definitely. It wasn't the answer Kara wanted, but she supposed it was enough to know Live was alright. "I must impress upon you all the importance of the situation. They need to remain in close proximity. If you are hiding him anywhere…"

"Professor, we swear," Ginny told her. "I even asked around. I don't think he's here."

"School's the last place he'd ever come to…er, Professor," Fred added with a playfully respectful smirk.

She looked disappointed, but rather assured. "Alright, Weasley, I'll take your word." She turned her back to leave, but then decided to add more. "And your father is already looking in Hogsmeade, so no need for adventures, children. It is nearly curfew besides." She left to the sound of shocked noises of affront, peg on the mark.

"Well I'm going to go send that letter," Hermione said.

"We'll go too," Harry volunteered himself and Ron.

"I'm not sneaking out, Harry. Ron's dad is already in Hogsmeade, there's no point. It's going to be past curfew soon anyway, and we have prefect-duties." She said the last part looking at Ron, and his face colored. She certainly had better things to do than sneak about Hogsmeade. Her idea of 'prefect-duties' was to patrol the hallways and end the night with a bit of a snog. And he was none to complain.

"Alright," Harry muttered, dropping into the couch. He didn't really want to walk all the way to the Owlry anyway.

"Dad will find him," Ginny said as she plopped down next to Harry with a smile.

Fred grabbed Lee by the shirtsleeves and dragged him up the stairs without a further thought to his wayward twin, the box of their new investment needing further inspection to see if they were healthy and to their liking.

"Well I guess that's it then," Kelena concluded with a puzzled look as Ron and Hermione left the common room. "Do you really think they had a row and he just up and left?"

"Live can be mean when she wants to, but George doesn't think anything of it when she normally does, and her memories are gone besides…" Kara pointed out rather smartly. Her eyes widened and she grabbed Kel by the robes. Kelena resisted as the younger Gryffindor was covered in a sticky mess. "I never told Live that she was Kitty-Nimbles! You think he found out and got pissed off?!" Kara whispered with sudden epiphany.

"You'd think Live would mention something like that in her letter," Kelena pondered. "I don't know." She went back to retrieve her book, and made a noise of disgust as her foot squelched something on the floor. "I think I just killed one of your lifelike chocolate frogs."

"Ew."

Kelena went back to her book and Kara back to her experiments while Ginny enticed Harry to a more private corner of the room. They decided upon going to bed that night that the only reason George would ever leave Live would be if he found out about Kitty-Nimbles and he was punishing Live for it by taking off. But he'd be back, and no doubt have some sort of revenge planned for the both of them as well, so they didn't over worry themselves on the matter. Besides, with Hermione's late-night owl sent and Fred's assurance that nothing horrid was amiss, things would be sorted out by morning, no sweat. They went to sleep that night with little worry but for the vengeance George would exact on them for their secrecy. But that didn't deviate very much from daily life, so they were able to sleep soundly that night. Life went back to normal in Gryffindor tower, but life was still wide awake and worrisome at the Burrow.

sSs

So, how many people did I disappoint when they didn't get it on at the start of the chapter::counts plethora of hands:D :in a Nelson Munce sort of voice: Ha-ha.

I'm actually keeping this story pretty tame…I don't know why. I think I'm just waiting with it. Indiscriminating smut-fan? See my pirates fic A Pirates Life Indeed (click my name, goes to my profile, the rest is in the bio). More smut than you'd know what to do with and than they allow on this here server. Haha. And I actually wrote it all decently. Ha.

So, we finally found out what the hell George was doing with that dragon scale. And now, well, sad day on his life, eh? I've never been _officially _proposed to, but man, something like that has _got_ to hurt, eh? So let's recap: George is currently MIA, Kara has an unhealthy fascination with chocolate frogs, Live has dragon-jewelry, Fred has a large package (heh) and Lupin and Tonks apparently get it on at regular intervals. Chapter in a nutshell. And to think you wasted all that time reading. Hur hur hur :D

I think I've been a very good little writer with getting these chaps out in a timely manner this summer, ne? My mailing list is ongoing. If you're still interested and wanna be added, lemme know (an e-mail sent my way with 'mailing list' as header is best, I get a lot of spam that looks like real people, and I just delete it without opening. Here's my e-mail spelt out since they apparently have a thing against internet addresses of any sort within fics o.O: horrormoviebufy at yahoo dot com).

Luniepoo: Tee hee, I'm glad you enjoyed all the mucking around. Literally. Haha man, I used to read those Animorphs book series in elementary school, and I always thought it would be so cool to be able to turn into an animal…Now I get to have fun with it and screw with the characters :D haha. Yeah, but if it ever really happened, I think I would first and foremost flip out and hope it wasn't permanent. If it wasn't, then how damn cool is that? Lol. I so added you to my mailing list. Woo!

WeasleyO: Ha, ok, no joke, your username _totally_ made me think dirty and rather appropriate thoughts where the delectable Weasley males are considered XD heh heh heh. Oh dear. I'm so glad you've been enjoying!! Haha, I'm always surprised when I have new readers when this story is so long. I'm like, well damn, another person was able to get through it. HAHAHA:D But thankies so much! I love you too! WOO! Outpouring of the lurv, hells yeah. Hee hee, man, as much as I like to write George in the manner I do, I am firmly of the belief that there is no man out there that really exists with his qualities :/ Then again, I haven't been to Ireland yet, so we'll see!! HAHA oh man, red heads _everywhere_::drool::die:: tee hee.

redheadlover: Ha, yes, I am the embodiment of evil, you know, in a lovely sugar-coated shell. Haha oh man. Lol. It's a lot more fun than I make it out to be! Tee hee hee. But yes, I'm quite certain I confuse the hell out of a lot of people and stuff, so there will always be a level of minor confusion, but I'm glad you are not as confused! Woo…now I'm confused O.O haha. Good times. And of course, the destruction of one's childhood toy will never be forgotten XD haha. But forgiven, ne:D woot.

Karma k-2: HAHA man, if I could draw decent people, I would _totally_ do some fanart of what I did to Bill. Haha! Maybe I'll attempt it at some point, tee hee. I'm just slow on the going with it, I'm not amazing in the art department like a bunch of people. It takes me time to work things out that others can do in an hour. Hahaha :D And in related news, I totally think I'm gonna invest in a wacom tablet. I've never used one before, but I think it's about time I evolved :D Haha. Hope the Kitty-Nimbles stuff was satisfying :D I'm still writing the next chapter, of course, but I plan to get into stuff a bit more, get them out, etc. I really need to get the ball rolling. I mean, holy moly, we're going on forty-five chapters here. That's like, ridiculous with how much I write. Like a damn novel or something. Ugh. Ha, like fanart, I believe someday fan-cartoons and fan-movies (as in, big-budget fully-funded legal profitable ones) will become the new entertainment of the day, maybe in another fifty years. Haha. Like how movies are being made into plays and vice versa XD Until I can sell, I'll be content with entertaining you lot :D hee hee.

Nomanslandvicki: Thankies much, and I totally added you to the list :D woot. Hee hee, so we should be set! Yay! Heh heh. Yeah, I don't think it would have shown up otherwise, I think fanfic dot net is tyring to protect against bots or _something_, like, no e-mails or site addresses show up in either uploaded chapters or in people's reviews. It's friggin weird.

Delly: Thank you very much! Woo! Hope to keep you satisfied:D I live to please, please to serve, lol.

NaraOccult: Woot, thank you! Ha, yeah I actually feel a lot more at ease in changing up the endings a bit (I mean, I've been updating quicker too, so I don't need to cliffhang everyone for my own inadequacies, ha). Thankies muchos!

Chineseretard92: Hee hee, if I had better drawing skills I would totally illustrate what I did to him, haha! Gotta love the Weasleys :D hee hee, even with all the dysfunctional-ness, they totally remind me of my own family and some craziness between friends whom I consider family. Ha, except we hide our messes and trouble a bit better, heh heh. I'm glad you're enjoying it so :D There's not much good quality stuff on here. I have some fav stories in my fav area which are actually quite decent reads, and fun stuff. Ha, the last great ones of the site, lol. I promise if I ever become a vamp, I will not scare you. Haha :D I'll write m'butt off for ya! Woot.

Dckveg: Ha yes I've had an incredibly amazing amount of time this summer to write and get my ideas out XD hahaha. You know, being unemployed since October '05 and all :D lol Though I have applied for three jobs, just no call backs yet o.O hum. Thank you so very much:D heh heh. Lol And I've been having crazy days and strange schedule. I sleep ten hours, have fourteen hours of waking time, and much of it is spent writing after midnight till about four or five am, depending on how much of a kick I get into. Ha, I've been caffeine-ing out lately. I've figured out the perfect caffeine to multi-vitamin ratio for daily optimum performance, so I've been getting a lot done. Haha. It also helps that I haven't written myself into a corner in a bit, cuz I've been immediately starting off the next chapters right after I cut them off :D woot. Heh heh. Love for you.


	45. To break a promise

I hope everyone is having a good time. Order of the Phoenix film rocked my sox. And I am officially and forever traumatized and heartbroken by what happened in The Deathly Hallows. I break into tears still if I think about it too much; especially when talking about it. But that's ok. My official stance is that page 637 never happened, nor did page 638. Everything is good and wonderful in the world of Harry Potter, and they're all safe in my sexiness-harem. Oh goodness. Let's not speak of it. Much love from me!

_Lately I have desperately pondered,  
Spent my nights awake and I wonder  
What I could have done in another way  
To make you stay._

-The Cardigans, _Lovefool_

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 45: A promise to break

sSs

Live was fully aware late that night; she knew the very second when George had finally come home.

The pain in her chest no longer felt like a gaping abyss, and she felt whole once again, though no less terrible. George must have felt the same physical pain she had as he was rather worse for wear upon silent return, and he looked much more weary than even her troubling would have caused him. She hadn't been aware that he had ever felt the pain as she had, and it hurt her that much more that he had left even with the promise of such agony at hand. Emotionally, she felt like a wreck, and the fact that she was the cause of all their problems wasn't helping her to feel better. But it wasn't just her in _that _respect. He was an emotional mess as well.

Upon his return, he wouldn't tell anyone where he had gone or been for most of the night. He simply apparated back into the yard well past midnight, refused to speak to anyone, and locked himself in his room without a word. And he wouldn't open for anyone or anything. It was driving his poor mother mad. The house was in an uproar after that, owls being sent out with messages while aurors popped in and out with news and reports and tidings.

Live had seen him in the yard from her window, and heard him come in as well: his footsteps as he passed her door where she was too cowardly to come and greet him; his mother harping at him for all her worry and his disappearance. And then the sound of a door slamming shut, and momentary silence before Mrs. Weasley tried to get in, and then her steps retreating back downstairs in a huff.

No one knew the exact reason why he had disappeared for hours. Nor did they know to where he had gone. They simply thought the two had had some sort of row, and everything else on their part was speculation as Live had refused to surrender the little ring box currently sitting on her bed, or any information therein that might help. And she had hidden herself away in _her _room as well. She wasn't going to speak of the actuality of the situation, or why everything was suddenly so hard and so messed up.

At least he was home now.

Tears were in her eyes and she was at a loss of what to do. Should she go to him now? Should she talk to him? Would he even let her? Did he want to be alone? Should she chance it anyway? What could she do that would make a difference? He wouldn't open his door to even her. That attempt had failed. Should she formulate a plan?

_Later, Later, Later._

She fell asleep with unsettled tears and troubled dreams, uncertain for what the morning would bring her, and uncertain of herself.

sSs

By dictate and not by choice, Live was working on her magic in the Weasley's garden once again. While her spellwork and summoning skills were returning to some semblance of their former glory and her casting abilities returning at an exponential rate, her spirit was weakening. George had locked himself in his room for all of the night and most of the day, and when she actually _did_ see him once by chance (or possibly accident), he wouldn't talk to her or even look at her for all the good her pleading did. It was eating her up inside with guilt and remorse, and she couldn't stand his apathy or the possibility of his hate.

She had replied to Hermione's letter that had arrived early that morning, filled with worry and questions and concern and advice. In her reply, she had spilled her guts to the witch: everything about their previous fight and her cat form, and told her how George had proposed to marry her, and how asinine she had been, and how now she didn't know what to do.

George wouldn't see her, or even speak to her through his door no matter how much she begged him to please talk to her and no matter how much she apologized her fault through all awkwardness and hurting him. She thought if he yelled at her at least it would have been better than all the silence she received. Surely he must be mad. She would rather face his anger than his silence. And the thought of him depressed made her half mad with hopelessness. He didn't come down for breakfast or lunch, and he wouldn't even open his door to his worried mother or any of the aurors. Several were concerned that he might have been cursed-- as Live wasn't saying anything to relate the problem to them, and neither was he-- and so they had tried to break into his room for his own good. But his wards were too strong and he was too apathetic to be bothered to undo them, and so things were at a tense standstill.

Live squeezed her sore eyes together, playing with the ring box in her robes pocket and not really focusing on trying to work her spells. The shining band was inside, resting so deceptively comfortably upon the soft interior without a care in the world. She thought it was unfair.

On a crazy impulse this morning, she had tried it on. It had fit perfectly, but that seemed so wrong and ridiculously upsetting now. She had examined it, the strange iridescent veins of color running through the band. She thought it looked like it was opal, but she'd never heard of rings being made of such a stone. And this somehow seemed stronger and more resilient, yet softer. It was beautiful, but the beauty was tarnished with the shameful silence she had given him upon its reception. She wished she would have spoken. Explained herself or overcome her idiotic shock to think up some sort of proper reply.

And even now, with all her thoughts and weighing her options, she even considered it was a rather appropriate course of action to take after they'd rather '_gotten to know' _one another in his bedroom. She hoped that _that _hadn't been the cause of his sudden desire to marry her. Or even the possibility that she would have his protection under that heartstrings thing Dumbledore had mentioned. It didn't seem a right reason. She knew she would be safer. But would that fact alone make him want to commit to marrying her? Her confused heart spoke otherwise, and she was certain if her memories were fully intact, her mind would berate her as well.

A rustling behind her made her look up hopefully, but it turned out to be that black dog coming from the side yard…or the man that was the dog. She was so sick of magic.

She exhaled through her nose with despaired disappointment and looked back with disdain at her wand sitting next to her. She released the little box hidden from the world and took her hand out of her pocket. She picked her wand back up, concentrating on conjuring as she knew she was _supposed_ to be doing, as regardless to everything else she was there hidden away to regain some of her mastery and be capable of defending herself now that she was lost and confused. And no doubt the dog would tell on her if she didn't at least make an attempt. What an unnecessary bother.

Tonks, the one person whom she might have been willing to talk to this morning, had had to return to Hogwarts to fulfill her teaching duties; other aurors taking her place at the Burrow as they rotated shifts. She wished the woman was there. She was ready to talk about the whole confusing incident, though even thinking of it brought tears to her eyes. She was at a complete loss, and she certainly couldn't broach the subject with George's own mother…

A little dust tornado circled before her as she had been _trying _to create a stream of water. Nothing seemed to be working right, and she couldn't feel a lick of her magic before it realized itself. The little tornado whirled out on its own as she lowered her wand with discouragement. She put the length of black palm wood back on the ground with antipathy and spread her fingers in the grass, allowing the green shoots to go between her fingers. The dog came to her, and she looked at him with disdain. "Go ahead and tell on me, I'm not doing it anymore," she told him obstinately. He nosed the displaced wand toward her hand, but she wouldn't pick it up. She further grasped the earth with contempt and ignored him. Perhaps if she acted like he wasn't there, then he might go away and leave her to her depressing reverie.

He yawned a doggy yawn and laid in the grass next to her, head on his paws and eyes looking out at the moving clouds with dog-lazy attention. He wasn't going anywhere.

She sighed and listened to the few birds that still sang this late in the afternoon, and wondered when they would fly away to warmer climes. They'd gotten a sprinkle of rain the other night, and nights were getting progressively colder. No doubt the snows were next.

_Does he hate me?_ she thought with creased brow. She sighed with anxiety. She didn't know what else to do. She so badly wanted to speak to him, to sort things out proper. But he wasn't having it, and no one could get into his room. She had entertained the thought of somehow sneaking in as the cat, but then she wondered if it would just make him angrier, seeing it, and how would she find a hole to get in anyway, if she could even control the transformation…What would this dog have to say on the matter?

Said creature next to her whined, and she absentmindedly pet him behind the ears, surrendering her merciless grip on the earth as she was deep in thought. What to do, what to do? There were numerous options at hand, but none of them were too tempting, and all required some level of commitment she simply wasn't strong enough to provide. She hated the idea of breaking a strict promise to Hermione, but it just might come down to that if she could pull it off.

With realization that she was petting Harry's own godfather behind the ears and not really a dog, Live extricated her hand with a wry look at the humanimal and grabbed her wand. She got to her feet and went inside.

sSs

"I'm just so worried," Tonks said over a cup of freshly-poured tea in Dumbledore's office. She looked entirely frazzled, an uncharacteristic frown on her face. That matter was partially due to the fact that a fourth year in class had nearly set a hinkypunk loose that had been brought in for them to visually study. She'd had them recapture it with minor trouble, but she personally hated the damn things.

"The boy is safe now, and the young lady is regaining her skills at an exemplary rate. I think it will soon be safe enough to have them both return to school," Dumbledore provided as he steepled his fingers in thought.

Tonks shrugged. "I didn't mean because of the secrecy or her sorcery…Just, everything about last night. She seemed so lost inside herself. And she wouldn't tell me anything or why." She exhaled with bothered concern, tracing the rim of her teacup with her index finger. "I have never seen, in anyone's eyes, the look I saw in hers last night."

Dumbledore sat back in his chair, fingers threaded together. While he was certainly glad and had been just as relieved as all that George had shown back up at his parent's home and that foul play had not been a factor, he felt responsible.

He wondered if the Weasley boy had taken the advice he had given that morning days and days ago in St. Mungo's concerning the ring-box he had found in the pocket of his then-unconscious form. It wasn't as if he had needed to plant the idea in the boy's head; it had already been there as per the wedding band. But he wondered if perhaps the young man _had _decided to properly marry the blonde Slytherin as a security measure, and was thusly rebuffed by her. It would account for his sudden departure from the safety of his parent's home and the protective charms that had been placed upon it, and that he would willingly cause himself pain from their bonded separation was a wonder as well. Her rebuttal would account for the owls he'd received from Molly that her son refused to come out of his room now that he was safe, though he would speak to no one. Dumbledore remembered a time in his own youth when he had done the same thing over a young woman whom had got away, and it had devastated him. Young people's emotions were ever so volatile, and getting turned down was never cause for celebration.

But if it had indeed been the case- that George had proposed to the girl- then it had been kept a secret by the both of them. Otherwise he was quite certain he'd have received a rather hot-tempered letter from Molly expounding on the situation. So Dumbledore wasn't going to share that piece of information with the fretting Metamorphmagus in front of him just yet. Though to know the reason of the Slytherin's troubled looks and mind would have probably brought her a bit of peace-of-mind herself.

Dumbledore smiled at the multi-colored-haired witch. "Well George is home, now, so there is no need to fret for the well-being of the pair."

Tonks didn't appear convinced. "She looked like she was in so much pain."

Dumbledore nodded with expectancy. "That would be due to their shared bond. The subsequent separation would still be rather painful, I'm sure."

"…no…not like that…" Tonks muttered into her teacup as she drank the liquid. There was something so familiar and sad about the look that had occupied Live's face when she had left; before George had turned up. She had no idea how the blonde witch was currently bearing, now that he was back.

"I am certain things will right themselves once more. Likely well before you leave for the changing of the guard."

Tonks shrugged, and drained her cup with a sigh.

sSs

If the gossip of the Great Hall was any indication of how things were presenting themselves for the evening, then the current chatting did not bode very well at all.

"Well I heard that now he's on the run."

"Who? You-Know-Who?"

"No, idiot. George Weasley."

"What? George Weasley again?"

"Yeah. They were looking for him everywhere."

"But he's _been_ missing."

"I know, but he just recently escaped from wherever they've been holding him. Last night, too, I heard."

"Escaped from where?"

"Wherever he was being held. Remember they took him off somewhere? I heard it was St. Mungos, but he hasn't been there since he left the castle. My uncle's a healer; he said he wasn't there past one day. _I_ heard he was kidnapped."

"And they were looking for him _here_? It's _school_. That's the last place I would think George Weasley would go. But what's he on the run for?"

"Who knows? But they can't find him anywhere. Maybe he did something?"

Hermione had had enough of the mean, confused gossip that had been flying around since it got out that they had been searching for George Weasley through the night. He was one of the two students who had recently 'disappeared' from Hogwarts without a trace or reason, Live Hunter being the other. And the students were puzzled as those with knowledge of what was happening weren't saying anything on the matter, and there seemed to be some sort of cover-up going on.

Live's friends in Slytherin, as well as those out of the loop from other houses, had no clue where the blonde had been taken; only that there had been a minor scuffle outside the castle the night she had disappeared. And no authority figures had made an official statement about it, regardless of how Vivian Monteclaire and Rebecca Haversham pestered their Head of House or the mediwitch who had last treated her. They told them to get out of it and threatened the girls with detention. And supplications to Dumbledore only ended with his kind affirmations that the pair were perfectly fine, and not to worry.

The Gryffindors themselves were curious and worried as to what had become of George Weasley after he had gone from St. Mungos. Though Fred assured them all that everything was okay, Lavender Brown was spreading some nasty rumors (which resulted in loss of hair and boil-covered skin; Kara's doing) and Seamus Finnegan was crazily concerned that George might have been taken by Death Eaters for some scatterbrained reason. It had taken a lot of rumor-killing to stop everyone from asking nosy questions, and Ginny had had to utilize her Bat-Bogey hex in order to stop some of the more avid questioners from pestering her. After all, if the family members were not worried about the secret disappearances of their siblings, then everything must be under control and so everyone should just get out of it!

That was, until word of George's disappearance had spread round the castle last night like wildfire. Now questions were back with a fury, and had been flying around all day. Fred had been making the most of it (as he knew his twin to be alright) telling everyone that George's well-being was directly linked with people's joke-item orders, and they should buy post-haste! Hermione herself was having trouble with nosy looks and inquiring gazes, though she held to the firm statement of knowing nothing and was a bit ashamed to use her Prefect status to deter questions.

But that didn't stop the rumors. People affirmed that since the Weasleys themselves hadn't known what had become of their brother, then foul play must surely be afoot.

But while initially _everyone _had been in the dark as to George's whereabouts, letters had proven that the pair were safe holed up at the Burrow, and that George had returned in the early hours of the morning, and that all was well. That is, only the immediate family and friends closest to the situation had been informed. The school at large was convinced that George Weasley was on the run from _some_thing, and they didn't know if it was for good or bad reasons. And then the fact that Live Hunter was still gone raised more than a few brows as it all coincided with the marriage annulments. Everyone suspected foul play of the strange variety.

The bushy-haired witch gathered her items and took a rather uneventful walk through the courtyards to clear her mind, when a small-sized barn owl greeted her with a letter bearing Live's own scrawl. She excitedly took the letter and ran to Gryffindor Tower in order to share its contents with the others, ripping it open as she hopped through the portrait hole, perusing as she moved.

Harry was showing Ron a new charm he had learned, and they were using it to confuse the third years trying to get their parchment written, the younger years wondering why the words they wrote kept rearranging themselves to insult them. Lee was sitting with Kara at one of the tables, the both of them deep in concentration as they worked on their own, non-schoolwork projects. Kara had decided she'd wasted most of the day doing _actual_ homework, and now that night had fallen, she had precious little time to get her affairs in order before she needed to sleep. It didn't help that she was trying to share the space with older years who were trying to get their own last-minute homework done, and kept trying to shunt her from the table for all the space she was taking up.

Hermione was standing where she had jumped down from the portrait hole, having an apoplectic fit as she tried to read through the most recent letter she had received from Live.

"Gh! Uh! Gnh!"

"Is that _Hermione_ making those noises?" Kara asked Lee doubtfully with raised brow.

He looked up from the order sheets he was going over to see the fifth-year brunette was indeed the cause of the little strangled noises as she gawked at the letter in her hand. He raised a brow, but didn't say anything. Hermione had been under a lot of pressure lately with her prefect-duties. Kara's newest contraptions had seen to that.

Fred came trotting down the stairs of the Gryffindor common room with a sheet of parchment in his hand, a blithe smile on his face. "Oi, George says he's found a few places that might be viable to our invariably-volatile business," he announced the letter's news with a grin to Lee, ignoring the curious, yet confused, looks he was getting from those out of the secretive-loop. He came to stand next to his fellow seventh-year who gave him a wry smile while the others looked speculative that he had gotten word from George.

"Shop sites?" Kara inquired with a pleasantly-surprised smile at Fred.

He grinned and was about to tell her, why yes indeed, very good properties, when he turned his attention to Hermione, for the noises she was making as she read only continued to get worse. "What's wrong with Granger?"

"Oi! Hermione!" Kara called frivolously, leaning her head around Fred's large frame. "What the hell's wrong with you?"

The bushy-haired witch looked up with widely-surprised eyes, gestured back down to the letter, and looked at it once again with shock, still making choked noises as her cheeks flushed.

Fred raised an interested brow. "Parchment that stuns you?" he assumed, interested in the possibility of taking such technology for their joke business. He'd have to send Percy a box of the stuff.

He strode to Hermione and easily took the letter from her hand, a bit disappointed as no unpleasant jolt went through him. "It's just an ordinary letter," he announced with dismal disappointment to Lee. A few words caught his interest, and he kept his eyes locked on the page as he scanned it, reaching for the chair behind him as he went to sit. He completely missed it in absolute shock and fell right to his bum on the floor. "_WHAT_?!"

Kara and Lee both looked up, as well as a few of the others in the room chatting amongst themselves. Even if people weren't nosy, no one could ignore the strangled noises he was now making.

"What the hell is in that letter, Fred?" Kara demanded as she turned in her seat, her interest in packaging-designs completely gone and now piqued for information.

His eyes were wide with rudely-offended shock. "George _proposed_ to Live?!"

Kara fell out of her chair.

"Is he _crazy_?! He never told me this! _Did he ever tell you this_?!" he accused Lee from the floor, and basically, the room at large.

"Never," Lee contradicted with utter surprise. Was it a joke? George usually addressed them both in _one _letter where business was concerned. And _this _letter apparently belonged to Hermione. What the bloody hell did she and George have to talk about?

Fred was too affronted and astounded to further read another word. His mind couldn't comprehend why the in the name of Merlin's pants his twin would willingly choose to enter back into the 'arrangement' from which he had so recently been relieved. Fred was _still _celebrating his removal from Kelena's clawing grasp. He didn't even care if Live had said 'yes' or not, he was so shell-shocked with his twin. Why had he been left out of the loop? This was appalling!

"Fred shut up!" Hermione declared as he broke a bit of their secrecy, finally finding her voice as she stole the letter back from him. She shouldn't have allowed him to take it in the first place. This was all, well, rather shocking, though it was no longer private as it should have been. And it was technically of a secret variety of letters. After all, no one needed to know where George and Live were, let alone what was going on with them and that he had proposed. Dammit.

"_You_ knew about this before me, 'Mione?" Fred accused her as he still sat on the floor, trying to make his legs work in shock. His own twin! Not letting him in on this! When would he have told him? At the wedding?!

"No!" she denied, still shocked. "This is from _Live_!"

Fred wasn't listening as he went on his tirade. "How could he not tell _me_? I'm his bloody _twin_! I just _got _this bloody letter and there's nothing about _that _in it at all!" Fred declared of the parchment detailing store-property searches, now crumbled in his hand. "'_Bloody-lovely little real estate area in Diagon Alley'--"_ he began in a high, agitated voice, "--he says, and he can't even write, _oh, by the way…._" He began to go off into angry grumbles and a few clearly-heard curse words before finally picking himself up off the floor and brushing his front off. He was so utterly offended that George would tell anyone else before he himself had had a chance to know, he was irate with insult.

"Where are you going?" Lee asked as Fred hopped into the portrait hole. He got an agitated murmur in response as he hopped out the way.

"And how the hell could Live not tell something like this to _me_?! I'm her blood, dammit!" Kara declared, deciding to pick up where Fred had left off. Hermione grabbed the blonde's forearm and clamped a hand over her mouth as she shrieked in indignation, and she dragged the witch up the stairs to their dormitory to quickly impart some knowledge.

The whole of the common room was rather confused, but from what they had garnered, the other twin had apparently proposed marriage to the Slytherin whom had also disappeared. Perhaps they had eloped, and _that_ was where they had disappeared off to? Or was she pregnant and had been _forced_ to leave the castle? Was that why they had been searching for George Weasley? Had he gotten cold feet?

Excited chatter filled the room as people abandoned their assignments and gossiped about the scandal, some scattering as Lee groaned. It was last night all over again. He would get no peace if he stayed down here with the curious, excited eyes. Besides, Fred had probably forgotten to feed their latest experimentation, and he needed to see that they were still good and healthy.

He wondered, however, as he climbed the stairs, how much truth there was to the subject.

sSs

Kara's eyes were wide-- one twitching a bit- as the information the bushy-haired witch had shared had fully sunk in. "She's nutters," Kara deduced with shock. "I mean, George-_George_---" She was stuttering, at a loss.

"This is a bigger problem than we thought," Hermione noted studiously, pondering the situation in whole as she re-read the note. "Poor George. And poor Live."

"She isn't right in the head!" Kara declared with conviction, not meaning it at all to be funny. "We should have prepared her for something like this! And Kitty-Nimbles! ARGH! How could I forget to share _that _with her?! George is probably still pissed off about that!" The young blonde was lamenting the situation and all the problems, for once lucid enough to realize that her sister was having some rather serious problems that chocolate frogs and ice mice alone couldn't fix. And she felt bad for George, too. This was serious.

"And anyways, none of us ever expected George to actually _really_ propose to Live. I mean, the marriages were annulled and all, but they were getting on so well before," Hermione stated. "And in her current state, too…Fred wasn't even _aware_ of--"

"You'd think George would have bloody mentioned it to someone!" Kara concurred vehemently. "I mean, Live can't know what she wants right now, right?"

Hermione looked pensive.

"And what is George thinking, anyway? He should have _waited_ on it!" Kara continued in diatribe.

"Maybe that's why he kept it a secret from Fred. He didn't want anyone to know about it," Hermione remarked. "I mean, we would have heard if Mrs. Weasley knew about it."

Kara nodded in firm agreement, certain something akin to a Howler would have 'mentioned' such a thing to them. "But why would he keep it a secret?"

Hermione's shoulders lowered in sympathetic thought. "Maybe he secretly knew she would say no?"

The blonde witch furrowed her brow, refusing to think such a thing. "Well that's sad…" Kara remarked.

"I'm going to write her back--"

"Me too!" Kara declared.

"I think she needs to seriously talk with George about this," Hermione stated. "_Make_ him listen. Talk to him."

"Seriously," Kara agreed.

"Marrying him could be very beneficial."

"Yea--_Huh_?" Kara's brow was crooked in an expression of surprise. Hermione gave her a speculative look. She hadn't expected the brunette's quick-approval.

"Live would have the protection of ancient magic if she married him," Hermione pointed out.

Kara gave her a frown. "Hermione, that is cold and calculated logic," she said with disapproval.

The bushy-haired witch rolled her eyes, though not without a bit of heat coming to her cheeks in indignity. "He loves Live very much. And she loves him too. Or will again, once her memories return…I bet she's feeling very confused about everything, but that's no reason not to take advantage of the situation." Kara still frowned. Hermione elaborated, not wanting to seem cold. "I'm not one for marrying so young, but those two seem to make it work. Technically, they were _already _married, so it's not like it would be much different. And there's a lot at risk here. Even the Death Eaters want her. They might as well marry." She shrugged. "George just jumped the gun a bit too soon, maybe."

Kara looked away at that fact. "I know it's safer if they do, but…this is _real_ marriage, Hermione. Not the panty-inspired forced-Ministry ones. Live isn't right in the head, you know? She isn't able to decide something like this right now. I mean, George and Live, well, they deserve to _both_ be happy, not just because it's what's convenient. I know Live would never want to do that for that reason."

Hermione sighed. "I know," she admitted pitifully. "But with the way things are right now…It's just so horribly sad."

Kara looked pensive. "What should we write back?"

Hermione fixed the blonde with an indefinite look as she got out parchment and quills.

sSs

Live sat on her bed, looking out the window at the dark sky. She was playing with the ring-box between her hands again. She wondered how long it would be until she got Hermione's reply.

She was at her wit's end. And the constant mothering and worried clucking of Mrs. Weasley wasn't helping her either. The fiery-haired witch wanted to be helpful to the morose blonde under her care, but her offers of talking or attempts at learning what was wrong didn't seem to be doing the trick. She was so constant in her visits up to Live's room that the blonde decided it was simply easier to leave the door at her back cracked open. It also brought to her the sounds of the hallway in which she hoped she might catch any inclination of George's door being opened. But so far, nothing had changed.

"Live? Tonks is here to see you," Sirius spoke as he lightly rapped on the door, peeking in with a smile.

She looked up with minor disdain, cheeks reddening at the black-haired man. She was reminded that she had pet this man, or dog, or whatever he really was, behind the ears. And that regardless of situation, that surely wasn't dignified of her. She couldn't picture herself ever doing that if she was right in the head. And he rather seemed to enjoy inserting himself into awkward situations. Or he was oblivious to her discomfort. It was maddening for her. And she was in no mood for guests. She decided she'd spend the rest of the night wallowing in self-pity and her depressed thoughts.

She looked at him and then away with a sense of dismissal. "I don't really feel like-"

"Hey!" Tonks greeted as she walked through the door, nearly tripping over Sirius. She shot him a look, but he raised his hands in defense.

"You, cousin, are naturally clumsy!" he declared with an innocent smirk.

She frowned sideways at him and changed her hair so that it hung long and darkest black over her face, obscuring her vision. "And you, _cousin_, are naturally in need of a haircut." Her hair was now growing past her waist, and he couldn't make out her face beneath the curtain of black. "This is _not_ the new sexy, Sirius."

He laughed. "When it gets that long, then I'll think about it," he chuckled. She shot him a look as he walked out the door, and she shook the dark mass away to be replaced by shorter indigo curls.

"Ah, much better," she told the blonde witch with a smile. Live smiled weakly back, too depressed to be amused. She was suddenly all nerves as she was losing the courage she had garnered to want to speak with the Metamorphmagus. Tonks smiled at her and sat on the bed next to her, peering out the window with ignorance to Live's tumultuous mind. "What are we looking at?"

"Nothing…just the sky," Live murmured dolefully.

Tonks gave her a speculative look as she sighed heavily. "Geez Live, the happiness has really been sucked right out of you," she remarked blatantly with concern. Live didn't really look at her, but remained lightly frowning. Tonks persevered. "Been around Dementors lately?" Live gave her a slightly confused look, but the Metamorphmagus pressed on. "I thought you'd be happy now that George is back?"

Live sighed. No, she wasn't happy at all. "I'm glad he came back," she stated weakly. She watched as Tonks' hand closed over her own scarred one, and she looked at the Metamorphmagus to see her smiling sadly back at her.

"What's the matter? Talk to me," she encouraged with a smile. Sirius' voice down the hall hollered her name. She ignored him, waiting, and as he didn't holler again, she gave her attention back to Live, deciding he was unimportant. "What's the real problem? Why did George take off last night?"

Live sighed with discontent and decided to come right out with it. Why not? She was used to blurting out things by now. And explaining her disgrace wasn't going to get easier if she sat there longer. "…George--"

"_Tonks_?"

"--asked me to marry him…" Live trailed off as Sirius' face appeared at the door. His eyebrows went straight to his hair in surprise as he'd obviously stepped in at a very intimate moment he hadn't expected to occur in five minutes absence. And catching Live's statement, George asking her hand, was bewildering as he realized it must be the cause of all this perplexment.

Live's face was flushed red as she looked blankly at him, and Tonks' mouth was hanging open as she gaped back in utter shock. She turned her head to Sirius with wide eyes. He wasn't sure if he should stay or if he should go. As of now he was rooted to the spot with obscene intrigue.

"Well what on earth did you say?!" the Metamorphmagus demanded to know, Sirius' presence being the last thing on her mind. Live bit her lip as she looked away from Tonks' searching eyes. She felt stupid.

"Obviously 'no'," Sirius spoke up as he looked her over with utter surprise, forgetting the reason he had come to fetch his cousin.

A heartrending look crossed Live's face at his words, though they were very near the truth. She looked back at Sirius and then at the witch next to her. "I didn't really say _anything_…" she confessed with deep-shame.

Tonks made a noise of utter disbelief while Sirius had a sympathetic hand over his eyes. Poor George. No wonder the guy was so distraught and had taken to locking himself in his room. He had teased him about his apparent affections for the girl, but he hadn't suspected that they had run _this_ deep. Then again, the same thing had happened with Lily and James after the whole Panty-raid had gone bust, so very long ago…He now understood the reason George had taken off: heartache.

"Oh, Live," Tonks said sympathetically, clasping her hand gently. Live felt tears welling in her eyes. She felt so utterly stupid.

She took the ring-box she'd had in her other hand, and presented it to Tonks with a guilty look. "…he told me to keep the ring…he hasn't said a word to me since then," Live's voice cracked with pitiful emotion.

Tonks took the box from her hand and opened it to reveal a shining white band, iridescent and beautiful in its distinctiveness. Her quick intake of breath left her speechless, and Sirius angled his head to get a better look.

"Looks like dragon-scale," he remarked with surprise, recognizing the shining texture from the pictures Charlie had sent Mrs. Weasley of he and the baby Opaleye they had been transporting to Australia. The 'little dragon' had been enormous. How George had come to possess such a thing completely blew his mind.

Tonks closed the box and handed it back to Live with utter surprise, bewilderment upon her face. "What are you going do with it?" she asked with intense question, her chin in her hands as she sat with utterly apt attention on the blonde.

Live licked her lips, breathing deep. "I don't know what I should do with it," she admitted with sad agitation. She truly wished she could talk to George about it all. Her heart knew what she wanted to do, but her mind was in disarray.

"Simple, just give it back to him," Sirius spoke up.

Tonks looked horrified with his blasé attitude, sitting up with shock and starring at him. "She can't just give it back to him!" she declared. Live looked pained over Sirius' simple solution.

"Why not? She doesn't want it," he pointed out, thinking of George stuck in his room. He thought he might be able to help him sort a few things out, not to mention force the blonde's hand with his aloof suggestions. If she really cared for him, she'd prove it.

"But it's like saying 'no' all over again! You don't rub salt in the wound!" Tonks declared. Live looked utterly guilty, and felt just as horrid.

"But they're still friends even so," Sirius said with a meaningful look at Live. The blonde fixed him with a truly pitiful expression, but he plowed on. "After all this awkwardness has passed, they'll still be friends, won't you?" Sirius said with a believing look at the Slytherin. She looked pained over their conversation. She wasn't as sure about that as he seemed. Her vote of confidence lay in the fact that George probably hated her for rejecting him. "And technically," Sirius said, looking back at his now neon-haired cousin who was obviously irate, "it does belong to him."

"But he left it with her," the witch pointed out, arguing for Live's sake as her hair went a very lime-color. This situation was very familiar to her. She had once been in George's shoes where she and Remus were concerned. And it took a lot of guff to convince _him _that they ought to court. And they were far happier now than they had been then fighting it. "He's obviously hoping she'll reconsider! He doesn't want the ring to belong to anyone else!" Tonks speculated with hopeful zest. The black-haired man fixed his cousin with a look. The two of them obviously decided to get to the bottom of this right in front of Live, leaving her shell-shocked and in their meditative dust. "He obviously wants her to have it, Sirius. Didn't _you _ever love anyone?" Tonks accused as her hair changed in neon-coloring, matching her ever-shifting mood.

Sirius looked contemplative at her statement. Time to play the ace, considering this blonde actually _did_ have any feeling for poor George. He rather hoped. The way the fiery-haired young man doted upon her certainly showed that he more than cared for her. He thought she must surely like him as well. "I'll bet he still loves her, even if she doesn't love him--"

"But that's only cuz she can't remember," Tonks pointed out smartly, her index finger wagging at him.

"Well that _is_ true," Sirius pointed out nonchalantly as he gave the Slytherin a contemplative look. The girl had severe memory loss. She probably loved George to _some _extent. Best to have her sort it out, or let them do it for her right here and now. "And that kind of rejection has gotta smart," he added. He hissed in empathy at the situation for George's own plight.

"I never said I didn't love him and I didn't _tell him_ no!" Live spat with rising agitation at them.

They looked at her with surprise as one, and she seemed ashamed for yelling, turning her face away. Well, at least this was productive.

"_Do _you love him?" Tonks asked quietly with raised brow.

Live knew they were both watching her, both hanging on her reply. She felt so very horrid. Her face was red with self-humiliation. Her heart lurched at Tonks' question. She didn't look at either of them as she replied. "I don't know…I don't know anything," she muttered, and that was the horrid truth at the bottom of the matter.

Tonks sighed and Sirius ran a hand through the hair as dark as his name.

"Well, I'll just see if I can get a word out of old George, yeah?" Sirius said, feeling the moment's incredible awkwardness, as well as wondering if he could force the guy out of hiding to make-up with Live. "Hey, look on the bright side," he told Live. She gave him a forlorn look, highly doubting there was any bright side to this problem at all. He gave her a winning smile of encouragement. "He's going to come out of that room at some point or another, after he's had time to lick his wounds and mend his broken pride. Then you can do whatever you must. Friendships always mend. It'll be alright. I promise." Live looked all the more worn-down for his words, all the more hopeless. He felt rather bad. He'd done as much as he could, considering he had dropped in for--what reason was it? Ah. "Oh yeah, Tonks, Molly wants to know if you wouldn't mind staying a day or so."

"Tell her yes," she replied as Sirius gave a last look to the blonde on the bed, now sobbing quietly to herself. He frowned, feeling responsible, but Tonks was shooing him from the room, shutting the door behind him.

The Metamorphmagus sat back next to Live on the bed, and she wrapped an arm around her. "Live, it'll be alright. Once your memories are back--"

"That's just it, I don't think they _are_ going to come back!" she said with hitched breath. Tonks patted her back and tried to soothe her. It only made Live feel more terrible. "And I'm horrid, you know? Truly horrid--"

"You're not--"

"I am! Here I am crying and feeling stupid and sorry for myself when _I've caused everything_, and it's _George_ I've wronged! It's horrid of me!" she declared, sobbing hard in self-pity. She hated it, hated pitying herself and this whole stupid situation which she knew she was the cause of. She'd caused George's grief, she'd caused her own, and it was her fault he was locked in his room now. She thought of how good he'd been to her, how kind, and patient. She thought she was a right rotter. He was always so gentle, and she knew her inaction when he'd proposed had broke him. She was roiling inside at herself.

"Live, it's understandable," Tonks tried to make her see. "I know what you're going through. And I probably know what George is going through too." She smiled. "It took me ages to get Remus to quit holding back from me, and it seems like George is having my same problem." Live fixed her with a mean glare through her tears. If Tonks was trying to make her feel better, she only succeeded in making her feel much worse. "Well not to put anything on you honey, I mean. I know your mind isn't all back yet."

"Thanks," Live muttered glumly.

Tonks smiled sadly. "I mean I know you're under pressure and you're confused. Just, _think_ a while. Something will come to you. Pressure does wonderful things to inspire."

Live nodded with a sob as something inside her completely broke. She took those words fully and painfully to heart. She knew exactly what she would do when she got the chance. There was no other recourse, and the risk was worth the gain. She wiped at her eyes and looked at the other witch. "It just seems such a cop-out to use the excuse of my lost memories for all this rubbish." She spoke truthfully, and Tonks looked sad.

"But that's the root of the problem," the now lavender-haired witch pointed out. "It's not your fault that you can't remember. Dumbledore said it was all some horrible byproduct of the magic that _saved_ you. _That_ is not your fault." Live didn't look wholly convinced. Tonks took her hands between her own and looked into her eyes, trying to convince her somewhere in those sad depths. "Sirius is right. Things will get better. You'll see."

Live shook her head. She wished she could be as confident about it as the other witch was. "You don't understand," Live said as tears once again welled in her eyes. "The look he gave me…" She wiped at her cheeks. "It was like I'd betrayed him…I hurt him, I know I did, and so horribly," she sobbed with the horrid truth. Tonks hugged her as she let it all out. She felt so horrid. All she wanted was George. She knew that. But she didn't think she would ever be graced with a chance to somehow make amends.

sSs

"Bill, can you try talking to him?" Mrs. Weasley pleaded. "He won't open to anyone! And I'm worried sick!" She pleaded to her eldest son as he sat at their table in the morning's warm light.

The eldest Weasley male raised a brow in contemplation as he took a long draught from his coffee mug. He had since dyed his long hair back from rainbow-craziness with a potion from the _Which Witch _magazine-- no spells had worked. He was still having trouble believing that the two who had ganged up on him (for prying them from one-another) were now so at odds with each another. At least, everyone believed they were. Sirius had informed him of the true nature of the problem as he popped in this morning, Sirius himself not having had any luck with talking to George through his door.

"What makes you think he'll open to me?" Bill asked with true curiosity. If he wasn't opening for anyone, which he considered included Live, then he didn't think he stood a very good chance at all, despite Sirius' confidence.

"Break through his wards if you must! He won't speak to anyone!" Mrs. Weasley continued. He raised a brow. "Don't give me that look Bill Weasley. You're a curse-breaker. Now go and talk to your brother!"

He smirked at his mother's idea of 'talking' as he got up from the table, taking his mug with him. Her heard her huffing and talking to herself as he climbed the stairs that would lead him to his brother's room, wondering just what he should say to try and make him open without force.

He passed the small bathroom as he walked, and was alarmed to hear sobbing coming from behind the door of Live's borrowed room, and he frowned as he came upon the door that seemed impenetrable to all. He rapped lightly upon it, receiving no reply. He wasn't surprised.

"George, it's me. Bill." He waited, wondering if his younger brother had heard him or not. He didn't think he'd still be asleep. The morning was wearing on to afternoon. He sighed and leaned against the frame. "I can wait all day, ya know?" he addressed the door, listening for any movement, and not sure if he'd hear any if George had sound-proofed his room. He drained his coffee and spoke to the door once more. " Listen, George, I know what you're going through, and it's all strange and bollocks-ed up, but you've got to open up sometime." He paused a beat, and smirked. Sirius had said it would come down to this. "If you don't, you know I can always break through your wards…" He waited a bit longer, fiddling with the cup in his hand. He fished around in his jacket for his wand, but he was surprised when the door handle twitched momentarily before slightly creaking open. Bill grinned and looked into the dark room. Ah, ensconcing himself in shadow as black as his mood.

He entered the dark room, closing the door behind him as he sighed. The entire room was shrouded in darkness that would cause one to forget it was daylight, and it took him a moment for his eyes to adjust to the pitch. When they did, he saw George laying on his belly across his bed, wand in hand hanging despondently off the corner and his face in the covers, no doubt trying to smother himself. "You know if you leave a stinking carcass, mum won't be pleased."

George wasn't interested in his brother's wit, and just lay there on the bed, moping still where he'd been for the past few days. Bill sat down next to him, setting his coffee mug on one of the tables in the room. He sighed heavily, his hands upon his knees. "George, you've gotta come out of here sometime, you know? Mum thinks you're cursed or mental or something…" He muttered something Bill couldn't hear from between the blankets he had his head stuck in. "What?"

George turned his head to the side, not facing his brother. "She doesn't know the half of it…" he murmured dolefully. Bill sighed.

"So I heard you proposed to her?" More heavy silence. "No one's told mum, but then you would know if mum knew." More silence. His mouth was fixed in a wry look. He didn't know what he was supposed to do.

"…she sent you up here, didn't she?" George murmured.

Bill nodded, but then he realized George couldn't see him. "Yeah."

"…did you tell dad?" he asked mournfully.

"No one but Tonks and Sirius know," he supplied. George exhaled heavily as Bill frowned. He was trying to come up with something encouraging. "I don't really know what to say."

"…Tell them I've got spattergroit…"

Bill sighed. "You know you can't keep hiding in here. I thought you wanted to marry that girl?" George sighed heavily, painfully. "She's been doing nothing but crying since you came back. This isn't the way you act if you think you're ready to get married."

"Since when did you become the expert on it?" George shot back quickly, turning his head towards his brother. Bill was shocked to see the look of ache on his younger brother's face. Sirius hadn't been lying about the heartache they were suffering at each other's hands. George looked positively tortured by it. "You don't know anything about it."

"Well I do know one thing," Bill started, looking at George with a mixture of sympathy and determination. "I know that if you really loved her, you'd swallow your pride and let her in." George huffed dismally and turned his head away from his brother. It wasn't a matter of pride, it was a matter of being wanted. And she didn't want to marry him. "George, just talk to her. Salvage what you can."

George felt as Bill's weight was lifted off the bed, and he heard his footsteps as he exited the room and closed the door. And once again he was left in solitary darkness.

He felt miserable. His thoughts weren't kind, and the scenarios running through his mind didn't bode well with him.

He didn't even bother locking the door after Bill closed it. Everyone would know, in a matter of time. He was sure. What was even the point of it all anymore?

sSs

Live sat back down on the bed, holding the ring box in her hands between her legs, staring at the floor. She was trying for the hundredth time to work up the courage to give it back to him. Most of the morning she had spent wallowing in tears and fear. Tonks had graciously left her to her own devices, and Mrs. Weasley had kept her distance as well; no doubt she'd talked to the Metamorphmagus. Live sighed as she got to her feet once more. She decided to just suck it up and do it.

She considered all possibilities, that maybe she was a fool. What was it Hermione's letter had said? That she would have the protection of ancient magic if she married him? That she would be safer? The heartstrings? Yes, there were many things to take into consideration, but where this prophecy she kept mentioning was concerned, and the dangers that lay therein, she should take advantage of the situation and marry George at least in name only; as it had been before. It seemed like cold logic, she herself had thought as much, but Kara said she should go for it, and Kelena agreed once she'd heard. At least then she would be safer.

But what did _she _actually want? She didn't feel like she could make such a decision. She didn't even think of herself as being whole, nor well enough to do it. Everything she had to go off of about herself was just bits of flashes that she got every now and again. A myriad of images that wouldn't sink in or wouldn't let her see the rest or anchor them in her mind. It was as if she were the patron of a poorly produced film, and things kept jumping around; as if they were images from a past life. In a way, they were. She knew there was only one option left then and she hoped Hermione would forgive her. She hoped she could make it happen, and make it up to George in the process.

Breathing deeply for a moment as she steadied herself, she opened her door quietly and looked down the hall. His door was closed, naturally. She swallowed and forced herself to step down the way, her nerves jolting and causing her to nearly turn back. She felt so cowardly, almost _worried _that this might be the time he would open to her. Of all times he might open, her giving the ring back might just be it. But she had to do it, otherwise it would tear her mind up inside, not to mention her heart. She couldn't keep it as she felt both unworthy and undeserving of its true intention.

She approached his door silently. There was no noise from within, which was usual, but she knew he was in there.

"George?" she said softly through the door. She very lightly knocked as her stomach did flip-flops, but she got no response, as usual. She wasn't even going to bother with the handle anymore. Everything was warded and locked up tight, as she well knew. "…I…_please_…" she paused, but nothing. She leaned her head against the wood of his door, eyes closed with upset and praying he would just open for once so she could properly do things. She certainly didn't know where she found the courage to need to speak to him, and she felt a coward for fearing real conversation with him, part of her hoping she wouldn't have to face him. She was ashamed of herself. "George? Please, if you're in there, just please…please open up…I need to tell you…" She sighed, tears in her eyes, and she had to fight to keep her voice steady as she was overwrought with emotion. "George please…I-I'm sorry I can't remember, and that I'm not _me_ anymore…if-if I could change it…oh god George if I could change it all…I can't stand hurting you like this…" she pleaded. She had to stop to swallow her tears and sorrow. Her palm was flat against the cool wood of the door. She wondered if he was even listening. She hurt so much. She sighed and crouched down, placing the small ring box against the wood, hoping he would get to it in his time. "George…I'm sorry." She stood back up, biting her lip in despair. She reached her hand out to the wood again, but decided against it. Silent tears stole down her cheeks as she left the item where she'd placed it, as if apologizing for coming to him at all. "…_okay_…"

He heard her light footsteps padding back down the hall, no doubt to her own room. He heaved a sigh, turning over in the darkness on his bed. He didn't want to see her or anyone else right now. He felt humiliated and dejected through everything, though he had told himself that this might happen, what with previous knowledge of the way she felt about marrying, and then with her memories gone…But she _must _still love him somewhere in there. And he'd worked so hard making that ring, a ring meant only for her.

Bill basically called him a coward for not seeing her, and maybe he was. Every time he heard her voice, either pleading with him through his door, or sobbing to herself, he felt a sick pleasure knowing that she hurt just as much as he did, and he felt disgusted with himself for it. He was a coward and a jerk, and he hated himself for it all. All he'd had to do was call out to her once. Any little gesture would be better than none. Especially now. His door wasn't even locked. But he hadn't made a sound, and she'd gone just as quickly. He felt a fool.

He flopped back onto his stomach and brought a pillow over his head. He wanted to shut everything out for a while. He didn't want to think about how she might behave around him when he actually got around to showing his face, and how they would get on now, if at all. He wished they could just resume things as if he had never proposed, as if they were still strolling about the garden and forcibly dying Bill's hair…though he knew his chances were more focused on unhappiness.

Things were so much more difficult now. Damn him and his rushing things, for proposing too soon, he knew, and damn her for that incredulous look on her face that had made him want to die with defeat.

And for once, instead of that thought making him miserable like it had the past two days, he felt righteously angry.

sSs

Okay so I've gone through all the damn chapters this past week, purposely left up some of the responses to reviewers (which will be taken down shortly) and basically the story is nice and clean-cut. I've fixed some of my poor spelling and added some stuff, just extra fodder, no need to go back, and everything is all caught up. And holy crap, I can't believe you guys have stuck with me through all this. There's just So. Damn. Much. O.O I really need to quit it with these ridiculously long chapters XD hahaha Anyways, I love you all.

Mailing list will always be open to those who want to be added even ten chaps later XD Just drop me a line, I'm easily reached. :D

-FireV.

Thankies to my readers!

Luniepoo: hee hee, yay for kinda-smut. Ha, I'm still working on deciding if I do _indeed_ want them to get it on, and if I do decide yes, how will I write it, etc. Ha, I can get positively descriptive, much more than this site allows, and I'm not sure. Ha. We'll see. Because I know you readers like it, hee hee ;D But then, hum…I don't know. Haha, you know Lupin is a lot more clever and pervy than he lets on…he's just better at hiding it than George. Hahah! Woot, and thankies!!

WeasleyO: hahaha I know, isn't kinda-smut fun? Hee hee, I'm scared to get into that area because I have a PotC fic that's basically nothing but that kind of lemony-fluff XD tee hee. But we'll have more sugary goodness rather soon :D

Nomanslandvicki: heh heh, well I'm being a little vague on where exactly George went. We have a bit of info from Fred, but that's about it ;D heh heh, I'm horrid. But I have it all in mind, heh heh…sorry if I disappointed! I'm a bit all over the place! Hee hee.

Karma-k2: heh heh heh oh I'm so horrid with no smut. I wanna write it, but then I like to tease. Heh heh I'm an awful person, heh heh heh :D But you have been added to the list! Woot :D

Iceprincess09: Wowie thank you so much! I hate depressing readers and all, so we'll have some fluffy stuff soon. Haha I sort of go where the muses kidnap me to, lol. Oh dear, book 6...I cried all through book 7. And couldn't speak of it for several days (still can't) otherwise I start crying again. Argh! Haha. Silliness. I will cope somehow XD

Nara Merald: George was off doing a bit of….Trying to stave off his broken heart and distract his mind…o.O Dun-dun-_dun!_ Ha. Live never told him previously about Kitty-Nimbles due to the fact that she'd wreaked so very much havoc upon him before they were going out. It would be a hard conversation to have with the one you love, not to mention awkward to bring up out of nowhere XD Then the fact that she had put it off once they were actually together, and sort of lying to him by omission every day she kept it a secret…well, it would be tough to bring up after you've been with someone a bit, and don't want to take the chance of bollocksing things up or risking their hate when you're in love…It's an odd situation to be sure. Ha, I know I'm not terribly in-depth here, but I'll get into it more, scout's honor!

Hayley See.: haha, Live's birthmark location and shape? HAHAH okay, well…um…being as how she is based off _me_…and I do put in some truthful stuff and direct quotes and instances straight out of my life now and then…well, the birthmark is normal…a freckle/beauty mark really….that is not visible to the public eye…and to see it you need express written permission, and then there are a few things you have to do to actually _see_ it…O.O In short: its somewhere a birthmark should not normally be o.o Heh heh…oh dear.

Dckveg: haha well thanks! I'm scared of all my damn twists and turns of fucking up the story, or as the running joke with the tv show _Lost_ is, that they make up all these crazy stories and ideas and you never really get answers to questions they pose. HAHAHA! So I'm trying to keep it interesting, but not too crazy, while trying to be interesting and not too circular. Haha. Lol man caffeine vitamins would be awesome, lol. We shall start marketing soon! Tee hee.

Chineseretard92: Woot, thanks! Yeah, I figured everyone would expect Live to immediately say yes to being proposed to, but I wanted to take things a little different direction ;D heh heh, and there's always more fun to be had. Yeah, I've turned it into what my sister spitefully calls "The George-and-Live Show" as the other characters have gotten much less of a spotlight. Ha, I can't help myself, I like to work on one pairing at a time, and this one is so much fun hahaha! Oh well :D But thank you! I'm trying to work the others in more.

redheadlover: Oh man, I just have to gush for a minute on your SN, because I just friggin' _love_ red heads so much it's ridiculous. Oh man. Like, the guy doesn't even have to be all that hot in the face…If he's a natural redhead, I'm all over that like white on rice XD HAHAH! Ahem. Tee hee, but thank you macho! I'll give us some more 'fun' parts soon. Can't live without fluff. Heh heh. And I'm also trying to make chaps shorter but more involved so we get more updates out of me. Woot! Heh heh. For a nice smutty read/fluff nonsense, see my PotC fic, heh heh heh, lol. Ugh, I'm awful. Anywho, thanks! Now I'm off to pursue some ginger-heads:D

Scarlet Faerie:

Ashlee: Thank you and happy birthday! Urgh, I would have gotten this out on Friday, but my parents have been having us go on these family vacations and I've been busy the past week. Ugh! I've been tryingt o get to an internet hookup because I wanted this to be out for your b-day ;D hee hee. Everyone can thank you for the pressed update! Woot! Lol haha


	46. Dear Everyone, Plus Fred

_ZOMG_ I have a fanart! WOO! (I mean, one which was _not_ done by me) for this story! I mean, I _do _have a few pieces up done by myself in relation to this story, but I mean someone _else_ has fanart-ed it! WOO! Look for my art-page link in my bio page (or search for ElectrikPinkPirate (--me! woo!) on deviantArt) go to my fav pieces, you'll find it in there :D) Woo! Thanks Karma-k2! WOO!

Another school term and this term I'm going to the Uni as well as the junior college. Yep. I'm that hardcore, I need to go to two campuses. Ha. This is truly madness.  
Have fun, luv FireV.

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 46: Dear Everyone…Plus Fred

sSs

The afternoon sunlight pouring in through his bedroom windows momentarily blinded George as he thrust the curtains open. It had proved to be a mistake, however, in his desire to see the time of day from the yard, but he didn't care. It was still bright out. Near midday. Perfect. He was going to get some answers, and he wanted to be fully awake and alert for it. He wasn't going to allow Live to keep her reasons to herself (even if he did, he admitted, leave the yard when she might've explained herself). He was going to make her talk to him and hear what he needed to hear after days of being ensconced in depression and darkness. He was right pissed off now, and he supposed the anger had been building in him since the first day, but he had been too depressed to notice.

He was confused, heartbroken, embarrassed, but most of all, he was fiercely angry. How _dare_ she in refusing to marry him, and how dare she not offer immediate explanation.

His clothing was wrinkled, his hair sticking up in odd places, and he knew he probably smelt as rank as he felt. George decided he should probably freshen up. Yes, he was pissed off, but he could yell at her _and_ be clean doing it. There was no point in looking like crap when he already felt like it.

He opened his door pensively, testing the waters, but there was no one in the halls. He opened it wider and nearly stepped on the ring box sitting in his entryway. He frowned heavily as he looked at it accusingly. He'd told her to _keep_ it. Not to give it back to him. He didn't want it unless she came with it, and that thought only added fuel to his angry fire.

He picked up the box and shoved it in his pocket, a thinking frown on his face as he walked down the hall, passing her door not without trepidation. Three minutes with a wet cloth and soap and he'd be in front of that door, demanding his answers. His stomach somewhat dropped in anticipation.

As he passed her door, the frame was illuminated in brilliant white light even more blinding than the sunlight that had nearly taken his vision. The light flooded out from beneath the door, and as quickly as it had appeared, it receded. He heard a slight thump from inside, and then nothing more.

He became aware that his heart was beating very rapidly in his chest, and a dreading fear overtook him as he realized he had felt the power of that spell right through the walls. A million thoughts went through his head. Her casting abilities weren't _that_ good yet. What had she done? How had she done it? Or in that fact, had _she_ done it at all? What about her wild magic? He didn't even know if she'd taken her potions today.

He knocked on Live's door forcefully, demanding she open up. She didn't answer, and his stomach dropped to his feet with fear. The worst going through his mind, he forced her door open with his wand and dread, only to find her laying haphazardly upon random leafs of paper on her bed, wand resting in hand upon the mattress.

The bed was covered in open books and noted parchment, several tomes stacked on her dresser with leaf-marks hanging out of them. She was half off the bed, laying still with eyes open, and fear gripped his heart as he was instantaneously at her side, touching her and trying to get her to show some awareness. She was breathing, head twitching ever-so-slightly, eyes moving as if seeing something he couldn't, and she obviously didn't see him at all.

"Live, come on, wake up, talk to me," he begged desperately as he tried to rouse her. She wasn't responding, and there were unshed tears glistening in the corners of her eyes as she seemed to be seeing things that weren't there, unable to move of her own volition. He gathered her wholly in his arms and tried to revive her with a little shake, trying to bring her back to him with ultimate fear, asking what in the hell she'd done to herself. But she wasn't seeing or hearing him, and terror stole into him.

He panicked and screamed for his mum- _anyone_-- to help him, but there were no answering shouts back, no running up the stairs, no sounds except for her breathing and his own scared, hastened breaths. Where in the hell _was _everybody?

He decided to open her window and scream into the yard for someone as there were bound to be aurors about, but she suddenly and violently gasped, scaring him as she started lightly twitching involuntarily in his arms, trying to move but not quite able to do it. She started crying as she got a deep enough breath, but only for a few moments as his voice suddenly came into her head, and she realized that she was being held by him, and that he must have come in to her room at some point. She met his eyes and really saw him for the first time, and she started bawling uncontrollably in pain and anguish as he made her look at him, eyes wild and searching with horrific worry.

"_Live are you alright_?!"

"…_Geor_--," she croaked, the length of his name not making it past her lips as she looked at him, calming a bit in puzzled thought and addled amazement.

"Oh God, you're alright?" he said with sudden relief, blinking back tears of his own as he looked her over speculatively. He'd thought she'd done the worst…that she might have-- "What in the hell did you think you were doing?!" he yelled with righteous anger, giving her a harsh look as she frowned through tears. "What did you do?! _Are _you alright?"

Her face turned to one of immense remorse, and she looked at him pleadingly. "I'm fine, I-I- Oh George, _I'm sorry_, I'm sorry _I'm sorry_…" she whimpered. "I couldn't stand it anymore, I'm sorry…"

"What were you trying to do, huh?!" he asked with an utterly pained tone, angry tears coming to his eyes once more as he tried to comprehend what she could have possibly been trying to accomplish unaided. He was so angry at her, and yet so relieved. "What did you think you were doing?!"

"I'm sorry…I wanted my memories back…I'm sorry George! I never meant to hurt you…I would never--"

"What spell did you cast Live?" he demanded, his voice so pained she started sobbing even more.

"_Memora Ritorna_," she whimpered, a sob escaping her throat with guilt at her own foolishness. He gasped with horror, eyes seeking out the words on the books and pages spread about the bed. Many were noted in her written scrawls with '_blocks out', 'brings them back', 'counter-clockwise wand wave', 'refer to index for proper utilization', 'incredibly dangerous', _and _'trained professional,'._ Was she bloody crazy?

"Live! You could have killed yourself with that level of magic!" he yelled at her in fury. "The Healers don't even risk that on obliviated patients! What in the hell were you thinking-- _Are you really okay_?!" he asked again with supreme, pained concern. She nodded through tears, and he held her hard to him with unbelievable relief. "Damn you, Live. Damn you. Godric Gryffindor you're lucky you're alright!" His mind kept flashing to horror stories his dad had told about memory spells gone horribly, horribly wrong by unseasoned wizards in the Ministry. Everyone knew about them. Spells to the head weren't known for safety, but more for the mess they sometimes left behind. Trained Obliviators themselves even screwed up for the worst. "You could have killed yourself! You can't handle that type of magic in your state! What in the hell were you thinking?!" She merely sobbed her apologies, but he was filled with a combination of anger, relief, concern, and worry, and he didn't give her a chance to speak as he kept shouting, suddenly remembering the purpose that had brought him there. "And how dare you refuse to marry me as well!" he continued to yell at her, just so utterly relieved, but utterly crazed as well for the past days' sadness. He just couldn't _believe_ it. "And I don't care if you can't remember anything. How _dare _you, _Live_. And now this!"

She sobbed as he held her closely against his chest, holding her tightly with relieved fear and torrential emotions. "Oh George, I'm so sorry," she cried, feeling idiotic and stupid and completely asinine. There was no excuse she could give.

"Who do you think you are, anyway?!" he demanded to know with a painful tone. "Casting a spell like that could have _killed _you! _Killed you_!Especially with your lack of control! What would I _do _without you?! Were you even _thinking_?! _Dammit Live_!"

"I couldn't stand it!" she weakly defended. She was shaking, haunted by the influx of memories that had nearly broken her mind. Everything she had forgotten and then relived. She had seen images that she knew were not her own memories, and didn't belong in her head. And she had a strong feeling that she knew of what she had seen. He held her in a pained look of anger and relief, trying to understand her, frightened that she had nearly slipped through his fingers for her stupid spell attempts. God, he obviously loved her so much. "I'm sorry George! I wanted to remember! And I love you-" she whimpered, "I love you so. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about being an animagus! I always wanted to, but I was scared! I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for it all! It was a mistake! A dumb mistake! I should have told you that morning in the Slytherin commons, but I was just so stupid!"

She was trembling, shaking with possible shock as well as upset, her memories still sinking in deep, and he just held her close to him as he thought of more things to say, still pissed off, but so utterly relieved that she was alright that he could settle for the moment to hold her close. She winced in pain, possibly at that of her memories still settling in, half of it relived worry that she hadn't ended up demolishing her mind. She had been incredibly foolish, she now knew, but it had luckily paid off.

George looked down at her closely after a moment had sunk in, and his mind made the connection as he spoke with slow hope. "You mean…your memories are back?"

"Yes," she told him with a desperate plea, vying for forgiveness as she blinked back more tears. He looked completely stunned. "I'm sorry I kept things from you, I know I hurt you so bad, and after everything you've done for me already, I deserve it, I know! I'm so sorry George! I've been so awful…I've been horrid. I wish I could take it all back!" she pleaded with a look at the somewhat blank expression on his face. She felt there would never be an end to her apologizing. She only hoped he would forgive her. "I couldn't stand not remembering, and now I'm just--Oh George, I'm so sorry. _I love you_, I do, I love you so much! God, please forgive me…I can't stand it if _you _hate me."

"Do you…You remember everything now?" he asked with hope after a bewildered moment, so shocked that the spell may have worked that he couldn't properly process thought, all his functions slowed down in disbelief.

"Yes," she confessed with pitiful hope. Her hand was weakly clasped on his forearm. She laid her head against his chest with minor horror as warm tears dripped from her eyes. She prayed he would forgive her as her memories swam fresh in her mind. Oh, the look on his face when she'd just stood there before him when she knew she would have said 'yes' to his proposal. She'd hurt him deeply. It haunted her. And she knew she'd blown something very important between them. "I-I didn't know you. I didn't _know_ you," she sobbed at the awfulness that she could ever forget him. She cried, and she could feel the muscles in his chest flexing in holding her close to him. It was a very small comfort, but she relished in _knowing_ it. "It's like being in hell," she said into his chest, not wanting to think about it as she luxuriated in his closeness. "God, I love you. I love you more than life, George."

This was too good to be true. He couldn't believe it. He thought surely he must have dozed off again in his room, having dreams and hallucinations of happier times spent together, and this whole mess behind them. But she was real, and she looked at him like she knew him. _Really_ knew him, like before. She had regained her memories through a powerful and foolish move, but she was _her_ again. Fully herself.

He held her close against his chest again, softly, her tears dissolving his anger as he blinked back his own of relief. He loved her so damn much, and he was so damn relieved. Her tears were breaking him and he could cry himself at their stroke of luck. He didn't want her to cry or apologize anymore, especially with that pleading look in her eye.

"…will you still have me…?"

He blinked with shock, and then looked down at her as her words did not compute. "What?"

She looked at him with wounded eyes, filled with uncertainty and vying for his forgiveness and love. "…will you still have me?" she repeated sheepishly. She looked away after a moment, lacking courage. "…I'd make you a good wife…I-I know I don't deserve you, especially after all the pain I've put you through…"

He was silent, a new pain blossoming in his chest that took his very breath. "I don't want you saying that to make it up to me or anything, Live," he stated, his own throat tight. He felt her hand tighten ever so slightly on his arm in reaction, and he looked down into her deep green eyes with a seriousness, and she felt her gut tighten and something inside her shake loose with fear; that she was being rejected. And she suddenly had a taste of what it had felt like for him. He offered her a hard look. "I want you to marry me for love. Nothing else." Her bottom lip was shaking, and he looked at her closely, his face was solemn and in a perfect mask of indifference as he spoke. "Do you love me? Really?"

Her face screwed into an expression of anguish and she sobbed hard into his chest with the pain of both situations. What a question to ask. "Of course I love you," she stated pitifully through hitched breath. "…I'd die without you…"

Something passed across his face, and George exhaled a breath he didn't know he'd held. His expression broke into one of relieved ache and still shock. His eyes were widened marginally as he looked at her leaning against his chest, voice hoarse. "Will you really? Will you marry me?"

"Yes, yes please," she whined, a determined and relieved smile upon her face. Her voice sounded choked. She couldn't believe herself. She wanted this more than anything. There wasn't life if he wasn't in hers. She felt so utterly foolish upon retrospect. She offered him a hopeful smile, blinking away tears. "I do want to be your wife, George."

He was reassured, pensive, choked up with emotion, and desperate for the love he knew he already possessed. He was suddenly ridiculously happy, feeling invigorated and superhuman at the thought, and found it unbelievable that she really wanted him as her husband. It was as if the past few days of anguish had been nothing more than a horrid dream, and he finally got his one desire. "Are you certain?" he asked through barely-contained breaths of excitement. He was trying not to get his hopes up lest they be dashed all over again, but she nodded with a look of such pure devotion that it choked him up, his blood running hot in his veins as wild grins kept breaking on his face. Could one die of utter happiness? "I'll be the best husband ever," he barely managed through hoarse, excited tones as he tried not to cry out with elation. "I promise, Live."

She smiled with tears, relief and happiness filling her as her eyes swam with tears of pleasure. "You _are _the best," she told him, and she meant it. He was the best man she knew. She never wanted to be parted from him. She felt so utterly lucky through everything, and an utter fool for past transgressions. That he still wanted her was an amazing wish granted, and she treasured whatever deities were looking out for her. She would make it all up to him. She would be everything she could for him.

He was grinning widely, looking skyward and blinking a lot though he didn't look directly at her as he'd certainly start whooping like a ninny. She smiled at that, wiping her eyes and trying to sit up a bit better, though it was rather hard. Her motor-coordination was off a bit and she felt weak, though she _had_ accomplished a rather difficult spell. She felt drained, but she wanted to kiss his lips. She needed to.

"Godric, I'm just so happy," he whispered, his voice wavering with emotion. He looked down at her with a wide grin, his hand caressing her face. "And you're alright…God I'm just _so _happy." She made a contented, amused noise in her throat, and managed to put her arms around his neck to bring his face to hers as she smiled.

"Kiss me, George."

He made the same happy, relieved noise she had, and put his lips to hers, fervently kissing her as she blinked back tears of happiness, all the joy and promise of the world wrapped in his lips' caress. He made her feel such utter joy and bliss, she couldn't think of anything else as he kissed her, even as her arms started to slip limply from his neck, and her vision blurred with black and red spots, and his pleading voice fading, screaming for help as the world around her dissipated and went dark.

sSs

"Oh goodness, _for the last time, Seamus_, Death Eaters had nothing to do with it!" Hermione affirmed as she swept down the corridor from Potions class. "What would they want with _George_ anyhow?"

"But Parvati says--"

"Parvati knows nothing about it," the bushy-haired witch affirmed with a stout tone. "Honestly Seamus, everything is fine. If _we're _not worried, then _you _shouldn't be either. I'd personally be more concerned about your abhorrent potion-brewing skills."

"It was only _one_ cauldron--"

"--this week," she cut in. He smirked.

"It's not like I mean it to happen. I just happen to have an explosive personality," he said chipperly. She shook her head at him, but he only grinned, undeterred. "Really though, _is_ George alright? Fred keeps telling me to get stuffed, and if everyone is still looking for him--"

"Well perhaps you should leave well-enough alone," she told him smartly, head held high in meaning he would get no further information from her. "And get studying!" She continued on her way as he stood in the middle of the hall with a dumb grin on his face.

"Well thanks for the info!" he called rather sarcastically, busily off to find some other source of information.

sSs

"And here are your papers," Kara said chipperly as she handed a bunch of parchment to a snickering seventh-year Ravenclaw guy. "And here is _your_ identification," she added as she handed a tightly bundled bit of cloth to the Hufflepuff at his side. She cocked her head as she took the little package, and undid it only to start giggling as she found they were panties with 'Property of' written on them. "And thank you very much for your business!" Kara finished with a cheery tone and delighted grin. The couple before her were all snickers and giggles as Kara heard a voice calling her from behind. She turned with a pleasant smile. "Hello Neville!"

"The Alihotsy plant has started to bud!" Neville informed her excitedly as he came to stand in her presence. "All the plants in the greenhouse have begun to bud or flower," he added happily with a smile.

She clapped him on the back with a great grin. "Good job, Neville! At this rate you'll have saved our whole garden!" she praised as he turned beet red. "It sure was nice of Professor Sprout to let us use that section of the greenhouse," she mused as she tugged a red-faced Neville along in thought. She smiled to herself, thinking that perhaps all wasn't lost. Just temporarily slowed down. "What do you say to a round of root beer? From my personal stock?" she offered. If it was possible, he turned even more red. She only giggled as they went along.

"…Uh oh," Neville muttered to Kara as they walked, seeing the platinum hair of one of the most loathed of Slytherins. Malfoy was walking in their direction, accompanied by Crabbe and Goyle and two fourth year Slytherins whose names escaped him. It put somewhat of a damper on his excitement for Kara's personal root beer stash.

Kara didn't act as if anything was amiss, just kept her arm linked firmly with Neville's as she noted how clammy his skin was. Honestly, the boy had charged a Doppelganger head-on, and _Malfoy_ was making him sweat?

Kara sniffed disdainfully as their groups came within hearing distance of one another. A puzzled look took her face, though to those who knew her well, it was more calculated than she was letting on. "My word, Neville, do you smell that?"

His eyes widened as Malfoy's visibly narrowed. Great, the git had heard her. Neville looked at her nervously. "W-what?"

"Ugh, I swear, it reeks of marmot," she informed loudly, her nose upturned as they were within passing of one-another. Malfoy was visibly frowning, Neville visibly shaking. "Have you ever _smelt _a ferret?" she continued carelessly. "I mean, I've only ever smelt it this strong once before, and that was in the presence of Professor Moody."

As they passed one another, Kara was quicker on the draw as Malfoy intended to curse the two Gryffindors from behind. She threw something at him that exploded upon contact, and as the light haze of green smoke dissipated, they were treated to a view of Kara's newest creation.

"Is that _Jell-o_?" one of the fourth years asked as Crabbe and Goyle looked dumbly upon the giant gelatinous mould with Malfoy stuck in the center, wand arm out frozen in place. Kara smirked.

"Oi, whaddya do?" Crabbe threatened as he poked at the giant gelatin sitting in the middle of the floor with his wand. It jiggled and wobbled with Malfoy inside.

"Ah-ah," Kara warned with a tsk-ing finger as he held his wand out with intent to use. "I can turn you into a Crabbe-cake in a second," she threatened delightfully. His great brow furrowed into a frown, and she smirked, admiring her work as Goyle attempted to dig Malfoy out of it. "Hm, not much of a treat at the center, but it'll have to do." She turned to Neville with a carefree grin as Crabbe and Goyle enlisted the help of the reluctant fourth years. "I've been so bored waiting for him to pick a fight. But it worked nicely, eh? I think we'll market those as 'Malfoy Moulds'. Whaddya think? Hot sellers?"

"Is he _really _encased in 'Jell-o'?!" Neville asked with shock, disbelief at Kara's glib tongue.

"Hm yes. And I wouldn't eat it, boys," Kara called to the fourth years who were trying to stay out of the situation. "You'll get a tummy ache. It's rather rotten tasting," she said. The fourth year Slytherins looked grateful for the information, and Kara blithely took Neville's arm back up in her own as they continued on their way un-harassed.

"Why did you warn them?" Neville asked as he watched his back. Crabbe and Goyle were getting stuck in the suction as they tried to get Malfoy out. It made him feel a little better. "They were obviously with Malfoy."

"Oh, not all Slytherins are assholes," she said without a care. "Now, Crabbe and Goyle, I _know_ they'll try to eat him out." She stopped with a blank look, then suddenly started laughing uncontrollably, and Neville's face reddened deeply at her pun. She was snickering, wiping tears from her eyes, as she regarded him with a smile. "Now, how about that root beer?"

sSs

"Well thanks for letting us know at least. Snape wouldn't say anything," Vivian Monteclaire told Ginny appreciatively.

"I promise you, they're totally fine," the fourth-year Gryffindor assured. "Just try not to worry."

"We know," Rebecca Haversham agreed with a smile. "It's just that with everything that's happened to her, anything is possible."

Ginny nodded and smiled. "I'm sorry I can't say more, but, you know how it is."

"Well we appreciate it. Live always speaks highly of you. I'm not surprised why," Vivian lauded with a sheepish smile. "Anyways, we'll stop hounding you. Thanks a lot."

"Sure," Ginny nodded with a diplomatic smile as the girls parted ways in the hall of stairs. She watched them go before heading to the Gryffindor common room, musing on the thought that that was probably the most she'd ever spoken to any given Slytherin, especially the elder years, and that the girls cared a great deal for Live.

"_Kelpie_," Ginny spoke the password momentarily before hopping through the portrait hole. She was nearly knocked over by Ron who was bustling out, and Harry caught her. "Thanks Harry," she said extra sweetly, her point being that Ron was an arse.

"Oh stuff it, Ginny. We're late to see McGonagall," he informed as he made his way without waiting for Harry. The Boy Who Lived grinned as Ginny winked at him, and then quickly, too, made his way out the hole.

Ginny hopped down to see Kara and Hermione quietly reading to themselves. Kara's reading area was littered with root beer bottles amidst her large tome of weird regulations, and Hermione looked deep in thought.

"What's that stupid grin for, Ginny?" Kara asked as she looked up to find the redhead momentarily at a lapse. The blonde grinned. "Brush up a little too close to Harry in the portrait hole, eh?" she implied with a naughty grin.

Ginny didn't bother correcting her. "More or less," she snickered, taking a seat next to Kara. "You'll never guess what I just spent the past half-hour doing."

Kara raised a disbelieving brow. "You _do_ realize we've currently halted all things in the name of pervy-ness for pervy-ness' sake?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. Since when did that stop them? She smiled. "I was talking with Slytherins. Vivian Monteclaire and Rebecca Haversham."

"Ooh I adore them!" Kara gushed. "They always buy our experimental panties!" The blonde looked pleased, though not as surprised as Ginny would have thought. "What?"

"I just didn't really know you were so fond of them," Ginny stated with a curious expression. "I mean, Slytherins? I've talked with a few in class before, but nothing so in-depth. Though I knew you already knew them."

"They're cool," Kara said offhandedly. "Though don't get me wrong, they're as Slytherin as the rest of them," she said with a wry smirk of Gryffindor pride. "Then again, so is my sister, so maybe I'm just used to it." Ginny giggled with a bit of enlightenment. "As far as _they _go, they're some of the most fair. And all the rumors Vivian has spread about Lavender for me have nothing to do with that opinion," Kara said with barely contained snickers.

A scratching noise came from one of the tower windows, and they looked to see an orange barn owl trying to get their attention.

Hermione jumped up from her seat to let the scratching owl in. It gracefully landed on the table and held its leg out to the hasty brunette, giving her a skeptical look. She didn't doubt that the school owls somehow talked amongst themselves, and for all the speed-necessary correspondence she'd been sending, no doubt they were all wary of the bushy-haired fifth year.

"Is it another letter from Live? How is she?" Kara asked impatiently as she offered the owl a treat from her very own stash.

Hermione looked at the letter with a thoughtful frown, circling the table as the owl took its leave of them. "Huh. It's not addressed to me." Kara raised a brow, and Ginny sat up in her seat. "It's to all of us," Hermione informed. "Or at least, I assume that's what 'Group' means. Why else would the owl give it to me? She must have something important to tell us?"

"Well open it 'Mione," Kara urged with impatience, wondering how Live's conversation with George must have ended. Considering she had somehow managed to talk to him at all, that is.

The bushy-haired witch frowned again as she opened the letter. "It's from George…" She looked quizzically at the other girls. She usually received correspondence from Live, although this one technically wasn't addressed to just _her_. And it also wasn't penned by Live's hand.

"Should I get Fred?" Ginny asked. "You know he _did_ nearly apparate back home the other night to give George what-for--"

"--If your dad hadn't caught him in Hogsmeade," Kara cut in with an amused grin. Ginny rolled her eyes with a laugh. Fred had had his ears boxed for that one, and sent straight back to Hogwarts practically with his dad's boot up his arse. No getting answers direct, apparently.

Hermione sighed. "I suppose so, if he's not still pissed off," she noted as she thought, holding the letter away from her eager eyes to wait to read it to them all lest she spoil it.

Ginny disappeared up the stairs to the boys' dormitories to gather those of the 'group' who were not already present as Kara relocated to the couch.

"I gather George _has _written because Fred sent him a rather nasty message since we last got word from Live," Kara supposed with a grin as she got comfortable. "Lee said he wore out two quill ends with his reply. I bet he was _real_ peeved he couldn't say it personally." She grinned in thought. If it hadn't been so late, she wouldn't have been surprised if Fred had sent a Howler George's way. "I bet he used those really long, _nasty_-mean curse words, too," she declared with a smirk. "The ones he learned from the word-of-the-day toilet paper."

Hermione couldn't help but smirk. The muggle novelty had a surprising popularity among pureblooded wizarding families, though Hermione wasn't sure how she felt about people receiving extra knowledge from a piece of toilet tissue. Although Kara was making a killing in importing muggle goods and reselling them with her own _twist_ on the product, there was always something to critique about it. Such as the creative, many syllabled profanities included in the tissue vocabulary. Lee was kept busy with profit sheets nearly every night.

"…git written sooner than later," Fred was saying to Lee as he followed Ginny down the stairs.

"I couldn't find Kelena, though she's probably trying to get back into the kitchens again. And Harry and Ron are still helping McGonagall with something," the little redhead informed. "Should we wait for them?"

"Naw," Kara dismissed with a smirk as she patted the seat next to her with a beseeching look at Lee. He rolled his eyes but sat, and Kara gave Hermione an encouraging look. "George 'as probably written something _real_ smarmy back. I wanna hear it now. It's probably something good, too, knowing that Fred can write like a real prat sometimes."

"Oi, _he_ left _me_ out first!" Fred declared with a frown. "And you didn't know he'd proposed to Live, either!" he pointed out to the blonde, though Kara shrugged as if it didn't really bother her. Fred sulked and sat in a chair. "It's just desserts."

"Whatever. Anyway, read it 'Mione!" Kara declared after giving the common room a cursory glance. Three first years quickly ran off to their dorms with the death-glare she had fixed them with. There would be no more crazy rumors if she had things her way. And no more pestering of her sister's curious situation. And now they had the common room to themselves.

"Alright then," the bushy-haired witch affirmed with a smile as she held the letter between both hands. She looked up quickly, though, and pointedly at Kara. "I'm censoring it if he gets too descriptive, by the way." Kara giggled and Fred smirked in minor triumph.

Hermione looked rightly justified and cleared her throat as she read: "_Dear Everyone…Plus Fred_."

"It doesn't say that!" Fred denied with affront as he leaned forward in his seat

"Yes it does!" Hermione stated, and he grumbled, sitting back. She cleared her throat once more. "_Dear Everyone, plus Fred_--" the boy in question slouched with a frown, "_I wish that I could tell you all personally, but I suppose this letter will have to suffice._" Hermione stopped as a great grin formed on her face.

"Well?! Go on!" Kara encouraged. Hermione giggled and Kara quickly frowned with impatience. "Dammit Hermione! I know your eyes are faster than your mouth, but _read_!"

"Sorry, sorry! Ahem." She smiled as she read the next part. "_It is my duty to inform you that it is official, and our family tree will be infiltrated from a branch from Slytherin House._" Hermione giggled as she looked up to find the other girls were all expectant smiles as well. "They're engaged."

"So she accepted?" Kara cried with pleasant surprise, glad George must have listened once she turned her head on the matter. She quickly turned to Ginny, nearly smacking Lee in her fervor. "We're gonna be related Ginny!!" The fiery-haired fourth year and the blonde fifth year began bouncing upon the couch in giggles and excitement, and Lee had serious doubts about having accepted a seat next to Kara.

"Oh bollocks, there goes our noble family history," Fred stated dolefully, though he had a wide grin on his face for the news.

"What else does it say Hermione?" Kara pressed in enthusiasm. The bushy-haired girl grinned and looked back at the letter. Her grin quickly faded, however.

"_Oh…Oh god._" Hermione looked up from the letter she was reading as her hand went over her mouth in horror. "…oh no…"

"What's wrong Hermione?" Kara asked with concern. She laughed nervously as she surveyed the brunette. "Live's not pregnant, is she?" Fred fell off his chair. Ah, that's why George hadn't told anyone!

Hermione was shaking her head in stunned silence. "…Live. She…she…" Her mind couldn't put words together as it came up with horrendous after-effects and horrid scenarios.

Kara frowned and jumped off the couch with gravity, the shine of happiness gone from her face. "Oh god, what happened to her?! What's he say?!"

"She used a memory charm on herself…a dangerous one…"

Kara's hand went to her mouth. Hannah Abbott had told her gruesome stories about the things her relatives in the ministry had seen at 'accidental death' scenes; stories of inept wizards blowing their heads off with performing un-taught memory spells which had to be cast directly against the person's temple. And Live wasn't near to normal control with her magic at her current state, according to letters. Had she been mangled or disfigured through her own mistake?

"Hermione, _what happened_?" Kara asked stoically, trying to steel herself for the worst. Surely if it was horrible, George would have mentioned it first. Then again, if Live had been okay, _he _probably wouldn't have personally written, and they would be reading from Live herself.

The brunette looked twitchy and uneasy as she read portions aloud as she skimmed. "…It worked for the most part…Backfired…She's doing alright…" her eyes were busy on the parchment, and then she frowned at the abruptness of the letter, her tone one of disbelief. "They'll be back at school soon."

Kara and Ginny regarded her with baited expressions. Hermione sighed loudly with nothing more.

"That's it?"

"Gimme that," Fred stated, and Hermione extended her hand to him. He looked over the letter. "That's it? Nothing smarmy?" He shook the letter, as if expecting some secret correspondence to fall out of the sheet or something. But nothing happened. Why was George so abrupt?

"Oooh! Fred! Lookit the back!" Kara declared with sudden enthusiasm.

He looked at the back of the letter only to see words bleed themselves into being. He frowned with a mixture of contempt and amusement, reading the words:

"_Fred, get bent_."

sSs

"She'll be all right. Minor trauma to her mind, but as long as she gets plenty of rest, I don't see why she won't be fine within a few days."

"Thank you so much, Poppy," Mrs. Weasley affirmed with worried relief. "And for making a house-call, too. We really appreciate that."

"I'm just glad there was no major injury. Frankly, I'm surprised she was able to pull it off, though it was a foolish, stupid thing to do," she noted with concern and relief. "A mind is a terrible thing to waste."

"I'll make sure she gets proper rest," Mrs. Weasley promised, as well as making a mental note about severely chastising Live when the blonde was well enough. "And it _is _still alright for her to take her daily potions?"

"It won't interfere. Severus mentioned that that would not be a problem," the mediwitch stated, keeping to herself the angry profanities he had also said upon the telling of the incident. Idiotic girl. "Albus thinks it was only possible _because_ of her potions. It kept her power in check from blowing her head off her shoulders." She looked self-chastising at the wide-eyed horror on Mrs. Weasley's face. " And he apologizes for not coming personally, Molly."

The redheaded woman nodded. "It's alright, really. I'm just glad _you _got here quick enough."

Madam Pomfrey smiled. "It's not as serious as it could have been. And she has her memories back at least. Just, keep an eye on her until she wakes up. Alert me by floo should anything change," the mediwitch informed. Mrs. Weasley nodded as she thanked the woman, and saw her off via floo, watching the green flames flare and dissipate in the hearth.

She sighed with worry though relief, and left the hearth to go back to check on Live once again. There had been no physical sign of injury, which she supposed was good, though everything George had said once they got Poppy had spooked her. His screams of help alone had chilled her with a mother's mortal worry, and with the aurors she had apparated out of the garden into the room with fear.

But everything was alright now. She could push her fears from her mind and concentrate on checking on the young blonde and her poor distraught son.

George was hunched in his chair with his chin in his hand, quietly watching Live and thinking. He was startled as his mother placed her hand on his shoulder, and he looked up with an unreadable expression as he'd been brought from his reverie. He exhaled deeply through his nose and looked back at Live with unease.

"Your father is going to be home for dinner tonight. Won't it be nice to eat together?" she posed, watching him delicately. He hadn't been out of his room in days, and though she had a million questions of interrogation and chastisement, it was neither the time nor place. He nodded wordlessly, and she gave his shoulder a squeeze before she left the room to make tea.

George sighed, ridiculously worried. He had hoped answering Fred's letter would take his mind off his worrying, though it had been two hours since he'd done that, and still he was as anxious as ever. He wanted her to wake, though he didn't try to wake her personally. Madam Pomfrey had insisted that she had just fainted from a drain of magic and needed her rest, though he wouldn't be satisfied until he spoke to her himself. And as of now, he was writhing in guilt that she wouldn't have tried the damn stupid spell if he hadn't made things so hard for her in the first place.

Her hand twitched moments before she opened her eyes, and all thought fled his mind as he dropped to his knees to be level with her beside the bed. "George?"

"Yes, it's me," he said with a reassuring smile, gently taking her hand between his.

She smiled back at him tiredly, a bit sheepish. "I passed out, didn't I?" He nodded emphatically as he swallowed the lump in his throat. She sleepily exhaled. "I'm so tired."

"I'm sorry, Live," he told her. She gave him a minor frown as he put his forehead to the back of her hand lying upon the bed. "I never meant to make things so hard between us," he said, the sentence a bit muffled because of the blankets, though she heard him.

She grasped his hand better and sighed. "It wasn't your fault, it was mine," she admitted tiredly. He snorted in disagreement. "I don't think Fate likes us very much," she observed.

"Bollocks," he remarked as he looked at her rather sadly. They had caused one another so much pain at each other's hands. This was ridiculous. "I love you," he told her, kissing the back of her hand.

"Love you too," she told him. She half-smiled as she looked him over, and saw how bedraggled he still appeared. His hair was very much the same as it had been upon her last seeing him. "Hold me, George."

He smiled and climbed onto the bed, wrapping his arms around her as she nuzzled him affectionately. He moved as if suddenly uncomfortable, and angled himself up as he reached into his pocket, extracting the little box containing the ring he'd fashioned for her. He smiled as he opened it and took out the band, holding it between two long fingers. "You know, I'd have made you marry me regardless," he claimed as he took her hand, though he only half meant it. He would have been truly miserable had she not wanted him back.

"I was lost," she told him truthfully, spreading the fingers of her left hand. He slipped the ring on her ring finger and threaded his fingers through her own. He angled his head to kiss her, and she met his lips with such love she felt like crying. He embraced her tightly, and kissed both her cheeks as well, resting his own cheek on the top of her head. "I love you so much, George."

"I love you too, Live." He was overcome with a sense of excited anticipation, and smirked as he looked down pensively at her finger shining with his ring. "So, where do you want to get married?"

"Don't you mean 'when'?" she asked with a smile.

"Well we can have dad do it in time for dinner!" he told her enthusiastically, and she giggled as he teased her. "You know, ministry official and all. Shouldn't be a problem."

She buried her head into his chest fondly, and he smirked. No, he'd give her whatever kind of wedding she wanted. Hell, if she _did_ want his dad to marry them right then and there, he was all for it. _Considering _his dad actually _could _do that kind of thing. He was just so utterly pleased that he'd be her husband, officially and truly this time, that he didn't care much about the other details. He grinned as another thought struck him. "You know, Live, if dad marries us by dinner, we can get working on children by dessert. So how many do you want?"

"Fifteen." She was snickering at him, teasing back. She giggled as he lurched at her statement, and then looked up to see him giving her an odd sort of surprised look. Then his face broke into an expression of realization that he was being teased, and mumbling at her statement, he rolled his eyes with a smile, kissing her lips once more. She sighed and left her hand at the junction of his neck and shoulder, relishing in the warmth of the skin she could feel. He held her other hand, admiring the ring where it was always intended to be. She sighed happily, tiredly. "Does your mum know?"

"Know what?" he asked absentmindedly, his thoughts elsewhere.

She felt a bit sheepish. "…I never told them you proposed to me…"

He knew that by 'them', she was referring especially to his parents, though as well of the people that surrounded them at large. "Why not?" he asked, honestly curious as to why she'd kept it a secret, though he felt it had protected his pride at the time. At least, until Bill had come and called him out.

She shrugged halfheartedly, not up to go into great detail, or of her self-loathing. "It was none of their business."

He snorted in amusement. "How particularly Slytherin-ish of you my dear," he chuckled as she pushed her forehead against him in rebuff, and he kissed her hair with a smile. "But no, I haven't told mum anything yet."

"Scared?" she asked, not making fun.

"Yes." He sighed with amusement, and snickered, wondering if they'd live through such an encounter. "You remember when mum sent that Howler."

"Well she can be rather frightening sometimes," Live agreed through a smile. "I told Hermione, though."

He smirked. "Yeah, I know. I got a very nasty letter from Fred wanting to know why I kept him in the dark." She smiled with delight and interest. "And it is not suitable for ladies' eyes, by the way."

She looked up at him rather curiously. "You didn't tell your own twin that--"

"No." He felt a bit silly. "I also kept it a secret because I didn't want _every_oneto know…you know, because of the prophecy and all that…" She sighed at that. Damn. That was something she hadn't thought about yet. "We don't need more people telling us we shouldn't be together!" he declared indignantly. "And someone might have ruined it before I'd gone and done it now, wouldn't they?" She smiled in thought. "And also, well…" He gave her a sheepish look, his cheeks reddening, and she smiled up at him with her deep green eyes. "I thought it might be kind of nice that you would be the first one to hear of it. _You know_?" He smirked a bit sheepishly at his own sentiments, trying for a rather manly expression as if it was of no big deal (and failing miserably, by the way) but she smiled with love for his sentimentality.

"If I wasn't so tired, I think I might rather take advantage of you right now, George Weasley," she told him with a smirk, her fingers curling in his clothing affectionately.

A grin of pleasure broke over his features, and he tilted her head up to his for another kiss as Bill stuck his head in the door.

"And I continue to wonder why it always has to be me to separate you two," Bill said with a smarmy tone, grinning at his younger brother with surprise that both were once again so reconciled.

"Shove off you git, I'm trying to have a private moment with my wife, here," George declared as Bill only smirked.

"_Girlfriend_," he corrected his younger brother.

"_Fiancée_," Live corrected Bill, grinning as George beamed down at her with a pleased grin. He took Live's hand and waved it at his older brother, showing the sparkling band off as evidence. Bill's eyebrows rose with surprise, and George made a rather nasty face at his brother to which the curse-breaker only grinned, and offered the happy couple some tea.

sSs

Dinner, as well as breakfast the next morning, was taken in her room as she was still too weak to make it to the table, and George never left her side in the meantime, no other desire than to stay in her company. Sometimes she suddenly broke into fits of giggles as the realization that they would be married hit her with full wonderful force. And then they would both snicker to themselves in obvious delight and glee, receiving suspicious looks from his mother when she passed the door, and knowledgeable grins of encouragement when one of the choice others passed or dropped in.

Several times in the hours they spent together she had momentarily blanked out right in the middle of conversation as recovered memories would choose to freshly surface in her mind. Her blank looks puzzled him at first until she'd later explained that memories had popped up in her mind almost as if she were reliving them, and then she recalled them to him in quite vivid detail.

It wasn't a normal occurrence within the _memora ritorna _spell for such things to happen, but was, in their opinion, most likely a side-effect of the trauma her mind had sustained at her own inexperienced hands. They suspected that as she healed and eventually regained her strength, it would stop (or at least once her memories had had full time to really sink back in). That was Madam Pomfrey's official opinion on the subject, anyway, so initially, they merely flowed along with it and had a few good laughs when she brought up rather fond memories of their existence.

He liked it at first, such as when she recalled with pink cheeks the time they'd spent together quite naked in his dorm room back at school, or the time when he had put non-extinguishable fireworks in Filch's office. He would wait patiently in the moments when she suddenly went still, and then she would snicker to him about Vivian flashing the quidditch team countless times, or when she herself had cursed Pansy Parkinson's panties to scream whenever the girl sat down.

But George's amusement in her moments of passivity had abruptly ended when she had suddenly burst into tears over the memory of perversion at Malfoy's hands, and sobbed away for half an hour after though he had assured her he wouldn't let the little prick get away with any of it, past or present.

With exhaustion from crying, she had slept through most of that afternoon while he traced her skin with his fingers and kept her close. It was then that his mother had decided to act upon her rather unkempt son.

Through clever coercion and her insistence, Mrs. Weasley had gotten George out of the room for a bit of berating for all the worrying she'd been doing on his behalf, and also forced him to bathe and clean himself up as "Two days in that room of yours did not improve your looks or smell!" And while he had at least given his face a good washing within that time, he had to admit that he probably wasn't at the top of his game in the hygiene department, mostly necessitating a bath and a change of clothes. Live had been pleased upon waking from her nap that George was still sitting beside her, though now smelling clean and wonderful and ready to maul her with kisses and embraces.

That late afternoon had Live feeling up to sitting in the garden, and rather than have her waste her strength, George apparated them into the yard with a grin and a laugh as they surprised a rather scandalized Lupin snogging Tonks. Live had never seen their ex-Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher look so red in the face, nor the Metamorphmagus disappear into the trees so quickly. And it gave them plenty of fodder for which to tease the two.

For the rest of the day and well into the evening, they sat and spoke quietly to one another, confiding in each other and savoring the time they spent together without the pressures of school or the world weighing them down. Live sat between George's legs in the shadow of a tree, his arms around her as he made jokes and kissed her neck and spoke words of love. He caught her staring at her hands several times-- not always because of the ring on her one hand, but because of the scars that mottled her skin. And he didn't allow her to be upset about it.

"I already told you, Live. I don't bloody care."

"Huh?"

"You keep staring at your hands," he informed. She bit her lip, having been caught, and he took her hands and laced his fingers through her own. "I don't care about the scars, Live. You shouldn't either."

"But my skin…" She trailed off as he raised the back of her hand to his lips, and kissed it as she blinked back tears. She squeezed his hand, and he gave her a squeeze back as he put his cheek against her own. She couldn't help but think about it. Her skin was utterly mottled with scarring from the potion she'd been burned by. She was so changed, she just hoped that that cream he'd made her would help them fade with time. "George, I was right before, when I told you it was better that I couldn't remember some things," she informed him as he held her close. "It was better that I couldn't remember how my skin looked without the scars."

He sighed and held her a bit more tightly. "Live, you're beautiful enough that a few scars don't matter. Don't make that face, you _are_. And I love you either way," he confided as he kissed her cheek. She looked somewhere nears tears at his words as she knew that he really meant them, even if she herself thought otherwise. He moved her so he could better embrace her, and held her close to his heart. "So just…shut up about it, woman. _I love you_." She snickered a bit at his put-off tone, and murmured how much she loved him back. He never failed to cheer her up..

And though he went on to insist that he wanted to prove his love by starting immediately upon their family-making, she somehow convinced him that sitting under the tree and poking fun at Lupin and Tonks was a lot more fun, as well as planning to re-dye Bill's un-rainbowed locks.

"You know, he _did_ look better with multi-color hair," George murmured thoughtfully, causing Live to giggle as he nuzzled her neck lightly with his nose. Goosebumps rose on her skin as she smirked at him, holding his hand in her own. "However," he suggested thoughtfully, "I'm quite certain there's more to starting a nice family than we've always heard…Best to attempt it until we know we're doing it right. Get in a _lot_ of practice-time."

She giggled and batted at him as he wrapped his arms fully about her and tickled his fingers beneath the bottom of her shirt to her skin. She cracked a grin, and looked back at him as she made grasps for his hands. "And I wonder who would teach such a thing at school?" she giggled as his fingers stopped, angling his head to give her a rather perturbed look.

"That is a very disturbing idea, Live."

She snickered and raised an interested, teasing brow. "And who came to _your _mind, George?" He gave her a sour look, wrinkling his nose. "That bad?"

"…_Hagrid_," he admitted through murmur, and she nearly choked with that mental image.

"Why in the _hell_ did Hagrid come to mind, George?" she said with amused amazement, turning in his arms to look at him with bewildered distaste. She never thought the idea of a sex-talk from a teacher could get any worse than what they'd already been through. After all, one wouldn't think there was anyone less desirable to speak of on the subject than McGonagall, Snape, or Dumbledore, though it could apparently get worse. The idea of a sex-talk from Hagrid was as preferable as kissing the fiery end of a blast-ended skrewt.

He looked away from her eyes as she stared back at him with shocked puzzlement, hands on her knees with a growing smirk on her face at the absurd unlikeliness. She was utterly amused.

George's wry look twitched, and he halfheartedly explained. "…well he knows a lot about animal husbandry."

She started snickering terribly at his reasoning, trying in vain to hide her giggles as his cheeks went red with embarrassment of his disclosure. He pursed his lips in discomfiture as he still didn't look at her as the idea in itself was rather ghastly. As well, after they had already received in sum total three sex-talks from three different teachers, the idea of one more, and from Hagrid, made it seem far worse.

"Oh, George," she said with a smirk, grinning at their combined silliness as she put her hands on his face and softly brought her lips to his. He smirked after that, a bit perked up from such an errant thought, and she grinned back at him. "You're so cute when properly irked." His cheeks reddened a bit more in self-censure, and she kissed him again, shrieking in surprise when his hand gripped her bum.

"…Just an afterthought," he told her through an impish smirk, making her giggle and roll her eyes.

He released her and she got to her feet and brushed off the back of her robes. George was giving her a rather wolfish look, and she raised her brows in question. "What?" he asked of her gaze.

"Practice-time," she relayed. His eyebrows shot straight to his hair in excited surprise as she smirked and rolled her eyes at him. "I mean, that that's what you're thinking, and you can stop thinking it right now." He gave her a cocky grin as he stood and rather strutted over to her with extra haughtiness, putting his arms around her waist with rather wicked intent and opposition. She couldn't meet his eyes for her nervous laughter at the raunchy murmurs he whispered in her ear, and kept looking about the trees on the property in slight scandalization. "George, there are _aurors_ around, and I'll not be putting on a floor-show--"

"--So if we were someplace out of view it would be different?" he finished her sentence hopefully with a wide grin as she smirked at his implicating boldness.

"Yes George, that's exactly what I meant," she told him sarcastically with a smile. His eyebrow popped in amusement and for a moment everything was suddenly very tight, and then she realized he'd apparated them someplace _quite_ dark and rather free from anyone's view. Her lips quirked in a smile as her eyes adjusted, hearing only his breathing in the dark room. "Are we where I think we are?" She caught a flash of teeth in a grin, and she giggled. "The laundry room?"

"You betcha!" he affirmed as she snickered.

"You're quite ridiculous, George," she said as his hands splayed themselves over her in the darkness. She couldn't help but smile (as his touch was rather pleasing) and to the fact that he had apparated them to the spot they'd gotten to know one another a little better in, so many months ago. "But that _is_ why I love you," she added, grasping his face between her hands as she brought her lips up to his, fully surprising him at her receptiveness.

sSs

"Sorry Mrs. Weasley, I just can't," Live denied as she waved her wand with frustration. "I can't do it."

"It's probably the potion, dear. Maybe try again in a few hours," the fiery-haired witch supplied.

"But Professor Snape said I should still be able to do _some_ magic," Live objected.

The elder witch sort of shrugged. "I'll let him know. I suppose just wait a bit, dear. You _are_ still weak."

"Hm. Alright," Live agreed as she plopped down on the ottoman in the sitting room. She suddenly felt large, strong hands on her shoulders from behind, and looked straight up into George's grinning face as he stood grinning at her.

"You know, I can think of a few things we can do to kill a few hours," he implied with an impish gleam to his eye. She pursed her lips up at him, and he obligingly kissed her, making her smile.

"Just a few?" she teased.

He smirked, putting that thought on hold, and pulled something out of his pocket. "This just came for you," he said, dangling a letter over her head. Her eyes brightened as she reached for it, and he held it just out of her reach with a smile. "But first, let's hear a few of _your_ ideas."

She pouted at him in the way she knew melted him, and his grin only curled further on his face with obvious affection for her. "_George_…" she whined beseechingly, and he took her face between his hands and kissed her again, then deposited the letter on her lap.

"One of these days, Live," he promised as he traced a finger down her chin and throat, "One of these days, that look is going to work too well and I'm just going to whisk you away to the bedroom."

Her eyes went wide with surprise, cheeks flushing terribly as he regarded her with a playful yet promising look. She blinked and then gave him a curious expression. "When?"

It was only a moment or two in which he was taken by surprise at her blithe word, but decided he would rise to her teasing until she admitted defeat. He shrugged as if she was hopeless, and stooped to whisk her up as she squealed with giggles, batting at him and his blasé attitude as if he had nothing better to do.

"Gah! George! I was kidding!" she giggled, wiggling out of his grasp until she was on the floor, him grabbing at her legs, trying to get a hold on her as she was crawling away with laughter. He fell to his knees to better grab at her, a smirk on his face. "George! Quit it! HA--Get your hand out of there!" she shrieked between giggles.

"And what if my hand decided it rather likes it there?" he said with a grin as he wrested her into his arms in full giggles, giving her cheek a kiss and her breast a squeeze.

"WEASLEY!"

They both fully froze in sudden alarm, and Live was suddenly hit with a wicked sense of nostalgia, followed by a horrid blush stealing to her cheeks as she shooed George's hand from her chest. _Oh, crap._

She tried to compose herself (though there wasn't much a chance of saving face as they were in a veritable pile of scandalized disgrace on the floor) and George helped her to her feet as they were being stared down by none other than Severus Snape.

Bill was grinning from behind the dour man as they both stood in the kitchen doorway, and Live felt she could have died of embarrassment on the spot.

"Miss Hunter, I would expect a little more decorum on your part," Snape started acidly as he gave her a rather distasteful leer, "Especially for someone _supposed _to be recuperating and thusly re-mastering their magic."

Live was stuttering with a red-face, trying to think of something even the least bit placating as his statement _did_ hold some truth, but she was completely at a loss. George stubbornly slid an arm around her waist and glared back at the man staring visible death down upon them. Then an idea suddenly hit him, and he grinned rather widely, seeing a victory in his immediate future. "It's alright, Professor, we're getting married," George told the dour Head of Slytherin with a real grin. He held Live's ring-hand up so the man could see the shining white band in proof, as Live tried to tug her hand back to her person for safety precaution.

A look of condemnation took Snape's face, as if finding her guilty of some crime, and his gaze was suddenly harsh upon Live, expectant of confirmation. Her cheeks reddened even worse as she met his eyes. "Um, it's true Professor Snape," she confirmed with a barely-managed smile. She could practically feel the icy waves wafting off his glare, accusing and disappointed in her for House-traitory. Oh _dear_, he did not look happy. "We're gonna get married. R-rightly this time," she finished nervously, backing into George.

"_What_?!" Mrs. Weasley shrieked, her hands on her hips with eyes wide, looking at her son with the full force of a gale wind as she stood in the kitchen doorway behind Bill. Live felt George's arm tighten around her waist as a worried, caught-in-the-act look took his face. She wondered if he, too, was considering apparating them both safely away from the scene and his mother's undoubtedly-lethal shouts.

One detail rang true, however, and that was that this was definitely not the way they had planned to inform his parents of their marriage plans.

"George Weasley, _what did you do_?!" Mrs. Weasley accused as Bill jumped out of the way of his mother's wrath, and Snape, too, stood aside, no doubt garnering entertainment value from such a tragic announcement. "Did I just hear her correctly?!"

Live's eyes were wide, a look akin to that of the proverbial deer in the headlights. George himself was frozen in place with near panic on his face as they both tried to somehow hide from his mother's glares. They would have tried to hide behind one another to shield themselves from her admonishing look if not for the sheer terror she inspired that kept them rooted to the spot.

George looked at Live for help, but she went just as blank as he did.

"_George Weasley did you hear me_?!" Mrs. Weasley repeated. George looked properly abashed, and Mrs. Weasley regarded Live with a very different, soft look. "Well dear, I suppose I should welcome you to the family properly…_Again_," she added with a narrow-eyed look at her blanched son. She spread across the room with a smile for Live, taking the girl from George's arms as he stood still and wary, as if of predator. His mother and the blonde went back in the direction of the kitchen, Live turning her head to look back at George with beseeching eyes of 'oh dear, help me!' as his mother took her away chatting amiably.

George himself felt fully relieved.

For about two seconds.

Like a black rain cloud, Snape brought a chill to George's sunny outlook. "As hard as it is to imagine anything to permeate that thick skull of yours," Snape immediately started in, "I assume you can recall what I have spoken to you about, Weasley." It was really more of a question than a statement as he gave the fiery-haired seventh-year a decidedly venomous glare.

"_Yes_," George hissed back at the man. Snape narrowed his eyes without belief, and gave George another look as if his very person was an offense to God, before turning and following the trail of the women. "Oh shut it," George muttered of Bill's snickering.

"Oh my little brother," Bill snickered affectionately as he swung an arm around George's shoulder, "I think of all the pranks Charlie and I have ever done, and we have _never _come close to making mum's face such a lovely red color through all our years. I must congratulate you on that. And telling it to Snape too! I'll have to write dear ol' Charlie on that!"

"Oh shut up. You _should_ be congratulating me on my engagement," George pointed out with a wry look. Bill laughed. "What's so funny?"

"I think _you_ should thank _me_ for making you go talk with that girl. Naming one of your children after me should be enough, I think," he said thoughtfully, and George shunted his arm off his shoulder as Bill laughed again. "Oi, don't look so sour, George, or you'll end up looking like Snape."

"Sod off ya git," he spouted, thinking that maybe announcing their engagement to Snape of all people probably _wasn't_ the smartest idea. For Live at least, being Slytherin herself and all. Snape already didn't believe George was capable of properly ensuring her safety what with the prophecy and attacks they had already experienced. He was also severely opposed to the idea of their union as he didn't want to see Live's abilities hampered, as surely a marriage to George Weasley would undoubtedly do. All his implications led to the conclusion that he believed Live's potential for potions would be disadvantaged with a union to the Gryffindor, and that it might even spell disaster for the wizarding world unless George took himself out of the equation. While the dour man had made several valid points which actually hit close to a few insecurities George had, he refused to listen to the man and further declared that there was no one more qualified to look after her than he himself, and Snape could not say another word on the matter.

"You know, if you really want her as part of the family, I'd get to dad before mum harps in on him and gets him over to her side," Bill pointed out. "Less interference. Remember that girl with all the tattoos Charlie brought home? We never heard the end of that one."

George shuddered. No, his mum hadn't liked Charlie's old girlfriend one bit. Granted, Live didn't have any tattoos or odd piercings, though she _did_ have a very interestingly placed birthmark that only he was allowed to see. _And _the love of his life was a Slytherin.

"…maybe to Charlie, too. So Live knows what she's _really_ getting in to before deciding to marry _you_, ya sod," Bill said as he gave George a punch in the arm.

"Oi, _what_?"

"Get to know the family, so she can see just what a big blunder _you _really are?" Bill provoked his brother with a smirk.

George couldn't help but grin. He still couldn't believe Live wanted _him _for her husband. She was just so beautiful and smart. It made his heart feel like a Filibuster gone crazy. And Bill was just trying to rile him in payback for dying his hair. The eldest Weasley male _had_ gotten more and more clever with the verbal payback as opposed to physical revenge, in recent years. "Sod you, Bill. You're just jealous, ya knob."

"Is that you I hear swearing in there George Weasley?!" Mrs. Weasley harped as Live came back through the kitchen door with a very red face and a mortified expression. The red-haired woman had a cooking spoon in one hand and her wand in the other as she glared at her son from the doorway. George pointed one finger at Bill accusingly. The eldest son only grinned, winked at Live, and brushed past Snape as he went back into the kitchen with his mum, leaving his brother and his fiancée alone to the devices of the Bat King of Slytherin.

Snape glared daggers at George as Live stood off to one side at anxious attention. He expectantly turned his gaze on her. "Do not forget to practice those spells as I have instructed you."

"Yes sir," she said through a very red face.

"And allow your magic waxing time beforehand, as I have also instructed, Miss _Hunter_." He gave George a rather disdainful look in using Live's maiden name, and the Gryffindor rose to the bait.

"That'll soon be _Mrs. George Weasley_. Pro_fessor_." George ground the teaching-title with as much disdain as he could muster, only to receive a death-glare of promise that he'd be dealt an exacting brand of punishment once back at school.

The man gave Live a sniff of disdain and swept them both with another venomous look before leaving through the front door this time. George hoped he was apparating off the face of the earth.

"Ugh!" Live made an agitated noise as she plopped down on the couch. Her face was bright red.

"It won't be like that for much longer," George remarked hopefully as she looked up at him with minor mortification. "What spells do you have to work on?"

"Oh none of that matters!" she declared as she regarded him with indignity. "She _asked _if I was _pregnant_." George gave Live a completely blank look. "_Your mother_," she added, cheeks rosy as she put her head in her hands, unable to meet his eyes for her discomfiture. George's own cheeks flushed at the statement. "Oh I've never been so humiliated! Right in front of Professor Snape! _And _your brother! Argh!" She continued to mumble about how Mrs. Weasley was already flooing messages and penning letters to relatives, not to mention Dumbledore and Mr. Weasley.

"Oi, I'd think there's more reason to marrying me than getting you all knocked up," George spouted with a disdainful look in the kitchen's direction. He threw a grin her way, and she peeked up at him through her hands, silent with frustration, awaiting his words for hopeful soothing. "But when you think about it, it _is_ icing on the cake..." He waggled his eyebrows wolfishly at her as she couldn't help but laugh a bit madly.

"George," she started, hinting at her proximity to insanity, "I am _this_ close to having a Tarts-and-Vicars party and inviting Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall in full costume." His eyebrows lifted. "_And Hagrid_." Whatever inane idea had been on the tip of his tongue was immediately quashed with that. She sighed and sat back against the couch, discouraged. "Snape said the potions are screwing up."

"Did he really?" George inquired with true bewilderment that Snape would ever belittle his own potions. He was also trying to get the idea of McGonagall in tarty lingerie out of his head.

"Well, he wouldn't actually say that it was _his_ potions," she admitted. "But he said my magic was having trouble properly building up with the potion, and not just because of that spell. Dumbledore will have to look into it or something." She looked doubtful and weary. "It keeps changing, George."

He smiled and stood in front of her, taking her hands and rubbing his thumbs over the backs of her palms. She resignedly leaned forward into him so that her face was in his belly. She huffed loudly, causing his shirt to ruffle, and he grinned as he could feel the warmth of her disillusioned breath through the fabric. She was obviously sick and tired of her magic screwing around on her.

George sighed, and saw opened parchment in Live's pocket. He sought to take her mind off things at present, not to mention it reminded him of his own delivery today. "So, what was in the letter?"

"Hmph?" came the muffled reply to his stomach.

He smirked and ran a fond hand through her hair. She liked the feeling. "The letter I gave you? From Hermione, I'd wager," George added.

"Oh," Live said with a wide smile, extricating her face from his torso. Her hand subconsciously went to her pocket, and she gestured absentmindedly. "You know, congratulations and all that…Telling me off for that spell…_You know_, the usual." Live smiled and snorted. "I think I'll wait to get back to her."

George grinned at her blasé attitude and took her hand back in his. "You know, that's not the only thing that arrived earlier," he informed. She raised her eyebrows in expectant curiosity, but he only tugged at her hand. "I would have shown you earlier, but what with all the riff-raff about…" he commented with a wrinkle of his nose at Snape's undue stop-in . "Come with me, I have something for you."

She fought a smile as she looked at him suspiciously, and he smirked at her caution. When he usually said he had something for her, they ended up making out somewhere until someone came looking for them. And that didn't always end without embarrassment. So he didn't baulk at her discriminating attitude.

"It's in my bedroom."

"George, _really_," she said as she stopped in her tracks with a smirk on her face.

"Oi woman, get your mind out of the gutter," he said with an innocent tone that she didn't buy for a second. He rolled his eyes and gave her a kiss, still grinning as his mind strayed to other possibilities that leading her up to his bedroom might end in.

"_George_…"

"I'm serious this time!" he assured, looking rather shocked that she didn't believe him. She gave him a disbelieving look. "Really. It's something we've been working on for the joke stuff. We've put loads of research into this, not to mention hours actually reading." She gave him a surprised look that seemed to say _You? Read?_ "Come now, it'll explain a few things," he promised as he hefted her over his shoulder without warning, causing her to shriek and promise she'd follow if he just put her the hell down!

When he decided to actually put her down, they were already standing outside his bedroom door, and he had a great grin on his face. "Wait a tick until I call you in," he told her as he slipped through the halfway-opened door. She regarded him with a weird, suspicious look.

"George, if you're trying to seduce me, I can tell you I respond much better to outright blatancy." His eyebrows rose in extreme interest, and she prodded a finger in his chest with a warning smile. "And right now it wouldn't work."

He opened his mouth to say something, but then sighed and slipped inside, closing the door as she waited. She heard him bump around in there, and she minorly wondered and even hoped a bit that he _might_ be trying to seduce her, as it had been far too long since she'd seen him in that lovely little quidditch uniform of his. It made her flustered just thinking about it.

"Okay, come on in!" she heard through the door. Shielding herself for the outright shocking, she cautiously opened the door, and was relieved (as well as a bit disappointed) to find he was still in his present clothing and nowhere near the bed. "Okay, ready?" he asked with his back turned to her as he looked over his shoulder. He was obviously hiding something in his hands, and she grew rather curious.

"Yeah, I guess," she told him as a faint humming sound made it to her ears. "George, what is that?"

"Here, sit down," he told her as he turned towards her. His hands were cupped against his abdomen, hiding something against himself, as he grinned widely at her.

"What's that humming?" she asked of the faintly familiar sound.

"Hold out your hands," he said with an excitedly pleased grin. She did as she was told, looking at him curiously, as he moved his hands away from his body and opened them above her own to reveal a pulsating little puff of violet fur.

"Is-is that a--?"

"Pygmy Puff," he said with pride as he deposited the miniature ball of fluff into her hands. It halted its singing for a moment, then began to hum anew as she moved it closer to her body looking at it with wonder and delight.

She looked up at him and grinned, obviously pleased, as she held the light little ball of fluff. "This is a puffskein?"

He nodded with a great grin. "Yup."

"But it's so tiny!" she declared, delighted by the fact as she held it closer to her face to inspect it. A little orange tongue snaked out of the fluff to testingly lick the tip of her nose, and she shrieked with amusement as she moved it away from her face.

"Fred and I have been breeding them extra-small, and believe me, it's not as easy as it sounds," he said as he took a seat next to her on the edge of the bed. She grinned at him and leaned over to kiss him full on the lips. He was pleased just as much by the kiss as he was that she so obviously loved his little gift to her. "That's why I mentioned Hagrid before," he remarked with a grin as she giggled. The pygmy puff shivered once and then began a new tune. "With animal-breeding and all, no one probably knows more than Hagrid. He's been helping us out with it, learning more about them and all when we ordered some of the runts from Magical Menagerie. We let him keep the larger ones, and he's been helping us breed the smaller, more colorful ones. You're one of the first girls to own one, of course--"

"I can really keep it?" she cried with enthusiasm, making him smirk at her for her surprise.

"Of course. He likes you already," George told her as it bounced once on her hand. "He doesn't just purr for anyone, you know." She closed her hands around the humming animal, scared it might jump off. "This one's a bit temperamental, but I knew he would be for you."

"How do you know it's a _he_?" she asked with honest curiosity, stroking the violet-colored fur with her forefinger. It hummed merrily in delight.

George ran a sheepish hand through his fiery hair. "Actually, it's kind of hard to be sure," he chuckled. "Though this one answers to 'Henry', so we assumed it's a he."

Live snorted in amusement. "You named it Henry?"

"Fred did," George supplied, petting the fluff ball errantly. "Silly sod named them all without me. Though I hand-picked this one from the litter just for you," he said with a barely-contained grin. "Even though Fred named it."

"Well I love it, George," she told him fervently, kissing his cheek and making him go red with praise.

"I meant to give it to you a bit sooner back at Hogwarts, before Fred picked them up from Hagrid, but then we've gone through a few delays, haven't we?" he said with a grin. 'Delays' was putting a light shine on what they'd been through. A better term might have been 'hell'.

"This is so sweet, George," she told him with affection. "It's so cute! And I love purple!" He grinned knowingly, and her face softened with love and admiration as he played with a strand of her hair over her shoulder, watching the little creature. It had a habit of singing and bouncing about a lot, though it was behaving a considerable lot better in Live's hands than it had in theirs. He hoped that would be the case with all the puffs they'd bred. "Okay, it worked."

He looked a bit perplexed. "What?"

She smirked at him. "Seducing me. It worked. I'm yours."

A laugh escaped his throat as she giggled and gently put the pygmy puff down on the bed, only to wrap her arms enthusiastically around his neck and kiss his lips as he looked utterly, utterly befuddled.

"But I wasn't trying to se-"

She put a finger to his lips and looked at him with love. "I know, shut up," she said with a smirk and a grin, and as she straddled his lap and pushed him to the bed he looked at her with wide, pleasantly-surprised eyes. She seemed fully intent on thanking him for her new pet, and he was only a man, and nowhere near about stopping her affections.

"Henry, go play somewhere," George instructed of the purple puff bouncing with enthusiasm on the bedcovers. Live giggled and smirked, her hands splayed on his chest as she, too, looked at the obliviously happy pygmy puff hopping about. It acted like it was on some sort of holiday. "Such things are not suitable for your young, impressionable eyes."

Live laughed and kissed George once again, taking his mind and thoughts far away from the little puffskein bouncing about merrily upon the bed, and fully upon the delightful fact that Live was intent on stripping his clothes clean off him.

sSs

Impossible spells, marriage proposals, Malfoy dessert, and inter-house love. What more could you ask for? Ah, nice and ridiculously long chapter, once again. Ha, hope that tides you over until I update once again, (fyi no, they haven't done it, in case ya'll think I implied it, but _when _and _if _I have it happen, you will all know, believe me). School is back in session and I'm getting over yet another respiratory illness O.O Eep. God bless penicillin, the wonder mold. I'm going to two campuses this term (on Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat) and thinking that endeavor a bit crazy even for me as I have 15minutes between classes to get from one campus _across town_ to the next class, and I haven't even factored in the new days/time for my internet-radio show! AGH! I wish I had a time-turner. Ha ha.

Well, review if ya got 'em (oooh, or fanart! Haha thanks again Karma-k2 my love! Check out her stuff on dA under the same name!) Hopefully inspire me to get my ass writing quicker (knowing how I fare during school months O.O Eep). Thankies lovies! And FYI mailing list is always available to those who want to be added!

To my darlings:

Nomanslandvicki: haha ok due to popular demand, chaps long and lovely as we like them, hahaha :) Yeah i felt it was time to get them out of the downs and back to earth, so to speak :D Ha. Hope i supplied sufficiently :) Thanx!

dckveg: haha so many twists and turns, i swear i'm trying to keep track of it all. hee hee. And thankies! heh heh. Man, new semester. I'm going to seriously need some caffeine/multi-vitamin pills! hahaha! I've already stocked up on Amp energy drinks! College is eating me alive, i swear.

Karma-k2: HAHAHA okay okay i'll still do my long-long thang with the chapters XD hee hee hee. Popular opinion decrees i do so, and as we all know, I am a slave to you all :D Especially with offerings of fanart! HAHAH WOO!! Woot! Ha yeah i couldn't keep George and Live all depress-y for too long ;) haha i'm just a little sadistic is all ;) ha no more depressing you guys...for a bit XD Because I love you 3

redheadlover: HAHA ooooh redheads...man, yum...but anyway! hee hee...Yeah it all worked out for the best...i mean, i couldn't _not_ have her have the ring :D heh heh too fun there. Heh oh yes, boy i have fun parts in plan. Just with my eclectic self, i'm hoping to get them out sooner than later...i sort of make up stuff out of sequence haha!

Ashley: Well of course! And i hope your birthday was a happy one:) And thank you so much! hee hee, how could i ever keep George and Live at odds? I love them too much! hee hee. Thankies thanky thanx:D

luniepoo: HAHAHA have you ever seen that live action Potter Puppet Pals where it's Harry and he's being all angsty, and he's banging his head against the wall going "Angst! Angst! Angst!" XD HAHAHA man...i totally thought of that with your review hee hee! Just about sums it up. I can't help it, i love being a sadistic torturer of the characters! bwahaha! I'm just having a little god-trip, nothing to worry about, heh heh. Yeah, the traumatic part i'm talking about in the book? Fred. Enough said. Whoa man, worst page of my life. Ha, but thanks!!!!

chineseretard92: Ha yeah, 'unique'...XD HAHAHA that's a very diplomatic way of putting it! BWAHAHA!! good stuff. Hee hee. Man, i wish i had a ring like that :/ I have a pendant though, so i suppose it's just as good o.O HAHA yes i'll tell my sis that the George and Live Show is getting rave reviews, HAHAHA!!! oh man. Hee hee thank you very much!

Blue Kat: Woo! Hey i remember you! hahaha and i'm not being smarmy, fyi :) Hee hee, hey it's totally understandable. This summer has been very kind to me, though like, last fall i uploaded only one chapter, and then in the spring like one chapter, so i totally understand the college crap. Ha, if it takes me forever and a day to write it, i certainly can't imagine how long it takes you guys to read all this stuff! ha i'm so long-winded. But yay! Thank you my love! Heh heh, it's nice to know that even if ya disappear for a while, i got ya comin' back :D hee hee. Pottermania...oh man, i don't know what i'm going to do with my life now that the books are over! HAHAHAHA!! I joined this group on facebook called PPD: Post-Potter Depression HAHAHAH cuz it's so true :D Yeah. As far as i'm concerned those pages don't exist! lol But good to see you again! Screw academia! hee hee...Though this term might kill me haha :)

scarletfaerie: HAHAH well if I'd answered you about Fred, i wouldn't have been able to make the Pygmy Puff gift to Live a surprise then, would i? (Ha, my lame excuse and i'm sticking to it!) Ha, have you ever received post or read something that is so ridiculously shocking that you just start sputtering cuz you can't get the words out? Ha, i certainly have...And now Hermione too, hahaha! Well, Fred may not have took off to the burrow by broom, but he certainly tried to apparate there! (though daddy-Weasley stopped him while looking for George in Hogsmeade, haha!) heh heh all your suppositions made me laugh :) Hee hee, believe it or not i actually had how she got her memories back planned out and skeleton-ed before i figured out how she would lose them! HAHA i'm kinda writing this thing a bit backwards then, eh:D Haha hope your mouth is all healed! Woo! And all that good stuff! Haha everyone so far has basically told me to stuff it and keep the chapters long, so being cowed into it, i shall continue to do my best! hahaha :) Thankies lots my love:)

StarsAndPolkadots: Wow so you're one of my oldies then XD hee hee, well i'm glad you came back eventually! haha i know, life gets stressful and busy and all argh-y :D haha. I certainly know what you mean. I think the highschool to college transition put me on the backburner for quite a long time; going from worrying about homework and gossip to bills and rent and stuff, ick. But yay, coming back to old accounts and such is always fun:D Woot, and thank you very much :D We're all caught up now. hee hee.

Nara Merald: Haha, i can't help it, and you know it ;) Heh heh. Oh, they'll be happy for a time, o'course. I can't screw them around forever. Though I like pain and anguish XD heh heh heh i try to tell it true to life, and life _is_ pain. Anyone who tells you differently is trying to sell something XD

Lunaisnotloony: Well thank you much! Haha this story has been in the run for so damn long, I hate to keep you guys waiting for longer than necessary! Just life and my attempts to write are troublesome sometimes, haha:D but thank you! Woo! Hope you're satisfied for a bit ;D

Daisychaingirl: Haha oh I can't keep them apart for very long :D hee hee. I just love screwing with you guys :D Hee hee, woo and thanks for the reviews and everything:D Haha I'm so utterly random within a lot of this, but I try, I really do. hope you're satisfied thus far ;)


	47. Problems along the Way

You guys ever seen that movie, Star Trek: Wrath of Kahn? Okay, well I personally have _not_, but I _can_ tell you that the movie _happened _to me. The part with bugs in the ear, anyways, from my understanding (Thanks Nurse Fear and Dr. Boucher). Those subscribed to my DeviantArt page or my myspace will fully know and understand the horror I went through on August 19th at 5am. And it was horror, let me assure you. Pincher bug. Terrible. I'm still having pain in my right ear :/

In other words, I actually had a _very_ legitimate excuse to have not updated sooner: emotional/physical trauma.

-FireV.

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 47: Problems along the Way

sSs

It was only a few days they got to spend in one another's company when Dumbledore decided that Live was healthy enough and prepared to return to school, and George alongside with her. They were preparing for departure as well as preparing themselves for school-life once more, and no doubt the questions that awaited them as Hermione had made it very clear that people were nothing but rumors and gossip since the couple had disappeared. And more than naught of the school were aware that some sort of secret wedding or bonding of the like had taken place or had been in the works (but as the close-knit group weren't saying much to the school at large, rumors were incredible and mostly wrong at best).

Initially, and after officially announcing their engagement to the family several nights ago, Live and George were inseparably happy and didn't spend much time apart, if any, unless at Mrs. Weasley's insistence ("George Weasley you get out of her bed and into your own this instant!"). Mrs. Weasley had thrown them through a loop with her rather easy acceptance of their firm marriage plans, as she didn't put up much of a fight by way of seeing it as a safety precaution.

"Albus _did_ say it might benefit the both of you to enact marriage again, as a precaution," Molly supplied tolerantly by way of excuse at her thoroughly bewildered son and future daughter-in-law. "But you're so young. Even for a marriage of convenience."

"It is _not_ a marriage of convenience," George denied stoutly. His father had raised a speculative brow at his son, and had given the blonde an equally appraising look.

There were bound to be a few problems along the way, but while they had expected an interrogation from his mother, they were completely blind-sided by George's father.

"And when do you expect to _get _married?"

Live and George exchanged blank looks.

"What are your plans for after graduation?"

More blank looks. "Graduation?"

"You _are_ continuing school, George Weasley," his mum intoned from the sink of dirty dishes.

"I could get you a good job at the Ministry, pull a few strings." George made a sour face. "And did you plan to just move it in with your mum and I?"

George needed to loosen the collar on his shirt.

"Um, we're still deciding upon things, Mr. Weasley," Live spoke up timidly, thoroughly intimidated by his questions. Though when she had ever felt intimidated by Mr. Weasley, she couldn't remember. He looked at her with an interested brow and a smile as she felt George give her hand an appreciative squeeze under the table for drawing his father's fire. "We have a lot of things in the works," she added with a smile, though she was yet again lying like a rug. The closest thing they had in the works was that they wouldn't be sleeping apart at all once back at Hogwarts, and there was no way in hell she was about to disclose such a thing to his parents. "I was raised around muggles, Mr. Weasley, so we're not sure what we want to incorporate into a wedding or housing plans as of yet. There's just so many options. Nothing I could tell you is exactly set in stone right now. Right, George?" She gave him a pointed look, and he quickly agreed, grinning at his father.

Mr. Weasley regarded his son with a suspicious look, but then his face washed over with a fond grin, no doubt intrigued with thoughts of muggles and whatever their 'ceremonies' might entail. "Well that's good enough for me," he declared brightly.

And that encounter was one of the easier ones they would have to deal with. But at least the worst so far was over, and they could concentrate on the present.

"Live dear, do you have all your things?"

"Yeah Mrs. Weasley. I already shrank them and everything." She patted her robes pocket with her hand, and the red-haired woman nodded approvingly in the light of the gray afternoon.

"George, everything ready?"

"Just about, mum," he said as he rustled around in his robes pocket, checking to make sure he still had room in his pockets. Mrs. Weasley tutted and nodded, going back into the kitchen from the yard. George shrank another small box sitting on the garden table and stuck it in his pocket.

Live turned to George, taking his hand to get his attention as she looked at the little carrying-box on the garden table. "George, is Henry going to be alright to apparate?"

"Sure," George promised with a squeeze of her hand. "I've apparated other things alongside before. Like that gnome I put in Ron's bed." He snickered in thought. That had been a marvelous prank. Boy had mum whooped him good for that. "Shouldn't be any more dodgy than apparating a cat."

Live grinned at him and patted the box containing Henry, bending to look in at the purple humming fluff ball. "Hiiii Henry!" she said enthusiastically. She stuck her finger in the box and felt the little orange tongue lick it. She squealed with delight, and then shrieked as George grabbed her bum. "_George_!"

"Well you were practically presenting it, darling," he said through a winning smirk. He cocked his head at her and smiled at her expression. "I'll ask more about that look once I have you somewhere private back at school."

She raised her brows with piqued interest as he turned around without a second glance, and went back to checking his person and shrinking various boxes of things without a care in the world. He was messing with the secret items she had helped him take out from beneath the floorboards of his room; things he hadn't had room for in his trunk when they had originally left the house for school. His pockets were filled with experimental items, Ministry-graded non-tradable (and what he assured her were illegal) goods, and the items he'd needed to make her scar-cream, among other essentials. In short, he was well-stocked and ready to return.

Live played with Henry through a hole in his box, stroking the soft fur as the creature hummed with pleasure. She considered the return to school, and how long it had been since she had last seen her sister and other friends, and also the things that had changed, not only for herself, but for George as well. And there was something she still wondered on a bit, and it kept nagging at her mind.

"George, there's something I've meant to ask you," Live started, biting her lip a bit timidly as she stood from the pygmy puff's box.

"Hm?" he murmured as he was shrinking a box she knew contained gunpowder and small fireworks.

"Um, where did you go?"

He raised a brow and looked over his shoulder at her curiously. "Huh?" She had a look on her face as if she was asking something very difficult. He thought she looked a bit bothered, and he was minorly confused.

"Where did you go…? When you left?"

He frowned a moment in thought, realizing what she was talking about, then a sheepish look took his face at the mention. He still felt a prat for having left at all. "Oh…I was around places."

She was twitching with discomfort, sort of smiling as if satisfied by that answer when she really wasn't. But it had taken her a great deal of courage to pose that question, and with the uncomfortable subject it touched on, she wasn't going to press if he wasn't going to offer more. There was no need to bring up unpleasantness when things were going so well. "Oh." She went on to smooth out creases in her robes which weren't there, and it made him smile as he watched her.

"I was hoping it could wait," he added.

"Oh it's alright," Live said quickly, wishing she hadn't brought it up at all. She didn't even _want _the memory of ever having hurt him so badly, let alone bring it up when unnecessary. And she supposed it wasn't all that important anyways. She looked up and smiled brightly at him. "What do you think dinner will be tonight?"

He surprised her by suddenly enveloping her in his arms, wrapping himself tightly about her and fitting his face in her neck with feeling, inhaling her scent. He had to bend to do so, but he wanted to be about her entirely to reassure her, and she was taken completely aback at this sudden display of affection.

"Live, honestly, I won't keep any secrets from you," he murmured softly in her hair as his fingers curled in her robes about her. She heard him laugh lightly, and then he stood back up to his full height, looking down at her with a grin as he held her. Her cheeks were lightly flushed with confusion, and it made his grin widen. "I was out looking at shops and whatnot. Found a few places that might make good joke-shop locations. Double-stories. Shop in the bottom, house in the top; a few rooms, little kitchen. Nice locations." She still gave him a bewildered look, and he rolled his eyes with a smile as he looked back at her, surprised she didn't make the immediate connection. "Are you that daft, woman? I was looking for a place we could set up house."

She went very still a moment as the information sunk in, the hum of the wind and the singing of her boxed pygmy puff the only noise between them. It took her a few seconds before she really understood what he'd meant. His smirk widened as the pieces visibly fell into place for her. "You…You were looking for…for us?" He grinned widely at her as she looked at him with disbelief. "Even after I--?"

"I'm not discouraged that easily," he said with a haughty sniff, turning his nose up at her in mock-disdain. Though indeed she had hurt him when he'd proposed, he hadn't wasted the time he had spent away from her. With every ache in his chest and throb from the bond Dumbledore had created, he'd thought of her, and what his proposing had really meant for them. Returning home hadn't much consoled his broken heart as it had done for the pain, and he'd slipped further into unhappiness without much hope for that future coming to fruition. But things were already different, and he was glad he'd spent his painful time away so wisely. It proved more than beneficial now, and was well worth the look on her face. "And I found a few places in Diagon Alley, and a lovely little _mmfghmm_--"

He was caught off guard as she kissed him passionately, tears in her eyes for all his efforts and intentions. It went straight to her heart that he had put so much thought into their lives, and that he cared so utterly deeply. She was so grateful, so _touched_, it was almost too much for her to bear. It was _real_. All of it. He really wanted a life with her. For always. He had gone that extra mile. George, for all his joking and pranks, had true and serious plans for them.

She had her hands on either side of his face, kissing him several times with involuntary feeling, then touching their foreheads to one another as they looked at each other with intense expressions. Live was smiling, though there were tears running down her cheeks, and George frowned and lifted a hand to her face. "Oi, Live, it's alright."

Her breath hitched as she smiled up at him. "I just can't believe you. You're just so good, George. I-I- It's just- You're so good, George."

Pride bloomed in his chest at her tone and painfully obvious love for him. He wrapped an arm around her waist and dabbed at her cheeks with the robes on his other hand. "…I don't like seeing you cry," he stated as if apologizing for her tears. She smiled back at him and hugged herself to him, the side of her face on his chest as she held him with love so great it was painful. He pet her hair and held her tightly back. He couldn't wait until they could set up house, let alone get married. And it delighted him to no end that she was so touched by his plans.

The sound of someone clearing their throat quickly brought him back to earth, and his mum was standing there with a wry look on her face, though if she had anything judgmental to say, she kept it to herself. "Ready?" Both George and the blonde in his arms nodded, both a bit pink in the cheeks, but otherwise composing themselves easily. Mrs. Weasley beckoned them to follow her without any follow-up questions as they walked around the side of the house to the departure point decided upon. "Tonks and myself will be apparating with you just to the Hogwarts gates," Mrs. Weasley informed as they followed her to the Order members waiting for them. Tonks was making lovey-dovey looks at Remus while Sirius kicked at what must have been a rather offensive dirt clod. They could see shadows moving amongst the trees where the rest of the guard still kept to their duty, though close enough to say goodbye. "And Dumbledore will be waiting to receive us." Mrs. Weasley gave Sirius a disapproving look at standing as himself in full daylight. "I thought I told you to stay in dog-form, Sirius. It's not safe for you to be walking about like that."

"Just wanted to say goodbye," he said with a grin, utterly carefree. "And I'm sure the kids would appreciate not getting back to school with a case of the fleas, anyhow," he added with a smirk, defending his human self.

"I'll say," Tonks remarked with an exasperated look at her unconcerned relation. "You give fleas to Remus, and I'll shave you myself."

Sirius gave her a warning look that clearly advised against touching his hair, and she blew him a kiss and winked with threat that she _would_ indeed carry out with it. Live giggled at the Metamorphmagus as the other witch wrapped her arms around Remus and smothered his face with kisses before detaching herself from his person. Live didn't blame her. At least she and George were together at the castle out in the open, but it was harder for the two of them to get quality time during school work-hours. Many parents still did not take kindly to the werewolf.

Live checked the little travel case containing Henry safely in her free hand. She heard him humming and grinned, safely holding the box against herself. George took her other hand in his and smiled at her. "Ready?"

"Yeah," she said with a nod.

"Well let's get this party going!" Tonks declared with a grin, and with a loud crack she was gone.

"Sirius, will you please put the kettle on for when we return?" Mrs. Weasley asked as she looked at the black-haired man. He grinned and tipped an invisible cap to her. Remus promised he wouldn't let Sirius burn down the house, and the other man looked at him disdainfully, though amused. Mrs. Weasley smiled and thanked him, then looked at her son. "Straight to the castle gates, George. No funny business."

"Ah, mum," George groaned dramatically. "No quick stops over to Canterbury?" She gave him a dirty look and apparated with a resounding crack. George grinned at Live as Sirius laughed.

"Oi, George. Tell that godson of mine to stay out of trouble," Sirius said with a contrary grin.

"He means to not get caught," Remus intoned with a smirk. They all laughed and snickered. They knew more about that than anyone.

George grinned and wrapped an arm around Live's shoulder, holding her other hand against his stomach and keeping her close. "No time like the present!" he said with a grin.

He gave her hand a squeeze and felt her squeeze it back. He smirked as she told Henry to hang on (though what or how a puffskein would hang on to anything was anyone's guess) and with the castle gates firm in his mind, he apparated them both with a swift crack, leaving behind the smirking face of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin in his family's yard.

Everything went dark and tight a moment around them, and then suddenly light once again as they looked upon the familiar castle grounds. In a way, it was quite nice to be back. The grounds had taken on a more autumnal look since they had been there, or at least, the trees which still had leaves looked rather festive with oranges and browns. The few students outside were bundled a bit more warmly as the weather had been getting colder every day, and overall, it was a heartwarming sight.

Tonks was there, changing her hair from pink to gold, and Mrs. Weasley was standing with an agitated look next to Dumbledore, who had no doubt already received an earful in the few minutes she had been there without them.

It was then that George noticed the weight on his side, and that Live wasn't supporting herself so much as she was slumped limply away from him, her arm slack, hand still grasped around the pygmy puff's box in vacant void.

sSs

"Oh good, they _are_ coming back today!" Kara said to Ginny as they stood in a tower window overlooking the castle gates. They'd been watching Dumbledore stroll about with Hagrid until the large gamekeeper had disappeared into the forest, and the wise old wizard had stopped before the open gates to seemingly admire some of the late-blooming flowers. He was shortly joined out of nowhere by Tonks and Mrs. Weasley. The red-haired witch immediately began conversing with Dumbledore, and Kara grinned, happy that Live's letter had given them some forewarning to meet them when they returned. Looks like today was indeed the day. "Let's go greet them!" Kara said enthusiastically.

"I wonder if mum's taken to Live properly?" Ginny asked between breaths as she raced after Kara down the stairs.

"Ha, as if anyone could!" Kara laughed as she jumped the last bottom steps. She nearly fell into Seamus in her fervor, and his look of surprise made Ginny laugh out loud.

"Oi Kara, what's the rush? Sale at Honeydukes?"

"Live and George are coming back today!" she announced with a grin as they didn't so much as stop to chat.

Kara laughed as she heard Seamus calling after them: "So Death Eaters _didn't_ take George, then?"

"Oh but we will have to do so much rumor-quelling," Kara huffed with smirked observation, making Ginny laugh. They jogged the rest of the way to the entrance hall in silence, several Gryffindors asking what the hurry was and if Kara was having a joke-sale of some sorts as they passed. She was in such an excited hurry that she nearly bowled into a bunch of first years. "They'll forgive us," Kara huffed as they reached the lawn of the school.

"They won't hold it against you after what you did to Malfoy," Ginny said through panting giggles. Malfoy had foolishly tried to exact revenge that very morning for what Kara had done several days ago with encasing him in jell-o. And now he was currently bald, and the spell was incredibly hard to remove. The little prick had been hiding his face for the most part, if he wasn't still hiding in the hospital wing demanding to be cured. The best Madam Pomfrey had been able to do, rumor told, was provide him with a bad wig that at least _looked_ like his own hair.

"I think we might be able to afford that Jarvey after sales this week!" Kara bragged about the wonder of her new marketing ploys. Malfoy Moulds were currently sold out and she had even taken some third-year protégé's under her wing for product development.

Ginny was out of breath by the time they got to the ground floor. Though she had to admit that they had made it down the stairs and through the castle in record time, and without running into Filch or McGonagall, either. It was quite a marvelous thing to behold.

"Live!" Kara called out happily as they caught sight of the little entourage making its way up the walk. Dumbledore was chatting with Mrs. Weasley and Tonks, slowly leading the way as George and Live brought up the rear close behind. Kara frowned as they got closer.

"Alright?" Ginny asked with a frown as they waited for the adults to pass them. She said an offhanded 'hi' to her mum as the red-haired witch tittered to Dumbledore, and Tonks gave the Gryffindors a friendly wave, but continued with the elder witch and wizard up the walk, a glance behind at George and Live. "Is anything wrong?" Ginny continued.

George had an arm around Live's waist as they strolled behind the others, and the blonde looked pale and shaken. Though she offered both girls a grin and a smarmy-toned reply to avoid the question, "Just you two are the welcoming party, huh? Where the hell is Kelena and the others?"

"Kel's up to something with the House Elves, and _we _came straight here," Ginny shrugged as they got closer.

"You look like crap," Kara commented, cocking her head at her sister. "You alright?" She gave George an accusing look for not taking better care of her elder sister.

"Have you seen the ring yet?" Live asked, evading the question. She held out her left hand to both girls, each squealing with delight, though not for the reason Live would have thought.

"We're going to be related Ginny!" Kara shrieked with happiness for the millionth time.

"Ooh I can't wait!" Ginny declared, grasping hands with Kara as they jumped in excitement on the lawn. They easily garnered the attention of those who hadn't taken notice of the odd entourage coming up to the castle. And now they were getting oddly amused looks for the Gryffindors' antics. "Ooh we can plan family reunions together!"

"And we'll go on shopping trips to the muggle market!"

"And we can tell everyone we're sisters!!"

Traitorous to his own house, the term 'Gryffindork' immediately came to George's mind in looking at both bouncy girls. They were obviously in a world of their own. "Oi, how 'bout a 'Congratulations' or something? This isn't everyday news," George pressed with quirked eyebrow at the younger Gryffindors.

"Hmph, thinks it's all about them, doesn't he?" Kara said in feigned annoyance to Ginny.

"As if us being related wasn't news enough," Ginny responded to Kara.

Live was ready to knock both girls one, but George gave her a firm grasp that momentarily took her mind off making herself an only child.

"Oi you two, be good, or you're not invited to the wedding," George threatened.

Kara snorted. "As if anyone else could be the bridesmaids."

"Or look half as good in the dresses," Ginny agreed. Neither paid George much attention, though he wasn't surprised. Kara's scatter-brainedness was bound to infect Ginny at some point.

Live sighed at the younger girls and leaned heavily against George.

"You alright?" Ginny asked with concern for the second time, their teasing tone gone from her voice.

"Are you still messed up from doing that stupid spell, Live?" Kara pressed with wrought frown. She studied her sister with intensity, looking her up and down as if she could see whatever was ailing the Slytherin.

"Oh yeah, look what I have," Live evaded quickly, holding out her other hand with the little carrying case for Henry. Kara took it with a raised brow as they stopped for inspection, and Ginny came closer to have a look as well. "Open it up," Live told them with a grin, holding on to George with both arms now in a way reminiscent of a hug.

Kara opened the box not without suspicion (as hanging around with Fred and George _would_ breed suspicion from unmarked boxes) and fully squealed in delight upon seeing the little fluff ball inside. "Ohmygosh! Is this a baby puffskein?!"

"Oh it's so cute!" Ginny cried as she saw the creature sitting contentedly in the box.

A smile spread across Live's face. "George gave it to me," she said looking up at him with delight, her tone not without a bit of haughty pride that she was the only one to own one. He grinned back at her toothily, giving her a little side-squeeze.

"It's a Pygmy Puff," he informed them as he held Live. "They stay that size."

Ginny and Kara immediately fixed George with intense hawkish stares. "I want one," Kara declared.

"Me too," Ginny said as she stared at the one in the box. She gave her brother the most pathetically-pleading look she could muster. "Can I have one, George? _Pleeeease_?"

George grinned, certain that this little endeavor would indeed pay off. "Ladies, they will go on the market very soon. And I promise you can be the first to buy them," he said with a smirk.

Kara handed the little purple puff off to Ginny as she fixed George with an accusing look, hands on her hips. "Has this been kept a secret from your _business partner_?" she accused. "Something I should have been _in_ on?"

"I think you'll agree it was for very good reasons," he told her through a winning grin. She gave him a frown.

"It was a _present _for _me_, Kara," Live added, smiling once again up at George. "And you know you can't keep your big mouth shut."

"Oi, I resent that!" she said indignantly. Bah, Live would never let it go that she had let it slip that the Slytherin had once _accidentally_ groped that icky-looking wizard at that bookshop…She didn't even think people still remembered it. Unless that's what they were referring to when they called her 'Lecherous Live'…

"But you'll be in business proceedings from now on Kara, so shut yer gob," George told her through snickers. Kara gave him a rather pointed look of indignation before turning and marching back towards the castle, muttering something about "Lee" and "Get him for not telling me".

"Can I really have one, George?" Ginny pressed with hope. She was absolutely in love with Live's purple pygmy puff, she simply had to have one of her own.

"Oi you lot, come on then!" Tonks called to the three of them. Mrs. Weasley was still in chats with Dumbledore, though it was obvious that they were waiting for Live and George. No point in leaving them to their own with all the precautions they had taken.

"Okay!" George hollered right back. Tonks smirked and turned her hair an auburn color. Standing next to Mrs. Weasley, she looked like she could have been another daughter. The motherly witch herself kept giving wry glances back at George and Live to make sure no funny business was going on aside from the business at hand. "Ginny you hold Henry for us," George told his younger sister, taking Live's hand in his as his other arm still held her.

"_Henry_?"

"Fred named him," Live informed with a little laugh, and they started back up the walk. Ginny talked baby-talk to the little puff in its box, and walked in front of them with delight at its humming. Live stumbled over an errant rock but caught herself before she face-planted. She didn't want to become more of a spectacle than they had already been upon arrival.

"You alright?" George asked with concern as he held her securely.

"I'm fine," she told him with a smile.

"Live, just let me carry you."

"For the last time, George, no. I'm fine. Really," she promised. "Just a bit shaken. I just…not right here, but I'm fine." She did feel pretty alright, considering, but she didn't think it would make for good presence to have their arrival back consist of him carrying her amongst the rest of the curious entourage. She wanted to keep them _out_ of the rumor mill, not foster it. And if many had seen their arrival, which she was certain some _must_ have, then they would have seen that she'd had a blackout that had alarmed the lot of them. And she didn't want to appear weak to everyone else, especially since she was still quite unpredictable where her magic was concerned, and if anything, she needed to appear strong.

George gave her a wry look. It was obvious that he didn't believe her, but he didn't press the matter, merely held her that much more securely to him.

They walked on, following the professors and George's mum, and passed through the grand doors of the entry hall they had gone through a million times. Though now it was different, and they were literally and figuratively attached at the hip. It was nice to be back.

They garnered a few interested looks from students once inside the castle. Looks, anyway, apart from the ones that Tonks caused with changing her hair every few minutes from boredom of Dumbledore's and Mrs. Weasley's conversation. George wouldn't let Live go from his side and insisted she allow him to support her, keeping her snug against his person, and it made for a very odd sight indeed. Some Slytherins ran off as they caught sight of the couple, and several Gryffindors welcomed them back as they were passing through towards the Great Hall.

"Think everyone will know by dinner?" George asked with a grin.

"Know _what_, exactly?" Live said with exasperation. There were so very many topics to choose from where they were concerned, it didn't seem at all fair to place their bet on a single horse.

"Only that you're engaged to one of the most handsome Gryffindors ever to grace these halls," he said with a purposefully arrogant tone, trying to make her laugh.

"I'm telling Fred you said that," Ginny called behind herself as she walked in front of them.

"Wouldn't he _like _that?" Live asked the fourth year. She looked at George with a teasing smirk. "You _are_ twins."

"I'm still better looking," he declared. She giggled.

Ginny sighed and looked behind at them. "Can I play with him a while, Live?"

Live looked at the little puff Ginny had moved to her palm. She grinned at the younger witch. "Go ahead. Watch him for me a bit, will you? Take good care. He's my baby," Live entrusted with a smile.

Ginny grinned and went up a set of stairs away from them, no doubt seeking out the Gryffindor tower.

"Trusting Ginny with Henry, eh?" George said with an amused grin, watching his little sister go. "Don't think she'll flush him? Not sick of him already, are you?"

Live gave George an offended look. "George that's a horrid thing to say!"

He laughed and placed a kiss on top of her hair. "I'm just a bit surprised about your enthusiasm to let him out of your sight," George teased. He smirked as she began to fret at his words. She hadn't let the little creature out of her sight since he had given it to her. Not once. She was crazy about it. And now she was having second thoughts.

"You think he'll be alright? Maybe I should go ask Ginny for him back…"

George pulled her to his side. "Ginny won't let anything happen to him, and puffskeins are hardy, anyway. They've survived mine and Fred's care thus far." He grinned, though Live didn't seem too convinced.

He pulled her along as she kept glancing nervously at the stairs where Ginny had departed. "Dammit George," Live cursed. "Why did you have to say that?"

He looked amused at her exasperation. "What?"

"Henry could very easily get flushed down a toilet, George!" He laughed heartily. "Or what if something happens or someone takes him?"

"From _Ginny_?" George looked horrified at the thought of anyone messing with his little sister. She could produce one mean Bat-Bogey Hex.

Live shrugged with fretting, giving the stairs another cursory glance. It made a group of loitering Hufflepuffs fidget nervously. George smirked and gave her another kiss. "No worries my love. Ginny'll-"

"George Weasley, do pay attention," George's mum's voice broke through his thoughts. He looked up and saw her giving him a frown. The three of them were standing looking at the Gryffindor-Slytherin couple. Tonks was grinning, Dumbledore looked as kindly and patient as ever, and Mrs. Weasley seemed utterly exasperated with her son.

"Why yes, mum?" he asked in his best imitation of an obedient Percy. He received a glare in response. Live wrapped her fingers around his arm, and he looked down to see her smirking at him beseechingly. He rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine."

"Oh be nice, George," she murmured with a smile at him as they walked towards his mum to see what they wanted. "You won't see her again till holidays." He sighed and nodded, though his face still held a hint of amusement.

"Alright Live?" Tonks asked with a smile as they approached.

"Yeah," came the automatic reply.

Mrs. Weasley embraced her son and kissed his cheek. "Now behave yourself, George," she told him as he wiped his cheek with the back of his hand with a groan. She folded Live into her arms with a smile and hugged her genuinely. "Take care of yourself, darling."

"I will."

"And be careful," she said with concern, holding her out and looking at her with fond worry. "It won't due to have you in poor health before we can force George down the aisle."

"Oi! I heard that!"

Live giggled as Mrs. Weasley fixed her son with a warning glance. "I mean it, George. You had better behave properly." She gave Dumbledore a pointed glance. "Albus if he acts without even the least bit decorum--"

"I'll keep him in line," Tonks spoke up with a grin. George gave her a frown while Live giggled. "_Professor _and all. Don't you worry, Molly." Tonks gave George an utterly amused grin, and he wrinkled his nose at her. As if she, let alone _any _professor, ever had a chance of controlling him.

"And if that doesn't work, _I_ will," Live spoke up with a smirk to his mother. George scoffed at Live, and she offered him an innocent, playful smile.

"Well, then it's settled," Dumbledore spoke up with a kind smile. "Molly, I'll see you out, with many thanks."

"Thank you," she responded in kind to the old wizard. She gave George another look, and smiled at Live, as she took Dumbledore's arm and they took their leave.

Tonks fixed the couple before her with a grin. "Not even married, and already henpecking him, Live?"

Live laughed but it was George who answered. "If you think that just because you're a professor that I'm going to suddenly become prefect material--"

"Eh," Tonks interrupted him. "I might be your professor again," she started with a grin, "but what I don't see doesn't happen. Get it?"

Live smirked and a wide grin spread on George's face. He smirked down at Live and gave her a look of playful incredulity. "And if _you_ think you can keep me in line--"

"George, the day you start acting like a prefect is the day I will leave you," Live said with a smile.

He grinned widely back at her. "Promise?"

"Eck, gag me, you're both too disgustingly cute," Tonks said with a wrinkle of her nose, sticking out her tongue. "Take it back to the dorms." George raised his eyebrows lasciviously at Live. The blonde smiled, encouraging him, and giggled as he moved his hand a bit low on her bum. Tonks rolled her eyes with a smile. "Oi, yeah, Dumbledore wants you to check in with Madam Pomfrey, by the way. So save it for later."

"Bah," Live dismissed. "I'm _fine_. I told you. Just a little dizzy spell."

"Do it so I don't get in trouble?" Tonks said. "I've got a few things to take care of. Make sure Snape hasn't traumatized my students too badly or anything." She grinned at Live with expectance.

Live huffed tragically, as if it were a great thing she were being asked, though she nodded with a smile.

"Then I'll see you kids later. _Be good_," she said with a laugh as she left them. The pair rolled their eyes at her back.

"So, to the dorms, then? Someplace quiet?" George suggested as he waggled his brows suggestively.

Live smiled and gave his arm a squeeze, looking about impossibly. "Well I _would _like to lay down." He looked happily encouraged. "But I think we should check in with Madam Pomfrey first."

He smiled at her, though his look was laced with concern. "How do you feel?"

She looked away as if distracted by his concern. "Really, George, I'm--"

"Allow me to carry you," he told her.

"George…"

"Please?"

She smiled at him and embraced him. "I love you, George." He hugged her back and kissed the top of her head, though he still didn't feel right about her well-being.

"How _do_ you feel?"

"I'm really fine, I promise." She looked about the stone halls. "It was just the strain." He didn't look convinced. "Just a little shaky. I don't think we should be apparating anywhere else anytime soon, maybe."

He looked at her with tight lips a moment, then sniffed and rubbed her arm. He gave a challenging look to a kid who'd been looking at them for too long by his count, and then gave his attention back to Live. "Alright. When we're alone, then." She looked puzzled a moment, but then nodded. She would talk with him then, someplace alone. He took in a deep breath and looked skyward as if for assistance. "To Madam Pomfrey, then."

sSs

"Thanks for staying with me, George."

"Like I'm ought to leave you in the hospital alone," he scoffed.

She smiled at him. "Fred said it was pretty urgent."

"Lee can handle Kara, and Fred probably only needed my help in cashing out on their row." Live snickered. "You know if it's not your sister taking bets on people's fights, it's got to be one of us."

"What are the odds on Kara? Maybe we should have placed a bet," Live told him cheekily.

"Oh I don't know, Lee's been standing up to Kara a bit more lately," George informed with a great grin. "I don't think he finds her nearly as terrifying as he used to."

"Isn't it kind of your fault Kara's out for Lee's blood?" Live snickered, referring to both him _and_ his brother. "She _probably_ would have kept her mouth shut about the Pygmy Puffs if _Lee_ had told her. Whereas you and Fred…"

George bent at the waist with a grin and put his forefinger beneath her chin. "And then what, my dear?"

She smiled a close-lipped smile back at him, without answer, and he moved in with a smile to kiss her lips.

"We'll have none of that in my hospital, Mr. Weasley."

George's lips were still pursed to Live's lips, only to relocate to her cheek as she turned her head to look at Madam Pomfrey. Live giggled with embarrassment, and batted George away. He stood back up to look at the mediwitch with exasperation.

"Wasn't it Healers who came up with 'Kiss it Better'?" Madam Pomfrey frowned at him with disbelief. He grinned in explanation. "Lee leaves his medi-books lying around, and if I'm bored…"

"_You_ can _read_, Weasley?"

All three looked up at the spiteful voice to find Malfoy standing in the hospital like he owned it, and looking rather odd for some reason, his hair frumpier than usual. Live seemed to wince as she looked at him, and if at all possible, George stood up even taller.

"Mr. Malfoy, is there a problem?" Madam Pomfrey asked with the authentic concern of a mediwitch.

"Just returning for more potion, Madam Pomfrey," he said in what appeared to be a respectful, business-like tone.

"Used that bottle already? I said to use sparingly Mr. Malfoy. Wait there," she indicated with agitation to a chair near the back of the wing. "I'll check your scalp over and refill those vials _which are supposed to last you the week_. And that hair will need re-doing as well. I told you to quit fussing with it."

He ignored the chastising mediwitch and gave George and Live a disgusted, condescending sneer before strolling to his designated area a little ways off.

"Well Miss Hunter, you seem as healthy as ever, I don't know what to make of the fainting spells. But don't strain yourself until we can figure a few things out," the mediwitch spoke cryptically. "I want you to continue to see Professor Snape and keep the both of us updated on your condition." She retrieved a small cylindrical phial of neon-blue liquid from within her robes. "If it happens again, take this," she informed. "It's a general elixir for cranial problems."

George held out his hand and took the vial from the witch. "I'll make sure she does." He held the vial as Madam Pomfrey looked at him with approval.

"You can both go. Do not overexert yourself if you can help it," she said as she turned away from them dismissively to go and dole out potions to the platinum-haired ferret.

Live sighed and George gave her a pensive look full of more concern than he was letting on. "You alright?"

"I don't necessitate carrying, George, if that's what you're asking," she teased him with a slight smile.

A halfhearted grin took his face, though it held more seriousness than Live was used to seeing on his face. "_He_ should fear _you_, Live. Not the other way around. He's a rotten git."

She blinked once. "Wha?"

"Malfoy," he said with a foul look behind him. He looked back at Live with concern. "I've got a few ways to remind him of that…"

"I'm not scared of him," Live responded immediately, trying to somehow explain herself, "just cautious." He gave her hand a little squeeze, and she realized she didn't recall him taking it, or she grabbing him. She felt immediately sheepish at the unspoken point he was making, and weakened her grip on his palm. She gave him a weak little smile as she stood up. "The memories are still a bit fresh…" she excused, the subject leaving a sick taste in her mouth. "Can we get out of here?"

He smiled and took her hand once more, sticking the vial of neon-blue liquid in his pocket. "Where to?"

"I want to lay down--" she laughed at his hopeful look, "--and maybe see my sister and visit my room."

"So my dorm or yours?" he offered with a wide grin, opening the door to the hospital wing for her.

"LIVE!" a voice squealed with happiness. "We were told you were here!!"

"Holy crap, Vivian, you scared the shit out of me!" Live declared, though the way she clung to George made him laugh heartily. He pulled the vial out of his pocket, still intact.

"Well we know you're still fine for a bit longer yet," he said with a laugh, shaking the neon-blue liquid with a grin. The glass was unbroken, which meant the altered potions Snape kept making her were still doing some semblance of duty. At least she could do a bit of magic and still not explode the room.

Vivian looked a bit wide-eyed as George stuck the vial back in his pocket, but then shook herself from her ponderings and gave Becca an 'I-told-you-so' look.

"We didn't know you were coming back today!" Rebecca gushed with happiness. "Merlin it's been forever since we've seen you!"

"It hasn't been all that long," Live stated with a grin.

Vivian frowned at her. "I think spending weeks at a time in the hospital wing and then disappearing for months--"

"It's only been like two or three weeks or so," Live corrected.

"--without a goodbye is rather longer than not," Vivian pointed out without stopping, though her frown turned into a fond smile. "We're so glad you're back! The dorm's seemed positively empty without you-"

"--_or George_…" Becca pretended to cough.

All three girls giggled and snickered, and George looked at the three of them with a thinking smirk. As their giggles died down and he was still contemplating them, they turned on him with curious frowns. "What?" they said as one.

"I'm just thinking…," he informed them with an impish grin. "I must be the only Gryffindor in the history of the school to have three Slytherins wanting me in their bedroom."

"Oh shut up, George," Live snickered chastisingly as she elbowed him in the side.

"Yeah, and don't think you're the _only _Gryffindor we've wanted in our bedrooms," Rebecca pointed out with dream-breaking tone. "Our rooms _were_ dungeons. I can think of a lot of people I'd like to invite back to our bedroom. Plenty of chance for torturing the other houses."

"Not to mention each other," Vivian giggled with naughty meaning.

Live laughed out loud as George put on the most placating expression he could muster, though his eyes were sparkling with mischief.

"Yeah Vivian, I know what you mean," Rebecca told the other girl with a grin. "I hear you and Pucey at night. Sometimes I'm not sure whether to obliviate myself or run for help!" Vivian's face turned a violent shade of red as George burst out laughing, and Live snickered at her poor helpless friend.

"Oh, it _is_ good to be back," Live remarked as Vivian made a quick change of subject.

"So, um, is it true? Did you get married?!" Vivian broached through a red face.

"Uh--"

"Where did you disappear to anyway?" Rebecca pressed.

"Um--"

"Practicing for the Honeymoon, of course!" George told them as if completely unimpressed with their questions. Vivian and Becca's eyes went wide at his blatancy. "You know, there's an awful lot of places to choose from where we want it. Can't just choose the first thing that pops up."

Live snorted as she swallowed a laugh, trying desperately to hide her giggles. Vivian looked completely stunned at the statement, and Rebecca quickly clamped a hand over the other girl's mouth to stop whatever dirty question or observation that was about to come flying out of her mouth. Live kept prodding George to stop waggling his eyebrows with such implication, and extended her hand to her friends.

"Like the ring?" Live remarked casually. Rebecca removed her hand from Vivian's mouth and took up the left hand of her Slytherin sister-in-arms, eyes wide at the glistening white band.

"That's gorgeous!" Vivian cried as she could speak once again. She looked from Live's hand, to George (who was smirking with pride), and back to Live.

"Oh it's so beautiful! Like a rainbow!" Rebecca declared, eyes filled with sparkling envy. "What kind of ring is that?"

"And where can I tell Pucey to get me one?!" Vivian immediately asked. It was obvious as such that it wasn't any normal band, and very clearly magical. Not to mention, it was so ridiculously beautiful that there was no doubt in her mind that everyone would envy it.

"Sorry ladies, it's one of a kind," George declared pridefully with a puffed out chest. They both groaned in disappointment at his assertion. "Dragon scale band. Opaleye."

Both girls looked at him with wide eyes. "Dragon scale?!" Becca cried with disbelief.

"I didn't know they made rings out of dragon scales!" Vivian said with minor jealousy.

"And Opaleye dragon? They're not native to these regions! You had to get it imported?!" she assumed with a stunned look.

"That's so exceptional! It must have cost a bloody fortune!" Vivian spouted, looking at the ring with utter jealousy.

George was grinning, beside himself that they thought so highly of the ring he'd personally fashioned, and that it was the love of his life who wore it. And he was certainly none to announce that fact that he'd made it if they thought she possessed something of outrageous value, and it had been _he_ who'd been able to give it to her. He figured it would be a great laugh by the time it got around the castle, let alone when it got around to the Slytherins at large.

"Well, you'd be hard-pressed to find a ring of its equal," Live lightly taunted her friends. Vivian whined and pored over the ring, and Becca continued to give George wistful looks and make offensively-expensive guesses at what it must have cost him to get such a custom-made import, and however did he afford such a thing? Live grinned with self-pleasure at the way her friends ogled and pored over the ring on her finger, and reveled in the fact that George had made it especially for her, only for her.

"Oh you're so lucky, Live!"

"You're gonna be the envy of the entire school!"

"Ah, so that makes two things Live has that everyone wants," George said rather haughtily. He then huffed on his fingers and brushed them off on his robes as if shining himself, indicating that he thought himself quite the catch. The girls all laughed, and Live giggled and hugged him.

"Oh I don't know about everyone wanting _you_, George," Vivian teased, prying her interest from Live's band.

"Yeah, I hear Fred's been single a while now," Becca provoked with a smirk and a wink. George gave her a frown. "Maybe everyone just wants Fred," she added with giggles as he looked quite put-off at her statement.

"Bah," Live opposed. "George is better looking anyway."

George started laughing horrendously at her statement, though Vivian and Becca certainly weren't in on the joke and looked rightly puzzled. "But they're twins?" Becca posed, not quite getting why the joke was so funny.

"And for that, my love," George said to Live between snickers of delight, "I believe I'm privy to get you quickly away to someplace dark and soft and full of pillows."

Live looked both properly scandalized and giddy about such a prospect, color rising to cover the pallor in her cheeks.

Vivian rolled her eyes, a bit jealous of Live's run of luck. Pucey had been on the pitch most of the week practicing and was too exhausted for any of her attentions of late. Slytherin had been practicing hard. "Well I suppose we might as well 'escort' you," Vivian said using air quotes. She turned to Live. "After what Kara did to Malfoy, I don't think just anyone will let you into our common room." She gave them both a look, indicating that Live was as much a target (as it happened to be her sister who had done justice upon Malfoy) as her Gryffindor boyfriend was.

"Maybe we should transfigure his robes?" Rebecca suggested.

"Perhaps dye that hair with a glamourie spell," Vivian agreed. Horrid flashbacks of the dyeing of Bill's hair went through George's mind, and he wondered if it was wise to leave the well-being of his person up to the whims of a few Slytherins. "Make him less noticeable, anyway."

"Or we could just put a sack over your head and call it the same," Live laughed with a look up at George. He gave her a pensive look that made her minorly cautious, and Rebecca and Vivian looked him over with equal scrutiny. "Oh dear…What?"

sSs

"Dammit Lee, untie me!" Kara shrieked for the tenth time.

Lee turned around to look at Kara as he was nursing a black eye. "No, you're hazardous to my health."

"_Le-eee_," Kara whined.

"I told you, until you admit that you realize I had no other choice, _and that I was under oath from George_, only _then_ will I untie you."

Kara gave a placating look to Seamus and Dean. "Seamus?"

"Not bloody likely. You lost me ten sickels." Kara frowned. "You usually win."

"Dean?" Kara pleaded.

"Sure thing, Kara," he said through a smile, crossing the common room to see her. "_You _won _me _Seamus' money!"

A frown and then a look of accusation crossed Kara's face. "You bet _against_ me?" Dean stopped his progress to free her.

"Hmph, go ahead and untie her, mate. I think it's safe now," Lee told the younger boy as he still nursed his eye. Yes, safe for _him_.

"Not bloody likely," Dean opposed, fearing Kara's disfavor.

"At least _Seamus _bet on me!" Kara declared accusingly at Dean. "Where are your loyalties?!"

Dean backed further away from her, and Lee took a seat in one of the chairs, completely nonplussed by the escalating situation. "Well Lee seemed on top of things today!" Dean quickly explained. "Seamus gave me two-to-one odds!"

"_Ooooh_," Kara moaned in threat, "You can forget all about our business arrangement!" She began to struggle in vain. "I'm going to take back every nice thing I've told the girls about you!"

Lee raised a brow, and the others in the common room began giggling and snickering.

"_Kar_a!" Dean whined, looking about the room nervously.

"_Business _arrangement? Girls?" Seamus asked with a smirk. "Is she your personal pimp, mate?"

"AHH!" Kara shrieked with indignation, unable to undo her bounds. She gave Seamus a frown for not helping, but clarified for him. "Two completely un-related subjects," she enlightened, "but equally important-- _Dean actually has a small-- _MGFFMM!!!_"_

Dean quickly clasped his hand over Kara's mouth as the blonde glared murder at him, and some of the girls in the room started snickering and giving Dean cursory glances.

"Small _what_?" Lee inquired.

"Oh shut up, Lee, none of your business!" Dean declared.

Lee snickered. Apparently Kara did a lot of reputation-building business on the side of their other stuff. And she was currently teaching Dean a lesson in loyalty.

"I think I'll untie her now. I want to hear this," Lee said with a flick of his wand. The ropes around Kara went limp, and she dove at Dean, the both of them taking a tumble over the back of the couch.

Seamus started giving odds in Kara's favor.

sSs

"I can't believe that worked," George spouted as he pulled a hood off his face inside the girls' dorm.

"I don't think it would have, if they didn't think Vivian was up to something kinky again with Pucey," Rebecca said with a smarmy tone. "You'd be surprised, the things I've seen…You really have missed quite a lot, Live."

The blonde witch gave her two friends incredulous looks. George sat himself on her bed with a huff and quickly transfigured his robes back to that of Gryffindor. It just felt so oddly uncomfortable to be dressed in the house colors of Slytherin.

"_Vivian_," Live started with a raised brow, "just _what_ have you been up to with Adrian Pucey?"

Vivian's face colored, but she had a sharp reply. "Nothing worse than the things you and the Gryffindor get up to," she said with a thumb of indication in said guy's location. George's brows perked up as he looked between the girls, and it was Live's face that reddened. But two could easily play at this game.

"Why you little tramp!" Live decided with a smirk and playful tone, realizing that she was implicating herself just as horridly. Vivian and Rebecca laughed, but George was trying to get the image of Pucey doing horribly naughty things to Vivian out of his head. He thought that just _maybe_ he and Live should tone things down a bit…especially if _their_ antics were going to play some horrible part to his mental images of the bed-habits of others. "And besides, _we're_ engaged," Live added, flaunting the ring on her hand once more. "It's all proper."

"Oh get stuffed," Vivian said halfheartedly, grinning. She turned to Rebecca, and the girl smirked and nodded back. They'd go ahead and give George and Live some time alone back in the dorm. They weren't sure how Live was feeling currently being back in the room where her skin had been scarred. No doubt she was feeling the same as they had when they'd had to go back to the dorm. "Live, come see us out now. We've got a few errands to run, and I don't like the look on his face." She indicated George with a smirk.

"Oi! This is what I always look like!" he declared peevishly, though with the track his thoughts were running, he had no doubt as to the expression that must be upon his face.

"Perv," Becca spouted with a grin as he tried hopelessly to banish the thoughts from his mind. Both girls took Live by the hands and yanked her out the door, closing it and checking the hall for anyone before giving her a pensive glance.

"Alright, spill," Vivian demanded.

"Huh?" Live asked, a bit lost. She didn't expect to be interrogated by them until later.

"_Are_ you married? Secretly?" Becca pried. "You can tell us, if you don't want the whole school knowing yet."

"Where did you get an idea like that?"

"Are you preggers?" Becca spouted just as quickly, unable to keep her next line-of-questioning inside.

"Of course she's not, Becca, they've been taking Non-Incipere potions," Vivian informed. "Duh."

"Oh, yeah. Well how long _have _you been doing it for?" Becca inquired scholarly. "I didn't think you guys were doing it when you were here. Did you really have 'honeymoon practice'? Why didn't you tell us?"

"_What what what_?" Live cried. "How on earth did you come to all that?!"

"Live, we're not idiots," Vivian informed. "George practically flaunted it outside the hospital wing. I almost thought _he_ wanted us to know."

"And you _have_ spent an awful lot of time alone with him, since we've last seen you, anyways." She gave her another look. "You really aren't pregnant, right?"

"_What_?! Did I just black out or something?!" Live asked, trying crazily to put things together in her mind.

"He's got one of 'em in his pocket," Vivian supplied earnestly, trying to explain their conclusions. "Did you get it from Madam Pomfrey? She's not supposed to take a public stance, but if you want it, she gives them out rather easily. Doesn't want us to bollocks things up in trying to make them ourselves and screw it up," Vivian informed. "And no unwanted Hogwarts surprises. Though Adrian's rather good at making them--"

"Vivian, _what in the bloody hell are you talking about_?!"

"Contraception potions," she supplied with a blank look at Live.

"That blue vial," Becca added. Vivian and Rebecca looked at one another curiously.

"The small one George took from his pocket when we ran into you," Vivian added, her cheeks flushing a bit.

"So you _don't_ get preggers?" Becca supplied with a hinting look at Live. "Don't tell me we need to explain this to you." She gave a look to Vivian. "Maybe they _aren't_ doing it, or haven't done that much. I thought she was more well-informed."

"Blue vi-- _That's not a Non-Incipere potion you bints!!_" Live declared with a horridly red face. They gave her blank looks in response, and Live herself felt rather foolish, missing their point. "And I know what Non-Incipere potions are for! Don't talk about me like I'm not here! And _that_ potion is for my _health_! I'm still sick! Like a multi-vitamin! I don't need contraception!"

Vivian blinked a few times. Rebecca looked surprised. "But it looks just like the ones Vivvie uses."

"And we just put two-and-two togeth-- You _did_ say you were engaged," she implied.

Live put a hand over her eyes, feeling a migraine coming on. "I didn't imply that we were doing it!" she insisted. She looked tired. "Not even an hour with you guys and we're into this? Honestly, we're not doing it, we haven't done it, and that's not what you think it is," she rattled off.

"Well I feel a bit foolish," Becca said.

Live gave Vivian a look. "And _I_ happen not to be as trampy as you, my friend."

Vivian looked a bit chastised, but turned her nose up at Live with red cheeks. It made the blonde laugh.

"Merlin's bitch's skirt, you two are ridiculous!" They had a little laugh, feeling silly, and told her to get back in there and make them feel not quite as stupid or be quite as wrong. They went about their business and sheepishness once Live was back safe inside the dorm.

"So, what did they want?" George asked, looking for all the world a king sitting upon his throne, or at least so many pillows. He looked utterly relaxed and at home on her four-poster.

Live felt color rise to her cheeks at looking at him, but brushed it back and kicked off her shoes, climbing onto the bed next to him. He wrapped an arm around her and brought her close to rest on his chest. She sighed and waited several moments before deciding to enlighten him on the hanging question in the air. "They think we're doing it."

"Did you tell them I'm a fantastic lover?" George asked with a quick smirk. Live snickered, cheeks a bit hot, and he frowned at her playfully. "Laughs? Shall I prove it to you then?"

"Oh shut up George, I have neither the energy nor the constitution," she told him weakly, smiling up at him for all his provoking.

"Then write a new one," he declared, kissing the tip of her nose.

She sighed and smirked, deciding to play with him a bit. "They thought you were bandying about a Non-Incipere potion."

He sat up a bit, looking at her with a wry smirk. "A Non-Incipere potion?" She giggled, and he mumbled to himself. "Oh dear, hope I haven't mixed up your potion with that Non-Incipere one…" He fumbled about in his robes as she huffed with a laugh, and then gave him a thinking frown.

"You're kidding, right?"

He gave her a grin, and laid back down on the pillows, closing his eyes as if bored with the subject. "Doesn't hurt to be prepared."

She looked at him a moment more in study, not sure if he was still playing with her or not.

"Would you quit staring at me and come down here?" he asked with closed eyes, snaking his arm around her waist and pulling her back down to his chest.

She smiled, relishing in his touch, and thought heavily a few moments. "George, would you sound-proof the room?"

He stiffened a bit at that, eyes opening suddenly, and looked down at her with an oddly amused expression. "Is it that easy to get my way with you now? Some light jests and you're all mine? No work? Wow, engagement is even better than I thought!"

She laughed and batted his hands away as he traced the outlines of her breasts with a playful finger. "You're a prat! And it's not for what you're thinking, loverboy." He didn't seem too discouraged though, and lightly ran a finger up and down her neck. She liked the calming sensation, but if she didn't get down to business, she'd easily fall asleep with him.

She sighed and climbed closer to him, nestling herself into him tiredly.

"George, the vision changed."

He looked down at her with concern. "The one?" She nodded into his chest. "Bollocks." He dug his wand out and quickly warded and muffled the room without so much as disturbing her lying against him. He sat his wand by his side with a pensive look, then decided to sound-proof the bed as they usually did just for extra-protection (as well as 'just-in-case').

He looked down at her with concern, lightly rubbing her arm.

"It's different now. The man is gone. And there's…I don't know. It's me, but it's not me. Ghostly-like, but not quite. And I recognized the bodies this time, George." She was quiet a moment in oddly acceptant thought. "All of them."

"Who did you see?" he asked apprehensively, looking down at her with worry, his mind a tumult of thought.

She shook her head. She couldn't tell him, it was all too horrific. He embraced her, folding her to him as she cherished his living warmth. He was all she needed and wanted. Just to be with him was enough to keep her just a little bit more sane with all the images in her head.

"What do _you _think it is, Live?"

"I don't know," she replied uselessly. "But why would it change once we're back at school? Why so suddenly?"

"You don't think it was something I did in apparating?" he voiced his thoughts aloud, genuinely concerned. He was under the belief that he had somehow messed up apparating them to the grounds, or was otherwise responsible for her blackout. "I'd have said maybe we were spliced if there had been any wounds."

"No, it was nothing you did, George. I screwed up my head in the first place, remember?" she said offhandedly, prodding him in the chest with her finger.

"Maybe you should talk to Dumbledore. Hell, even Snape for that matter. It's he who makes those potions you have to take." He gave her a twisted smile as if the idea in itself disgusted him, and she smiled up at him.

"Hmm…" she mumbled into his chest, trying to relieve her mind of the weight of her thoughts. She stared off about her room as he muttered things about Snape, and whether or not Fred would exact some sort of latent revenge for being kept in the dark, and her eyes fell upon the door to their private bathroom. She sat up in immediate thought, startling him so that he, too, was sitting up in alarm with his wand drawn and ready.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly, looking around in knowing that she could sometimes sense things unseen (like him sneaking in to peep on and seduce her).

She sat blinking for a moment as the memory came fully back to her, wondering how she could have forgotten, and her hands clenched in remembrance, her knuckles going white.

"Live?"

She hopped off the bed as she spoke to him, walking to the doorframe. "What happened with that body wash?" she asked. His eyes were wide as they stared at her back in minor perplexment, realizing they were safe from any threat. He sighed heavily, his heart beating a bit fast. She'd certainly startled him.

She slowly opened the door and swung it open, peering into the bathroom with scrutiny. Everything looked just as she had left it. Though she remembered Vivian putting a towel around her as her skin had been on fire. And the cracking of tile and bottles popping. Her own screams resonating against the tiles. But nothing here was broken or looked out of place. The bathroom looked as normal as it ever did. Even Vivian's socks and Rebecca's extra skirt were lying on the floor.

A vague thought of minor horror took her mind as she realized she loosely remembered Professor Snape taking her from the tub, and that she hadn't been even close to what would be called 'properly garbed'. Add yet another teacher-related incident that should not have taken place. Now she'd had horrid nightmares of sex talks and towels…

George laid his hand upon her shoulder as he came up behind her, and it startled her a moment, though she leaned back into him. He looked into the pristine room with it's snake-head faucets and finishings, and regarded her with deep-seated discomfort. "They figured out who did it, Live." She immediately spun in his arms with wide eyes. His own were troubled, and he blinked with bother. "Melinda Harris."

Live gasped and grabbed his robes involuntarily. "_Melinda Harris?_" she repeated with disbelief. "But…but _why_? _She_ did this to me?" she asked as she held her hands from him, the scars on them visible in the light of the room. He could see her mind working feverishly to try and add it up, to see what she had ever done to the other girl, but it wouldn't process. "How long have you known this?" she asked with slight ache at the information. Why? Why would Melinda do such a thing?

"A while," he confided softly. "No one has said anything to me on the matter, but it wasn't hard to figure out. Dumbledore had Snape discern the signature on the potion, and he said that 'she' was in St. Mungos currently. And _she _still is. For burns she got the same day I found out you were in the Soul Bubble."

Live's face was furrowed in a frown, trying desperately to follow him. "Burns?"

"Potion burns, nasty ones." He laughed lightly in a melancholy way, looking at her wistfully. "It was the one day I actually excelled in potions. Flame Thwarting potion."

"Like we made at your mum's to send to Charlie?" Live connected, remembering helping Mrs. Weasley a few days prior.

"Yeah. Exactly. Her scarring is going to be irreversible."

Live thought over the information, thinking a bit spitefully that the other girl had gotten her just desserts. Though where Live was concerned, her scarring might fade with George's help. Melinda would be scarred forever. She looked up at him with realization. "George, someone burnt her?"

"Yeah."

"When? How?" She wondered if someone had gotten her back the same way she had been gotten; in the shower, unsuspecting. Changing out body-wash for explosive potion.

"In the middle of class. Too much salamander blood," he supplied, remembering the day with a clarity he wasn't soon to forget. He still dreamt about her being encased in that Soul Bubble, and all the events leading up to that discovery. It hadn't been nearly long enough to hope to forget it.

"That means someone else knew she was responsible…Way before Dumbledore," Live remarked with consternation. George frowned. A shiver went up Live's back and George held her close against him.

"I don't like the way any of this sounds," George told her. The fleeting thought itself had played through his mind once or twice, though he hadn't paid it much mind at the time. Now it worried him to no extent. Someone knew too much, and hadn't shared for unknown reasons.

"Do you think it was Vivvie or Becca?"

"What?"

"Getting her back…" Live murmured halfheartedly into his robes, rubbing her face on his chest as if it might wash away the thoughts in her mind. "They've gone on vendettas before for me without saying anything."

"They're not that cruel," he said. The scars Live had were bad, but the ones Melinda had were deep and horrid and had been the exact intent of whomever was responsible. Flame-Thwarting potion was dangerous if improperly brewed. Someone must have known. It was too much of a coincidence.

"Hmph," Live snorted in agreement. "I didn't really think they were responsible for it…They would have said something if they knew it was her…" She looked up at him with pleading eyes. "I can't sleep down here yet." He nodded and grabbed for the door behind her to close it to the memories of her burning skin. "Can we go to your dorm?"

"Of course," he said, rubbing her back with his hands and squeezing her once reassuringly before letting her go. "Need to grab a few things?"

"Just odds and ends that Dobby missed," she said with a minor smile.

"Alright."

He took a seat on her bed as she went through drawers and her trunk, grabbing a few things here and there and shoving them in a bag to shrink. He summoned his shoes to him and put them on in worried thought. He wouldn't be leaving her side at all if he could help it. At least not until they figured this out. It definitely complicated things further, and set his mind on alert.

"You know, it had to be either someone in our class that day, or someone who had access to her personal stores," George started as Live plopped down next to him and tugged on her shoes. She gave him a worried look. "They could have switched her salamander blood for the condensed stuff. She wouldn't have been able to help but burn herself when she added it." Live made a worried noise in her throat, and he frowned in further thought. "Or someone slipped it in her cauldron in class."

"Oh bollocks, George. I don't like this," she said with worry, leaning her head on his shoulder. He kissed the side of her face and stood, offering her his hand. She took it, but didn't rise. "I don't like any of this."

"I know," he agreed, rubbing his thumb over the top of her hand.

"George, there's all this nonsense with potions, those visions in my head…the prophecy," she listed unhappily. "What should we do?"

"We'll get through it all, love. I promise." He gave her hand a tug, and she rose off the bed only to have him kiss her hand and then embrace her. "You just concentrate on being beautiful and making everyone else jealous and let me do the worrying," he said playfully, making her laugh lightly. "It's the duty of your future-husband, and I shall do it with pride."

She smiled and kissed him. "I love you so much George." He grinned, happy for the praise. "You're so good. And I need you through all of this."

"With pleasure," he promised, wrapping an arm around her middle. "To Gryffindor Tower?"

Her eyes were momentarily wide. "Oh, what about the hood?"

"Bollocks, I don't care if anyone sees me leaving here now. Might be a bit of fun," he said with an impish gleam to his eye. She smirked at him for his daring, though his real reason was one far from just personal gratification (though that was definitely one of the perks). He wanted everyone to know that they were indeed a full-fledged couple, engaged, with full intent to wed, and that furthermore, she belonged to him and no one should mess with her lest they answer to him. He wanted the Slytherins to know that he wasn't afraid to come right into their territory where his fiancée was concerned, and that nothing short of killing him would stop him where she was concerned.

With caution, Live left the dorm first, and led him down the corridor, wand readily accessible in her pocket in case anyone in the common room decided his presence was cause for all-out war. Or slaughter. And he strutted like he owned the place until he was beside her, and wrapped his arm around her waist and paraded right through the green-lit common room and a couch full of gaping Slytherins. With a cautious yet regal look behind her, Live grinned as they left through the stone wall, and George gave them a grand salute before they came to their senses and the wall closed.

They snickered a great deal on the way to Gryffindor Tower.

sSs

Hm, things are getting rather _involved_…I wish _I _had a bloody convenient drink for anytime hanky-panky :P

Okais, hoping classes are going well for everyone. I'm pretty happy with mine, so it's all good, even if it is quite a bit of work (though all my film classes have a ridiculously low girl-to-guy ratio, and I have very little competition, so I'm happy, hahaha!) And I think I'm just going to put this in every new chapter update and say:

Hey, I have a mailing list for this fic, drop me an e-mail (check my bio, it's listed) and I'll alert you when I update, as opposed to this site's send-outs. Woot. Ooh, also, I have some dark-mark temporary tats up for sale on e-bay! Book and movie-style ones! CHEAP! Yes, I am shamelessly self-promoting myself. Bwahaha! I need money. College is expensive. Go check it out (my e-bay link in my bio).

To the loves of _my _life, pretty, pretty readers...

Scarlet Faerie: Okay i kid you not, i freakin LOVED your review. You did it the way writers freaking _LOVE_. oh man, i love love LOVE the review-along-as-you-go. :D Those kinds of reviews are to the writers what the story is to the reader. :D It's so rewarding to get to know whatever feelings you were feeling right at whatever moment you were reading, you have no idea!! Like, _ZOMG_, i just can't get into it enough. I just appreciate these kinds of reviews SO MUCH you have no idea:D WOO!! You are the bombskis! haha:) Thank you! Like, seriously! hee hee, but anyways, ah man, yes, Snape needs to quit busting in on them at the wrong times! hahaha! Oh dear. Well all things considering, I think they'll be all happers and goodness now that they're back in school and back on track with their little love lives :D hee hee WOO! Love you!

Luniepoo: HAHA oh man isn't the live-action just awesome? HAHAHA. The ticking bomb one is awesome too! hee hee hee :D WOO! thankies much! Woot for somewhat-normalcy! (or as normal as they can get, anyway!) Hee hee, woo for engagement! BWAH! love.

Chineseretard92: HAHAH oh man that made me laugh, Kara not being dilomatic when it comes to Malfoy! HAHAHA great word choice! heh heh heh :D WOO! Yeah you know me, i'm all about the drama, hahaha! Everything's good and sappy/lovely :D hee hee. Man, i think pygmy puffs would be awesome pets!

Nomanslandvicki: Haha yes happy ending for now...Heh heh heh :) Would you believe i actually wrote a possible ending for the story the other week? and it is not at all happy, and has somewhat of a twist...I don't think i'll ever use it, or if i do, maybe like, as an addendum or something perhaps o.O Haha I never guarantee happy endings, though i love them so much. Haha but i also love jerking you guys around! hee hee It is my reason for existence:D WOO! Man, happy funny marriage time. That's like, awesome.

dckveg: Yeah man college is a bitch O.O but it's kind of funny because all the film classes i'm taking are all writing classes apparently (i wasn't aware of that) so it will help, haha. (and it also helps that most of my film classes are all dudes, and there's only like one chick that I would consider competition, so it's pretty nice! HAHA) It's funny that you said college was eating me. On that word-slash-note, i had an earwig (pincher bug) crawl into my ear on the 19th of August, bit my eardrum itself, and was eating me alive. It was only in there for about two minutes till we got it out with rubbing alcohol, but man, one of the single most horrific and painful experiences of my life. I can't sleep anymore unless i have cotton balls in my ears. Horrid. Horrid stuff. And now that you're properly creeped out...Haha sorry :D

Ashley: WOO! yes hurray for back together! hee hee Thankies much!! I was actually very pleased with the last chapter and how it came out. Ha, hope you guys were just as pleased with this chapter! lol I'm always worried about just putting out chapters for the sake of updating because if I don't spend tons of time on them revising and rewriting and stuff, then they just become tripe. Like non-nutritional filler. Ha. I'll try to keep updates nice and long! Heh heh, school is a biatch but I'll continue to try my best! haha i actually get a lot of writing done in my history class, so I guess we're set! hee hee hee.

Karma-k2: HAHA yes yes we are SO in love it's not even funny. Hee hee Teh luv. WOO!! Engagement (not ours, hahaha! lol) and all that happy-sappy fun stuff! hee hee man i love writing fluff...just as much as all the drama! Dun-dun-dun! HAHA And how could I not pimp you out? this is like, my moment in the sun! i actually garnered someone's like enough that i got a fanart! Like _zomg_ I have it saved in a file on my computer, and it's currently my desktop background, hahaha! Like seriously, you'd be surprised how a bit of fanart seriously inspires me! WOO! Ha, and I've been drawing more of my own (as you well know, haha) so it's all lovely! Tee hee. Oh yes. Woot for Malfoy moulds and Bill...haha damn it looks like i won't be getting him back for a while, dammit:( haha sad day! Must make Live sex George up a bit then HAHAHA! woo. Yes George always gets to the point, eh? haha How dare she reject him! hee hee. Oh dear. I'm working towards the smuttiness. Just having a bit of trouble (not a good word to describe it...perhaps _issues_) for an actual laundry-list of reasons O.O haha. And let's see, damn. If i answer your question, I might give away plot bits. If i evade it, it's assumed you were right. Damn, what to do? Sit back and enjoy it? Or perhaps just remark on your general cleverness and curse myself to come up with some more stuff to try and throw readers off the mark! HAHAHA :D Oh dear. Though I indeed love it. Haha makes me feel smarter that I can be more clever without confusing people. Ha, its hard to figure out what audience you're writing to! Hm, just think of Hagrid and Sex Talks HAHAHA!! Oh dear.

Nara Merald: Haha Yeah i know i often don't give them _enough_ breathing time. Ha, it's only because sometimes in a chapter only a few hours will have passed (goodness, like some ninety pages have only encompassed like half a day, ugh, i'm ridiculous!) so i really get into it a lot. Bah. I'm gonna try for some more fluffy chapters and even things out a bit more while still setting up for several more things I've got planned O.OI actually had a LOT more planned for this chapter, but it got to a monster amount of pages and I decided to just have a fun chapter next time. haha Oh dear, hope we're all ready for it! hee hee.

ErikaJean: Haha I'm going to assume by that outburst that you liked that last chapter, hee hee hee :D WOO!!

LunaisnotLoony: WOO! hee hee, hum, wedding hints eh? haha you'll just have to keep reading :D hee hee hee (That's my clever slang for _writer herself is not yet even sure_) HAHA!

Hayley See: haha yeah i know XD i'm so damn long-winded, it can seem like forever until i talk more about certain things XD hahahah I'm gonna try to be a bit more thorough when I can. It's like, sometimes I feel like I'm just sticking as much as I can into a chapter, and that can create for bad reading O.O haha :D Oh dear.

Skrye: Thankies! WOO! I am so overcome by the awesomeness of your amusement :D hee hee


	48. Necessity begets Obligation

_A lot of you asked questions as to why/how/who/what etc (haha) in concerns to the body-wash burn incident. I can only say that I can't get too much into that and answer all your questions just yet, as that is being saved for a pertinent time later and would seriously give away a huge chunk of the plot (ha, plot? What plot?). So…tough luck, hard cheese, wait and keep reading XD Ha, sorry. _This _chapter is basically a _lot_ of fluffy goodness. Enjoy!_

_-FireValkyrie_

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 48: Necessity begets Obligation

sSs

If George had thought he'd receive a grand homecoming once back inside Gryffindor Tower, he was to be horridly wrong.

Hopping through the portrait hole with a grin and a smile, he had expected greetings all around. But the common room met him with a very different sight:

Dean was tied up with the word 'modest' scrawled across his forehead in what looked to be lipstick, a large bonbon-like thing shoved into his mouth, and Kara was reclining smugly on a chair with her feet up on the large table near him. Lavender Brown was trying to get something purple and gunky out of Parvati's hair in the light from the large window while Lee stood a way's off near the stairs to the boys' dormitories, his hand gingerly touching his eye as he looked at himself in a pocket-mirror with Ginny's name on it. Seamus was writing something down in a ledger at the same table as Kara, his quill busily swishing and catching the attention of Hermione's dozing cat. Angelina Johnson was talking with Katie Bell heatedly about quidditch, and Fred was divvying out coins and taking others still from Gryffindors of all years; no doubt cashing out on the pell-mell common room rows.

As he helped Live through the portrait hole, George was immediately pounced and harangued by Angelina without warning. His eyes were wide at the look of contempt on her face, though her vision was not locked on the Slytherin behind him (whose presence she couldn't have cared about less in their common room) but right somewhere between his nose and his eyebrows.

"_George Weasley_! Where the bloody hell have you _been_?! Do you know how much quidditch practice you've missed?! Or that our next match is coming up in less than a _week_?! I've had that bloody idiot Teddy Logan filling in for you for _weeks_! He nearly took out Harry with a bludger two days ago! How are we supposed to win against Hufflepuff if our seeker is taken out?! What in the name of Merlin have you been doing all this time?!"

She was standing in front of him with an aggravated look, arms akimbo, brows knit together in supreme agitation. Katie Bell was standing behind her with her arms crossed in emulation, though she didn't have anything to add on the matter. Angelina had it pretty straight. They needed everyone at the top of their game with the way Hufflepuff was playing lately. The other house was proving to be rather competitive, and with George out of the picture for so long and so many missed practices, it would be a hard victory against the other house.

If Live had been facing George, she would have seen the severe look of shock on his face for Angelina's diatribe, not to mention trying to figure out some clever way to answer her. Sometimes he was quite certain the girl was channeling Oliver Wood through some unholy facet. She could work herself into a right foaming frenzy if she thought there was an actual chance they might lose a quidditch match. Regardless of his knowledge (or lack thereof) that Hufflepuff had been training _incredibly _hard lately, Angelina expected the very best out of her team. And apparently, his absence was no exception.

George's silence prompted Angelina to more ranting, though before she could get out a proper treatment of how George was horridly out of practice and would cost them the match, an agitated voice reached her from behind the blonde Slytherin blocking the portrait hole entrance.

"Oi! What is this?" then to someone else, "…Something's blocking it."

"That _something_ is me!" Live said as she spun around, subsequently causing George to move closer to Angelina (whom he'd been backing away from out of fright). "And quit prodding me in the back Ron!"

She backed out of their way and to the side as Ron (red-faced and a bit confused) hopped out, followed by Harry and the one Angelina had described as a 'bloody idiot' of a beater. The Gryffindor Quidditch team captain's attention was immediately on the one bringing up the rear.

"Theodore, you're back to reserve beater," she said sharply with pointed finger. Said boy scoffed with indignation, and gave George a dirty look. Angelina also gave George a dirty, pointed look. Teddy Logan really was a horrid beater. "That is, he'll be reserve _only if_ you've gotten so horrid it would embarrass the Gryffindor team far more than we already are."

George gave her a look of anxious concern, actually wondering if he might be too out of practice, and Teddy, the 'reserve' beater, gave her quite a dirty look as he had just been called the embarrassment of the team.

"Well, she's got a point, mate," Ron told the Gryffindor giving their captain dirty looks. Harry, wisely, kept his mouth shut, as Ron's comment only garnered him Angelina's fire.

"And you, Ron Weasley! We've got less than a week to get your keeping abilities in line! Last practice was absolutely _horrid_! What the bloody hell happened to my team?!" she ranted, honestly wondering why things were falling apart.

Katie decided that was more than enough lecturing for the day, and suggested they go down to dinner early and get a cup of tea while planning the next practice. Much of her steam let off, Angelina agreed and the pair left the common room filled with half the Gryffindor quidditch team and many scalded ears.

"What in the bloody hell did you do to piss her off?" Ron asked his older brother without so much as a greeting.

"Not that it takes much to set her off lately," Harry added, giving the closed portrait hole a distasteful look. He looked back at the elder Weasley in greeting. "Hey George."

"I wouldn't worry about it, she always gets this way before a game," Kara said nonchalantly from her reclining position. She gave George a smirk. "Though your absence certainly hasn't helped her nerves with the match coming up. She's more amplified than I've ever seen her. Hi, Live."

Live snorted in response to her little sister's glib tongue, and wrapped a hand around George's arm. It brought him back to earth, and he grinned at the room at large. "Is this the kind of welcome I get on the homecoming? Disgraceful, people. Disgraceful." He shook his head as if utterly disappointed.

Teddy Logan snorted at George and cursed under his breath as he ascended the stairs to his dormitory. George rolled his eyes at his shoddy replacement, his attention being brought to Dean who was making agitated noises from behind the dessert being used as a gag in his mouth. Kara prodded him with her foot and a "shush!" as she went back to smiling at the pair. Lee, having decided he wouldn't be able to properly heal his eye unless he was standing in front of a larger mirror, decided to greet his friend, though Fred grabbed the other boy around the neck with a grin and a bag full of jingling coins.

"We made a killing off Kara," he announced as Lee tried to shunt him off his person. Fred only grinned and gave his twin a smirk. "And what the bollocks have you been doing to further our business venture? Other than bringing damnation to the quidditch team." He grinned at George. "Off playing house?"

"Sod off," George grinned, though he knew Fred was jibbing him for not being fully informed of his twin's plans where Live was concerned. Said witch was blushing furiously behind George, and beginning to feel a bit uncomfortable standing in their common room as if all eyes were on her (though Kara's certainly were, smiling a huge toothy grin).

"Where's _my _share?" Kara asked expectantly of Fred and his jingling coins. Without so much as a bother he tossed her a smaller bag from within the larger one. She grinned, surprised he actually had something for her, and decided to jump up and add the money to the secret Jarvey-fund under her mattress in her dorm. Dean squirmed and murmured for help as she left, but no one paid him much mind.

George watched Kara leave with a grin at how she had somehow managed to train his mirror-image, and gave the room at large a disdainful look. "Isn't anyone going to congratulate us?"

If the room had been quiet before, it was nothing compared to now. All eyes in the common room were focused on the pair with surprise and expectance. Seamus was the first to break the curious silence.

"So…Death Eaters _didn't_ take you?"

"Oh sod off," George brushed off his rather insipid question. Then the real curious inquiries started pouring in from the other common room occupants.

"What happened to you?"

"Where have you been?"

"Did you two really get married?!"

"We heard you got married."

"They were searching for you George! Did you know?"

"I heard you two were abducted, then went into hiding! Is it true?"

"Oh! Did you elope?!"

"Oooh! It must be true! Look at the ring on her finger!"

"Merlin! _No way_!"

"Is that a wedding ring?!"

In about ten seconds, Live had over ten girls swarming her, each wanting to see the ring on her finger and the evidence that she and George had actually tied the knot when they had disappeared from Hogwarts. They shunted George aside to make more room (Harry and Ron had quickly fled in sensing the stampede), much to his agitated cries and scowls as they gushed over the beauty of the ring, turning her hand this way and that as the dragon-scale caught the light and the colors played in the gleaming band.

George was standing off to the side between Lee and Fred with his arms folded across his chest, a disbelieving frown on his face as he looked at the group of Gryffindors surrounding his Slytherin fiancée. The three of them held similar expressions of disbelief upon their faces.

"There's something we'll never see again."

"What?" Lee asked Fred as they watched the group with curiosity.

"Gryffindors about a Slytherin without vengeance on their mind. I'm personally at a loss of what to do."

"Maybe we should take a picture?" Lee suggested with a grin. "Where's Creevey when you need him?"

"Kelena stole him hours ago."

"Oh. What's she up to?"

"Something about Hermione and the House Elves."

"Never mind. I don't want to know."

They watched the girls still gushing over Live's ring and how lucky she was, and to please tell them what the wedding was like, what did she wear, and where was it, and would she be staying in Gryffindor Tower with George now or would he be living in the Slytherin dorms?

"They are positively frightening," Kara remarked as she came to stand behind the three boys, safe from the fray. She was one of the few girls who hadn't pounced her sister in wanting to see the ring, aside from Parvati and Lavender, the former wanting to see it but being held back by the latter.

"I seem to remember you and Ginny doing much the same thing not very long ago," George told the fifth year blonde. Fred snickered. The way Ginny and Kara carried on, you'd think it was _them_ getting married.

She merely grinned up at him, the three boys towering far over her but still less intimidating than the ooh-ing and aw-ing girls surrounding her Slytherin sister. "Perhaps," Kara admitted with a grin. "Though Live looks near a claustrophobia attack if I've ever seen it," she added with an amused smirk.

Live, for her part, was trying to deal with and answer the questions the girls were posing to her at lightning speed, as well as feeling incredibly uncomfortable with their close inspection of her hand and therefore getting a good look at her scarring. Though she didn't think they paid it much attention (or were too polite to say anything, or also too occupied with the beautiful engagement band) she was getting severely uncomfortable with their closeness. Claustrophobia was about two seconds from causing her to break shrieking from the group and go hide somewhere in a tree outside.

"Ladies, ladies, please," George announced as if trying to keep a bargain-sale civil.

"Don't bruise the merchandise!" Fred added with a grin, trying to clear Live a path from the ecstatic little Gryffindor gathering. He got many pouting looks in response, making him grin.

"To answer your questions: we're only engaged, we haven't been married yet, and we've been on wedding-location scouting trips while we've been gone from school," George announced to the girls that still pestered Live for answers. "Nothing too smart or crazy, despite what rumors have said. Just boring, wedding-planning types of things. Actually quite dull." There were several who didn't want to believe that they'd spent their time so normally (though still romantically in their minds) and made disappointed noises at his easy answering of their ponderings. Others yet still weren't accepting of such a lackluster answer, especially from one of the twins.

"Remember, _we're_ still on the market," Lee declared with a grin to them. Though with his eye still puffy from Kara's bruising, he was looking anything but promising to the gaggle that wished they could have at least half such a romantic story under their belts.

"Bollocks," one of the girls remarked as if Lee's idea was ludicrous.

Lee looked utterly offended, taken from his task of clearing the lot out. "Oi, who said that?"

"_She's _got a beautiful ring," another voice stated dolefully as if that alone had sealed the deal, and that Lee would have to offer more.

Lee frowned, though Fred thought it was hysterically funny. "Oi, we're as good as you bints can get, I'd snatch us up right quick!" he joked, earning several dirty looks and tongues stuck out in disdain. Though after being stuck with Kelena for what he'd deemed far too long, Fred was none too quick to be thinking about marriage.

Live saw her chance and darted through the little gathering straight into George's arms, closing her eyes a moment and swearing off the creeping feelings of enclosed-panic rising up her spine as she inhaled his clean, familiar scent. George was grinning and lightly snickering, due in part to the fact that Lee was now in an argument with several girls over why he was such a catch and that they should consider themselves lucky to have a go at him.

George grinned down at the blonde head on his chest, and leaned back causing her to raise her face to look at him. "Nearly eaten alive by the mob?"

She huffed, half amused by his statement, half rather puzzled. "I'm not sure if I'd rather have them _admiring _me or _after _me."

He smirked, happy at least that she had been so thusly well-received. He kissed the top of her head and she smiled at him, a little frazzled, but otherwise completely fine.

"Oi, George, tell this bint why I'm such a catch!" Lee cajoled as a sixth year with short brown pigtails and a disbelieving look starred at him without conviction.

"He's never needed an engorging potion," George immediately shot back with a laugh and waggling of his brows. Though he had been joking, Lee was downright serious and went back to the girl with conviction in his voice and a righteous finger waggling at her for George's statement about his…endeavors. Her eyes were wide as she looked at Lee, not really hearing his diatribe anymore, but wondering and thinking as her eyes slowly drifted to crotch-level.

"George, that's positively obscene," Live smirked in saying, also giggling.

"_I _have no need of them either," he added with a grin, waggling his eyebrows lasciviously at her. She laughed loudly, utterly amused.

"I know," she said, giggling.

A gagging sound came to their ears, and George looked over his shoulder to see Kara miming gagging herself on the couch, and even going so far as to pull a puff of candy fluff out of her bag and stick it in her ears.

"You're going to be digging fluff out of your ears for weeks," Seamus remarked as he grabbed his own papers out of her path. But she didn't hear him, and happily sat on the couch as if at peace. He gave his attention to George. "So you've _really_ just been out scouting places?"

"Yep," George said with a grin and an impish look in his eye.

"I don't believe it," Seamus said without acceptance. "Why was everyone looking for you then?"

"Simply because we acted without anyone's knowledge," George only half-lied. "You heard that Howler mum sent me about marriage before. How else were we supposed to come up with an engagement? Had to act fast."

Seamus looked wholly unconvinced. "Bollocks."

George rolled his eyes at the fifth year. "Alright mate, I guess I can trust _you_ with the truth." Seamus looked wholly intrigued, if not privileged, though George was grinning impishly. "First I'll start off on how the first person we decided to tell was Snape…"

Live started laughing horrendously, and Seamus scoffed, searching Live's face momentarily to see if she would corroborate George's story, or if, as he suspected, George was making fun of him. She was only grinning, laughs dying away, and anyway, he didn't know her well enough to be able to tell if it was the truth or not. Face red, he decided George was making fun of him. "Oh sod you both. I don't even care anymore."

Live giggled and prodded George for poking fun at Seamus (even if it _was_ the truth), when the voice of a little redhead broke through her snickering.

"Live!" Ginny's voice greeted happily moments before she made it down the stairs. She was holding Henry the Pygmy Puff lovingly between her hands, his purple fur clashing horridly with her orange sweater. Live immediately perked up and held out her hands for the little creature. Ginny deposited it and gave her older brother a look. "When can I have one, George?"

"Well Ginny dear," Fred spoke up from behind, butting in, "We'll let you have first pick before they go on the market for a paltry sum of, oh, I'd say a galleon, three sickels." She let out a snort of indignation. "Whaddya think, George m'boy?"

"You're really selling them for a galleon?" Live asked with a slight frown.

"No no," Fred informed with a smile, "That's Ginny's little fee to get at the stock before everyone else."

"I'm your little sister!" Ginny declared as if making a vital point.

"You're also our _only _sister, and it's still a galleon to get a sneaky advantage over everyone else," Fred said in purely business-like tone. "We're trying to run a business here!" She gave him a very dirty look and proceeded to go right back up the stairs with purpose.

"Oi, they're not up there!" George called after her.

"Yes they are," Fred said aside to his brother, wondering if Lee could possibly announce any louder to the common room about his "wonderful traits" and "grand stature".

"Yeah, but _she _doesn't know that," George pointed out with a grin. Fred snickered and decided Lee had been shooting his mouth off long enough to ensure they'd both still be dateless by the time the winter ball came around. He tried to shut him up to no avail (though the girls were giving the bruised-eye seventh year serious consideration for a few well-endowed reasons).

"George, you'll let her have a first pick, right?" Live asked expectantly as she stroked the soft fur of her humming puff. "She took good care of Henry."

"Well, me and Fred haven't exactly had a chance to talk of how we'll be going about this business…" he said leadingly. She frowned at him and he grinned. "But I suppose, for you, we can make an exception."

Live laughed. "You already promised them they could have first pick. Kara will hold you to that at least," she said with a look at her addlepated sister, candy fuzz sticking out from her head.

George sighed as if a great injustice was being done to him. "Oh, what I wouldn't do for you," he said as if the idea were tiring. He then smirked and grabbed her close. "Or do _to_ you." Followed by a rather full grasp of her bum, Live's eyebrows rose in expectant surprise, and she blinked a few times as mental examples popped into her mind, exciting and enticing. He grinned further. "Now, let's drop the kid off with the babysitter and get down to business."

Live was giggling at the things such a statement could possibly entail as he tried to pawn off the purple puff to Fred, who was trying to keep Lee quiet now that the other boy had the apt attention of the girl he'd been trying to convince of his 'stature'. Though his volume and convictions hadn't decreased now that she was listening.

"Kara?"

The blonde was blissfully unaware of her surroundings as the candy fuzz in her ears was successfully blocking out sound. She hummed to herself with closed eyes.

"Dean?"

He got muffled noises in response, but instead of untying Dean, who would have been more than grateful to watch the little fluff ball in return, George looked about at a loss. Though he got several rabid offers from the girls about the room to watch the adorable little creature (some even offering to do his homework just to play with it a while) George wasn't going to leave it with just anyone.

"I guess we'll just have to reenlist Ginny. Probably have to promise her her own, though."

"Better her than them, the way they were pawing my hand," Live remarked with a smirk at the disappointed girls in the room. "He'd be furless by the time we got him back."

George looked ponderous. "I don't think I've ever seen a hairless Pygmy Puff. Don't think they'd sell too big."

"They have cats like that," Live informed. "Hypoallergenic."

His nose wrinkled at the idea of a bald cat. But if he'd known what Kara had properly done to Malfoy not too long ago, he might have been rather amused by the idea of a bald _ferret_.

"Let's get to my room," he whispered to her in a tone that made a delicious shiver slither up her back.

"Can I play with that puffskein for a while?" one of the third years asked as they climbed the stairs.

"You'll be able to buy your own soon enough!" George promised the now-smiling girl. She grinned and informed her friends that there were more of the miniature puffskeins to be had. George turned to Live and gave her a confident smile. "Not even back a day and you're already the envy of the entire school, not to mention we're going to make an arse-load of money off these puffs. I think my work is properly done." Live giggled and embraced him, sealing her lips properly against his in what little privacy the stairwell provided.

"So, like, ugh, gross, Parvati. What is going on here? Do we just _allow _Slytherins in here now? What happened to being selective?" Lavender's voice floated up to them from down in the common room, annoyed and sounding even disgusted. Her voice even carried over Lee's, who was arguing with Fred about stealing his thunder and ruining his chances with the women.

"Well, they _are_ going to get married, Lavender," Parvati's voice pointed out.

"And poor George, we all know how _they_ are," Lavender continued. "I just hope he doesn't get dragon pox _down there_. She's probably crawling with it."

Live's whole body bristled with sudden anger at such vile disregard for her person, and she was pushing Henry into George's hands even as her own went for her wand. "Oh I'm going to murder her…" He grabbed her around the waist with one hand, holding Henry in the other, though he knew she'd be more than justified in attacking Lavender for her comment. He only wondered if perhaps he should be the one to defend her honor and curse the bint mindless, or let Live take out her own brand of swift justice. But his interference in Lavender's demise was unnecessary as voices came to her defense.

"Shut your gob, Lavender!" a female voice demanded.

"Yeah, quit being so bitchy all the time," another female voice remarked. "Just because you're not as pretty as she is."

"Or smart," someone else said with snickers.

"You're just jealous that Malfoy wouldn't let you be his mistress, and we _all _know how dirty _he_ is."

Someone else laughed with amusement. "That's gotta hurt your ego, we know. Rejected by a Slytherin."

Lavender's sputtering was heard as she tried to get the words out. "I told you! Someone set me up! I-I hate him!"

"_Sure_, Lavender. Just quit projecting onto others, alright?" someone else said cajolingly, as if piteous yet understanding. "I mean, it's rather pathetic. And you _were_ the one caught snogging his boxers. You shouldn't be speaking of others."

"N-No! I wasn't!" she declared shakily. "Th-they're _Slytherins_! You're supposed to be _with_ me! _Slytherins_!!"

"OW SEAMUS! Quit poking me!!" Kara's voice declared loudly over all the ruckus in the room, her ears still plugged with candy fluff and having heard none of the wicked things Lavender had said. Her renewed presence must have had a rather profound impact upon the room, because it went quiet (except for Lee and Fred who were now rolling on the floor attacking each other without any sense of what was going on around them) and Lavender was urging Parvati to quickly leave with her.

George loosened his hold on Live as she went a bit slack, not fighting him as much to get free, but burying her anger and saving it for another time. She more or less leaned against him with finality, her blood still simmering. He rubbed her arm. "I guess Kara's going to take care of it, now. Lavender will get hers. Gryffindor style." He grinned at her.

Live nodded, and stuck her wand back in her pocket so she could take Henry from George's proffered hand. She stroked the fur as he started humming again back safely in her palm, and held it safely to her body as she tried to calm herself down and plan wicked vengeance upon the little bint. George gave her a winning smile and kissed her lips to try and make her perk up. "Oi, Live, don't listen to her rubbish. No doubt she'll be swimming in fish heads come curfew." At least, if _he_ had anything to say about it, she would be.

"I know," she said with annoyed acceptance.

George still smiled at her. "Looks like you've made a few friends," he suggested with an uplifting tone. Live gave him a frown. "I don't know many Gryffindors that'd turn on their own house for a Slytherin they barely know. Let alone the prettiest one."

She half-smiled, shrugging as if it wasn't that great of an accomplishment (after all, Lavender had been more than out of line for anyone to listen to) but George wasn't going to let Live dwell on it.

"Shall I give you a sensual massage?" he asked with a playful tone, hating to see her upset. She sniffed with minor amusement at his words. "Or perhaps a sensual bath?"

"Just because you put 'sensual' in front of everything does not make it sensual," she affirmed with a smirk, grateful for his attempts as she pet the little creature in her hands. "I've told you that a million times."

He raised a brow at her. "I think that's a challenge I am more than prepared to rise to, though it requires you in my bed with a whole lot less clothing and a lot less talk." She smiled. "Actually, it _requires _no clothing. The fact that you are standing here dressed at all is an offense to my very existence. Let's go remedy this problem."

"_George_," she warned with a smile. He grinned, not put-off.

"Want to put Dung-Bombs in Lavender's stuff? I've even got some skunk-mortars left over, and some experimental stuff that we haven't even tested on ourselves yet."

Live's smile widened. Now _there _was an idea that would make her feel better, and thus in the mood to _really_ feel better, George-style. "I want to put it in her shower stuff, too," she said with a truly wicked tone. The idea of Lavender soaping up with essence of skunk really brought a smile to her face. She had to credit the horrid idea to the occurrence she herself had gone through.

A laugh escaped him, and he kissed her hard on the lips, taking her nearly completely off guard and sending a rivet of sudden desire through her. She sighed as his lips left hers, and he hefted her into his arms without any complaint on her part. "Hold on to Henry." The humming little puff was completely oblivious as to what was happening, and with a few quick jaunts they were up the stairs and planning all-out war on his bed (in very little clothing) to Lavender's defenseless belongings.

sSs

"Keep a close watch, make sure nothing has been secured that is outside our interests. We can't be too sure of the rumors we've heard. This information is _very_ valuable to our master."

"I understand the wishes of our lord, Lucius. I only wonder why you think it is _you_ to be the one to dictate them to me."

Lucius Malfoy scoffed. "Only that my son has been telling me very interesting tales…" Snape eyed him dangerously. Lucius looked bothered as with wounded pride. "Such as, how _is_ it that all Draco's hair has fallen out? And what has been done to bring him retribution? Have you been going soft, Severus?"

"You know my rules, Lucius. If your idiot son cannot take care of childish rows which he himself starts, then they are certainly no concern of mine. Unless you would have me waste my time monitoring your boy's stupidity, I should like to focus my full attention on the wishes and desires of the Dark Lord."

"Hmph," the blond man sniffed, as if his pride had indeed been impugned by his idiot son's uselessness. "Well, I trust you'll point him in the right direction?"

"If there is indeed a right direction for your offspring, I am more than certain he can find it himself."

Lucius didn't know whether to be worried or honored. He settled on arrogance. "Well. Have a pleasant evening, then. Inform us of any changes or alterations to the plan."

"You as well. And do try to keep your visits to a minimum, Lucius. You're beginning to raise a suspicious eye."

"Hmph. One would think you didn't appreciate my visits," he said with an amused smile.

"Only that you take up an exceeding amount of my time that could be better placed towards the will of the Dark lord," Snape said importantly. "As if enough of my time isn't already wasted on the idiot children of this facility."

Lucius smiled. "Good man," he commended as if not put-off. He nodded to the potions master as he took his leave with an acknowledging smirk. "Severus."

sSs

"I hate this color," Kara said with a twisted look at a brown shirt. "It's so…_plain_."

"Well anything would look plain next to all that neon-crap you're always wearing under your robes," Kelena commented as she picked through the fifth year's laundry for her own pilfered clothing. So far her arms were filled with stockings and undershirts that had been missing for weeks.

Kara scoffed at the sixth year. "You're one to talk about style," she said rather snobbishly. "You look more and more librarianish every day. And that sweater has smeared food on it, by the way." She wrinkled her nose at a rather discriminating stain upon Kelena's person. "Just what in the world were you and Hermione doing with the House Elves, anyway?"

"Nothing," Kelena said rather snarkily, Kara having touched upon a nerve.

"Or with Colin Creevey for that matter?" the fifth year added with a raised brow and a disturbed look. "You _do_ know he's way too young for you?"

"Oh, shut your trap."

Kara looked a bit more disturbed as her mind progressed. "…Not to mention that's illegal."

"Just stop."

Kara suddenly looked rather horrified. "And I'm pretty sure you'd be violating a lot of laws and sinning against nature if you brought the House Elves into it."

"That is wrong on so many levels, Kara. Really."

Kara looked rather thoughtful, ponderous even, as she sat on the end of her bed musing. "Though I _suppose_, they _would_ be grateful…They're such helpful little buggers, got to get their jollies some way."

Kelena stopped what she was doing. "That's it. If I have a _single _nightmare, I'm coming into your dorm tonight and I won't be responsible for anything I do to you."

Kara grimaced at the sixth year witch as if she tasted something sour in her mouth. "Save it for the House Elves, Kel. I'm not into that." Kelena looked about to bust something in an apoplectic fit. "Man, whatever you _are_ doing with the House Elves, I don't ever want to see a single picture or hear _any _details." She hopped off her bed and gave Kelena a disturbed look as she left the room. "And I'm officially taking you off the Sexpert Guild Board and putting you under strict observation until you get this oddball stuff out of your system. I don't think it's good for the guild to be polluted with that kind of stuff." If ever Kelena looked close to having a heart attack, now seemed about perfect. "I've got to go see a man about some rootbeer."

Kelena felt something inside snap as the younger girl closed the door. Left alone with the thoughts Kara had implanted, Kel knew there would be no sleeping for her tonight. She would definitely tell Hermione that she wouldn't be volunteering for her little project any more.

sSs

"Ohh, they're such sweet little things," Live said as she petted with the Pygmy Puffs all warm and snuggled in a little box between the beds in George's dormitory. She was squatted down on the floor in her socks and very short shorts, wearing one of his school shirts, haphazardly buttoned, as she pet each puff in turn with a soft smile and utter contentment.

George was watching her with utter pleasure, her long hair pulled up into a messy bun as blonde tendrils hung down her face. He could see the hot pink of her bra beneath the bleached white of his shirt, and the tops of her breasts peeking out from behind the buttons she'd left undone. She'd missed a few others running down her body, and the shirt was endearingly skewed on her form as she lavished affection on the little creatures humming softly in the box. Her cooing and smiles at the miniature puffskeins made him want to smother her in kisses and ask her to marry him all over again.

"What?" she asked with a smile, looking up at him as she scratched a green puff, causing it to hum.

He gave her his attention (or the thinking part that had been preoccupied with loving her) and grinned, standing from his seat on his trunk to come and pull her off the floor. She smiled as she was brought up into his arms, giving him an odd look, and wondered if perhaps the last hour had addled his brains a bit.

He smiled at her and wrapped his arms around her. "I just love you so much." She grinned, never getting tired of hearing that. "I want to marry you as soon as possible."

She looked a bit surprised, but smirked with pleasure at his declaration. "You know, I don't think married people do the kinds of things we do, and I can tell you that they _especially _don't do the kinds of things I do to you," she told him with an enticing, bragging grin. "That's all me, baby!"

His eyes glazed over a bit at the rather raunchy memory, somewhat dazzled by the idea that they still had a long way to go in the fine art of bedroom yoga. Her giggles at his look brought him back to earth, and he gave her an almost desperate look. "I just want you as my wife. Officially. No one telling us otherwise. I love you so much I want to be as bound to you as physically possible."

Her face was overcome with emotion at his words, her being filled with far too much love for one person to carry. His eyes were large and expressive as he looked at her, and she felt her heart bleeding with love for him too big for her to comprehend. "Oh, George, I love you." He smiled at her, and she met his lips, then hugged herself close to his chest. She looked up at him with earnestness, studying his eyes, loving his eyes. "George, I don't ever want to have to worry about that stupid damn prophecy, or whatever these images in my mind are, or any of that nonsense. I just want you. I always want to be with you."

He had an indeterminate expression on his face, and held her back close to him. "Live, I've told you I don't care about any of that. It's all rubbish. We're all that matters. Forget all that other rubbish. Don't even think about it. Keep it from your mind."

"But…George," she started, a note of worry in her voice as she clung to his chest. "…I-I keep seeing bodies, and today…When I blacked out, it all changed. I saw everyone…everyone that was dead. And the man was gone, and that woman...And then there's still all this stuff about the prophecy and…" She had to stop, because she was getting choked up talking and thinking about it.

She knew.

She had an niggling feeling that she was starting to understand whatever was being shown to her, and she didn't like the connections that she was making. None of her conclusions spelt out a happy ever after for her and George. She wanted her mind rid of these images, and wanted that prophecy out of her life.

"Live, don't cry," George soothed as he held her close, rubbing little circles into her back and placing kisses on the top of her head. "Just don't think about it. We won't live around prophecies and the odd vision every now and then. We won't let it run our lives. I won't let it run you."

"…George. It said that…If we wanted children someday…"

"Bollocks," George stated, holding her close. "You think I'm gonna let some prophecy decide our family?" She smiled up at him through teary eyes at his talk of their family. _Their_ family. He wanted to make a family with her. And prophecies and crazy images and whatnot didn't factor in to his vision of their future together. "Honestly Live…I mean, how long are you willing to wait off on getting started on our ten kids? We're not _that_ young."

She started laughing at his playful tone, trying to cheer her up and doing a wonderful job at it. "You're ridiculous," she scoffed through wet eyes with a smile.

He kissed both her cheeks and rubbed his fingers up her back. He looked down at her seriously, his voice sincere and true. "I know how badly you want kids someday, Live. I won't ever let some stupid prophecy get in the way of that dream. I'll do everything in my power to make sure you get a load of kids." He smiled at her quite seriously, but lightly waggled his brows at her, mischievously implying that he would personally be seeing to making her in the motherly way some day.

Her brows came together as she looked at him with intense feeling. "Anything," she barely said.

"Hm?"

"I'd do anything for you. I _will_ do anything for you," she said with extreme impulsion, her heart powering her words.

He almost didn't comprehend her words. He was lost in them, lost in her eyes, and lost in the moment. He couldn't think properly as he looked at her. All he knew was that he needed to kiss her, needed to hold her close and love her. And he _was _kissing her, passionately and without restraint, pouring his love for her into his kiss, holding her close, loving her unlike anything else he ever felt. She returned his kiss with just as much fire, just as much love. She felt such utter contentment and completion as he held her and kissed her, that she felt she could have happily died right then and there with no complaint.

"Oi, hope your pants are on, we're comin' in!" Fred announced as he and Lee came in through the door sporting minor bruises and large grins.

As if a spell on the room had been broken, Live and George were released from their bewitchment of each other. George fixed his twin with the most wicked glare he could muster, and Live crossed her arms at them, breathing a bit heavily, but otherwise a frightful sight to behold even in George's haphazard shirt and her pink booty shorts.

"Um, hey Live, nice pants," Lee remarked with a slight grin. He realized, not just from the state the pair were in, but from the relative waves one could feel in the room, that he and Fred had interrupted something very important. And possibly naughty.

Live rolled her eyes at Lee, then turned back around to face George without any other acknowledgement of the boys. She put her hands on his forearms, looking at him intensely, though the same moment could not be recaptured.

"George, marry me tonight," Live asked.

He blinked in surprise, but wholly pleased. "Tonight?" he confirmed with tone of excitement. She nodded, and he grinned as widely as possible with ecstasy. "Let's ask Dumbledore to do it after dinner."

Live couldn't help herself, but she immediately started crying again from emotional overload of happiness. He hugged her, raining kisses down upon her as she cried, and Lee and Fred were looking at them as if the pair were a bit mad, jaws slack in disbelief.

"_You're getting married tonight_?!" Fred exclaimed with minor agitation and extreme mystification, dropping the bag in his hand.

"I haven't got anything to wear!" Lee declared rather seriously, suddenly just as agitated as Fred.

George was kissing Live, dragging her up his body into his arms so that her feet barely reached the floor. He had tears of happiness in his own eyes, completely caught up in her as he looked into her shining green orbs. "I can't wait," George started, loving her so much. "Let's do it before dinner."

Live's tears of happiness started even worse, and Fred promptly fainted at his twin's bravado. Lee was in a state of near panic, completely at a loss of what to do or what to say. He immediately began healing the bruises on his and Fred's faces as he was sure it would be unbecoming for groomsmen.

George set Live back down and wiped her cheeks with the heels of both palms, looking at her with shining love. "Better get something to wear, darling." She grinned at him, almost laughing through her tears as he picked at his shirt on her. "Don't want to get married in my bloody shirtsleeves!"

He kissed her once more as she grinned and laughed and cried, grabbing her robes and throwing them over herself, then coming back to George and jumping back to his warm embrace, kissing him again all over. It took over six tries before she was able to get far enough that she got herself out of the dorm and made a beeline for the Slytherin dormitories, knowing the exact dress she wanted to be married in that was still back safe in the dungeons. He'd meet her outside the dorms (or inside, if he remembered the password through his euphoria) in time enough, and then they would go straight away to Dumbledore's office and ask him to marry them on the spot.

Unfortunately, their plans were to be halted by the very man they sought for binding.

sSs

"Personally, I don't think there _is_ an uglier color," Kara declared on her way to dinner as she walked with some friends.

"Oi, isn't that your sister?" a Ravenclaw at her side remarked.

Kara cocked her head to the side in seeing her sister run past them, a blur, though a definite haphazard blur, of blonde hair and odd laughter.

"Was she wearing bed slippers?" the same girl remarked. "Where were her shoes?"

Kara's gaping mouth was their only answer as she took off after her sister, following not without trouble as Live could really move fast when she wanted to. It wasn't until they'd come to the Slytherin dormitory entrance that Kara was able to get out as much of a squeak to announce her wheezing presence to her sister.

"What--" gasp, "--the--" huff, "--bloody 'ell--" gulp, "--are you--?"

"_I'm getting married Kara_!" Live squealed, the statement causing fresh tears to spring to her eyes.

Kara looked cross as her sister grabbed her shoulders as if touch would somehow better impart the news. The Gryffindor thought her sister might be suffering a severe brain lapse of some sort at the moment. The state she was in was testament enough. "--I--" pant, "--know that!" She'd already _seen_ the ring. Half the school knew Live and George were gonna get married.

"Right now," Live elaborated with no less enthusiasm. It caused Kara to inhale a much necessary breath.

"WHAT?!"

Live said the password enthusiastically to the common room wall and entered in her beslippered, rather unflattering appearance, her Gryffindor sister trailing her without even the least bit regard for what any Slytherin might have to say on the matter.

"What the bloody hell do you mean '_right now'_?!"

Agitated, bewildered voices followed the girls from the common room as Kara trailed Live right into her dorm. The Slytherin witch didn't even bother shutting the door. She didn't plan to stay long enough that it would be of any matter.

Casting spells like a madwoman, Live utilized all the power at her control to put herself together. The makeup in her drawers went perfectly into place on her face as if the result of hours of preparation, sponges and brushes doing their work with expert precision. Her hair snaked its way about her head into little ringlets and curls, styling itself without the touch of human hands. Live was digging through her belongings, looking for the perfect dress, as Kara still tried to catch her breath and somehow grasp what the hell was going on as Live's inanimate objects sprang to life and made themselves ready at her disposal.

She caught a few Slytherin faces poking their heads in the door, two girls in Kara's year, and a seventh year who seemed so bewilderedly interested that she didn't question the obvious Gryffindor presence in their most hallowed of chambers. But Live didn't care. She was about to be married!

"Live! Would you bloody explain what the hell you're doing?!" Kara demanded, even _her _quick mind at a loss.

"We're getting married. Now," Live said with such feeling it struck her sister rather close to the heart. "We can't wait. We just decided…Now."

The seventh year Slytherin who'd poked her head in decided to come on in for further perplexed study, taking a seat next to the fifth year Gryffindor sitting for sake of her nerves on Live's bed.

"Has she gone bonkers?" the older girl seriously asked, looking at the sixth year with a bit more than concern. Sometimes crazy people were more dangerous than sane geniuses.

"I think she's getting married…" Kara answered with perplexment as articles of clothing went flying at Live's insistent search through trunks and chests.

"Hasn't that been what everyone's been saying?" the girl asked for clarification. She watched the other Slytherin in a flurry of activity. "But, right this second?"

"Maybe?" Kara said with disbelief, still trying to understand how this came about, and beginning to wonder where the hell she herself was going to get a bridesmaid's dress. "Live, slow the hell down! Where is George?"

"He's coming for me now," she spouted as she pulled a strapless gown from her trunk. It was shorter than most full-length events, greener than her eyes, and rather simple for a wedding dress. That is, it was until Live was done transfiguring and adding things to it. She grinned at her finished work, and slipped into the open bathroom. The two fifth years at the door watched as clothing was flung from inside the bathroom to land unceremoniously upon the dorm room floor. They were far too wary to come in uninvited.

"She's gone nuts," one of them said, still too spooked to come in. "I've never seen anyone this frenzied."

"Is she going to be alright?" the seventh year asked as they watched her fling George's white shirt out the door and pull the green dress over her body. She started laughing after a moment of some sort of realization, and stepped out of the bathroom holding the dress to herself.

"Oi, Live, what the bollocks are you on about?" Kara spouted at her Slytherin sister.

"Oh Kara, please zip me up!" Live requested, her mind on one thing and one thing only: George.

"My god she's officially lost it," Kara muttered, looking at her sister and wondering what caused her to snap.

"Kara please, I can't get this."

"You've done everything else!" Kara declared acrimoniously , a bit mad herself at this crazy turn of events. Live's makeup was beautiful, her hair perfect, her burn scars barely visible due to the zealous makeup sponge that had been dabbing at her with a mind of its own, and the dress itself was a dream of green with white lace and sparkly stuff that kept Kara's eyes busy. She was a true vision of loveliness. What the bollocks did she need _her_ help for?! "And where the bollocks is your wand at?!"

Live only grinned at her little Gryffindor sister, shrugging, as she must've left her wand somewhere in George's room. She was so concerned about getting married to him that she hadn't even realized she'd been utilizing her magic completely without a wand. She laughed out loud at the idea, a bit amazed at herself at what she'd accomplished, though she considered it a small marvel in comparison to the fact that in a few short minutes, she and George would be man and wife.

All four girls, Slytherin and Gryffindor alike, thought the sixth year to be absolutely stark raving mad.

"Live, are you alright?" the seventh year asked as the sixth year still pressed at them to zip her dress. Kara obliged with absentminded volition. "Maybe you should lie down a moment and think about this."

"Yeah, you're crazy!" Kara added from behind. "I'm not ready for you to get married!!"

Live only laughed at her with mirth and smiled. From inside a little jewelry box, she took out her favorite silver-set tear-shaped emerald pendent and added the necklace to her ensemble. She then grabbed a pair of her shoes under the bed and asked Kara to borrow her wand. She quickly transfigured them into high green pumps and slipped her feet into them with a smile. She returned her sister's wand and gathered up her dress with a wide smile, giving herself a once-over before walking right past the two fifth years at the door (who parted like the red sea) and out of the common room itself.

"Is…Is she coming back?" Kara asked as she gaped at the open door where the other girls still stood. They heard some whistling and catcalls from the Slytherin common room, and then all was silent.

"I think she just left…" the seventh year remarked with wide, confused eyes.

"Maybe she really _is_ getting married?" one of the fifth years piped up.

"But…But I haven't got anything to wear!!" Kara declared. She then realized she hadn't had the foresight to ask _where_ Live suddenly planned to get married, or when _exactly_, or who even knew about it for that matter. And what about guests? "Oh dammit!! Live _waaaaaaait_!" Kara called out as she left the bedroom and the three Slytherins behind.

"There sure is a lot of strangeness surrounding those girls," the seventh year remarked with still addled mind. The fifth years agreed, then snuck out to try and find this supposed wedding, and see thereof.

sSs

As George and Live stood alone outside the entrance to Dumbledore's study, they were all grins and full of energy. Utter excitement filled them, and they were ecstatic about officially becoming man and wife.

George looked smashing in the best dress robes she'd ever seen, or perhaps they looked so magnificent just because it was him wearing them. His hair was as wonderful and unruly as ever, everything in place but for the odd little tweaks in his personal dress style, and for the way he wore it like he invented the look. Live thought she must be delusional or dreaming. He looked so marvelously handsome that it was unreal that she would be married to him. That _he_ would be her husband. How did she become so utterly lucky? If he kept smiling at her the way he was, she thought she might come fully undone.

And he was equally drooling over Live. He'd never thought she had ever looked more beautiful and shining with happiness than she did right at that moment. She was so beautiful, standing like a vision next to him. He was almost scared that if he said anything, he might wake up and find out that it was all a magnificent dream. There was nothing in the world that he could have wanted more than for her to become his wife, truly and forever and always his.

She smiled widely at him as a thrill of excitement went through her for the millionth time that hour. He gave her hand a squeeze and grinned back at her excitedly.

"Shall we then?" he asked with a wide grin. She grinned widely back at him and nodded, unable to speak lest she break into a series of excited, incomprehensive giggles and noises. He spoke the password Dumbledore had given them earlier in order to meet with him, though this meeting was for a far different reason than discussing Live's state of being, and of different timing than they had agreed on. She took his arm and gave him an involuntary squeeze, butterflies in her stomach as they stepped onto the moving platform and were taken to Dumbledore's study. They rapped on the door, and were quickly met with an opening answer.

"I- George? Live? What are you doing here? And so spiffed up?" Tonks asked as she looked at both students with wide eyes, leaning out the door with surprise.

"Can we see Professor Dumbledore?" Live asked excitedly, grinning widely into the bewildered Metamorphmagus's eyes.

"Immediately," George added, grinning just as widely at the pink-haired witch.

"Well sure," she told them with perplexment. "But…_why_?" she asked as to their whole dressy appearances.

George gave her a wide smile, utterly pleased to share the news with yet another person. "We want to get married."

"Right now," Live told her ecstatically.

Whether involuntary or because she was a Metamorphmagus, Tonks eyes seemed to nearly bug out of her head. "Right _now_? Here?"

"Please, can we see him?" Live pressed with a great grin at George, giving him a squeeze.

"Um, I, yeah, okay," Tonks allowed, opening the door to let them in as she dealt with her mild bewilderment.

George grinned down at Live and lead her into the Headmaster's office as Tonks closed the door behind them. He was surprised to see that there was more than just the Metamorphmagus herself inside the office, and it wasn't exactly George's favorite person in the world. But then, even the dour head of Slytherin himself couldn't put the mildest damper upon George's mood.

"Mr. Weasley, Miss Hunter," Dumbledore greeted from behind his desk. "I am pleased for your visit, if not a bit surprised for the timing. What can I do for you?" He didn't comment on their formal attire, or the fact that they looked so obviously splendid. It didn't take a mind reader to figure out what they wanted.

"We want to get married. Right now," George told him excitedly.

Dumbledore looked at them with the usual kind smile upon his face, and Tonks looked perplexed, if not excited. Snape was surprisingly silent on the matter, though he had a particularly vexed look upon his face.

A few moments of silence passed, in which Live became a bit edgy, and George grasped her in his own sudden uneasiness.

Live decided to speak up, the silence too much to bear. "We were hoping _you_ would marry us," she broached. "We didn't want to put it off any longer." Though they hadn't exactly been putting it off at all.

Snape frowned and got up from his seat, and Tonks looked at the men with a bit of concern.

Dumbledore sighed, steepling his hands on his desk, and it immediately brought a pang of apprehension through the pair standing before the old wizard.

"I'm afraid that this is a request I cannot grant at the moment," Dumbledore spoke up. Live frowned with sudden worry. But George wasn't going to be silent.

"But sir--"

"It cannot be done," Snape suddenly spoke up. "Things are currently too complicated as is."

George fixed him with a dirty look, knowing Snape was probably the last person on earth to wish them happily married. He was about to express as much, when Tonks spoke up.

"It's just…It would be a bit inconvenient," she posed, trying to tell them without giving too much away. "And it might not be the best idea at this moment."

"It is far too dangerous right now," Snape interjected, looking at the pair with apprehensive concern.

Live's mouth was open, ready to object to their statements, though she was still trying to find the right words.

"How are you, my dear?" Dumbledore asked her health.

"Um, I'm fine. Madam Pomfrey says I'm fine," Live reported, still trying to find the perfect words to dissuade their arguments and convince Dumbledore to marry them at once.

"And your magic?"

"Normal," she told him, getting a bit agitated as she felt he was skirting the issue of them wanting to get married. The sudden thought of preparing for their marriage popped into her head, and she corrected herself. "Actually, I mean, my magic hasn't been blowing things up or anything yet--" she chanced a glance at her Head of House, as it had been _his_ potions that were responsible for keeping her in check, "--but I _was_ just able to throw all this together without my wand." She motioned to her person as if it were blatantly obvious that her state of being couldn't have been produced _without_ the use of magic. She looked too good for it to have been produced by human hands alone.

Dumbledore nodded, a pleased expression on his face. "You are learning to feel and control your magic as the sorcerers do. You are progressing at a wonderful rate, my dear."

She snorted. "I can't do it anymore…As soon as I realized I hadn't been using a wand, I couldn't do it anymore."

The sage old wizard inclined his head thoughtfully, though not disappointed. It wasn't as if she was going to learn all the secrets to wandless magic in a few short days. "Still, it is progress, and I believe you are gaining better control of yourself at a more primal level."

Live exhaled through her nose, accepting that maybe she'd tapped into something _once_, but she wasn't sure as to being in more control of her magic. Anyways, that wasn't the issue she was interested in at the present moment. "Sir, about us getting--"

"And what about the vision?" Dumbledore inquired, beating her to the quick.

Live took notice of George's grip on her, firm and supportive. She was grateful for it, as well as more than aware that he was just as agitated as she was where the matter of them getting married was concerned. "It's changed, sir. It's not the same. I don't _know _why," she offered truthfully, not liking where the conversation was going, and in no mood to continue this line of questioning.

"Why won't you marry us?" George spoke up rather irreverently, a frown on his face.

"Show some respect, Weasley," Snape spat at the insolent Gryffindor.

"It is alright, Severus," Dumbledore spoke up. He regarded George with as kindly a look as ever, and offered both students chairs. They declined, preferring to stand and get answers quickly. Dumbledore sighed, knowing it would be a difficult matter for them to understand, as well as to get them to go along with the idea that marriage right now would not suit them. He gave the frowning young man before him his attention, and tried to put things into perspective for them. "There are dark matters on the rise, Mr. Weasley. It would not be wise to marry you today, now, as it would bring down undue attention and danger upon the both of you. As you well know of the prophecy--"

Live made an agitated little noise, too loud for it to be dismissed though that was not her intention, and Dumbledore politely gave her his attention, asking her to speak with his gaze.

"Professor Dumbledore, can I speak freely?" Live asked, her agitation rising, though in no mood to equally agitate the one who could marry them, nor her Head of House, who could make life more than difficult for them if he thought she was being rude.

"Please," Dumbledore permitted with a nod of his head.

"I have absolutely _no_ intention of paying anymore heed to this asinine prophecy. I am so _sick_ of it all. I don't bloody care anymore. It's ruining my life! And I won't have any part in it anymore! I won't," she told him obstinately, as if he alone could grant her immunity to the prophecy's dictates. Unfortunately, no one had that power.

She sighed, having gotten what she needed to off her chest and make her feelings known. At least Dumbledore was aware that she had no intention of giving regard to the prophecy any longer. George held her to him, letting her draw off his strength. He knew how much the prophecy plagued her, and all she wanted was a normal life with him. It wasn't fair.

"Hm," Dumbledore said with a nod of acknowledgment. "I know, my dear, I know. The problem is, others are not as unconcerned as you about the prophecy."

"They're really taking it to heart," Tonks added with a pensively worried look. "It's why we had to spirit you away before. Same reason Lucius Malfoy wanted to kidnap you first chance he had."

George frowned, not sure if he'd exactly heard all the details of this story. Live herself recalled Tonks shifting into a perfect copy of herself the day she'd been taken to The Burrow. The day Malfoy senior had tried to command her to the castle gates at midnight.

"On that note, you are to stay away from that man by any means necessary," Snape spoke seriously, eyeing Live with a look and tone that commanded her utter obedience on the matter. The aggravating aristocrat had been making more and more unnecessary trips to Hogwarts in the 'interest of the board of governors' lately. It was in _her_ best interest to be out of sight and hidden away whenever the idiot might get it into his head to 'visit'. "Is that understood, Miss Hunter?"

Live nodded, definitely not needing to be told twice, and gave him a very worried look indeed.

"What's he want with Live?" George inquired bad-temperedly, his grasp tightening on her in subconscious protection.

Dumbledore gave the young couple his sympathetic gaze and solidly informed them. "Since the announcement of the prophecy, and in such a public place, there have been many groups trying to decipher the meaning of the prophecy, and of whom it could possibly pertain to." George recalled their trip through the pensieve, and of the party that Trelawney had been so drunk at. "And as knowledge has a way of getting around, the news of you being a _multiforme, _Miss Hunter, reached the wrong people. And not just Death Eaters. And _they _have drawn many of the same conclusions that we have in accordance to the prophecy."

Live looked at George with worry, the emotion out of place on her beautifully done face. It made George angry and worried and suspicious of everyone. And it only got better.

"I am afraid, my dear, that Voldemort and his followers are of the consensus that joining you with one of their own will ensure the ugly future which He has planned. It is no secret to them that you are what is considered half-blood, and the prophecy predicts that destruction will come in snakeskin and _pure_blood. They are convinced, therefore, that joining you, a Slytherin, with one of their purebloods, might produce a means to an end. It is no secret how destructive that group is. They have taken the prophecy as a good omen towards their cause."

"Wait, so, what are you saying?" Live asked for horrid clarification, her mind refusing to connect the dots. George himself was speechless, his mind slowing and speeding up as thoughts hit him and ideas most horrid went through his mind.

Dumbledore looked at the young, shaken blonde before him, choosing to speak blatantly and honestly. They were treading very grave waters here, and she needed to fully understand the seriousness of it all, and his reasons therein. "There is a distinct possibility that He is interested in the idea of siring an heir of sorts from you, in order to achieve his means to an end. Most likely through one of his followers."

The color drained from her face. She looked ready to faint, or even better, vomit.

"I think I'll take that chair now…" she said looking truly sickened even beneath all her makeup. George grabbed one of the comfortable chairs Dumbledore always had laying around and put it behind her where she plopped into it, sickened. Tonks went to crouch by her side, gripping her thigh with her hand as if to offer some sort of comfort. It was thankfully consoling.

"Well, why can't we just get married and get rid of all their idiotic ideas?" George posed with righteous upset. "They wouldn't still be interested in her if _I _was to marry her. The sooner the better, then." His tone implied what everyone was already thinking, the words he hadn't said far louder than those spoken. If _George_ married her, took all the rights of the marriage bed, wouldn't _then_ they leave her alone and therefore quash the stupid prophecy?

Live let loose a little half-crazed laugh as the idea of "_students screwing for a better tomorrow"_ popped into her head.

Such talk didn't usually bother her all that much. She and George had often talked about when, where, or how they would eventually end up taking the final physical plunge. It wasn't so much a matter of _if _as it was of _when_. Such things were open with them. They could talk about being sensual with one another in private. They were close enough that it wasn't a problem or a horrifically embarrassing subject. It was just like the elder Slytherin girls taught the younger, incoming ones who were innocent as to the wiles and ways of their house: _If you can't talk about sex with whoever you're about to shag, then you're _not_ mature enough to be having it. _

It wasn't like Live and George hadn't _tried_ before, or hadn't been very close to doing it. They were just either too worried, too nervous, too tired, or too highly strung for it to have taken place as of yet. There was always some reason that caused them to putting it off a bit longer. They were waiting, but on what, they themselves couldn't necessarily say. Though with the way current plans had been going, they jokingly decided to wait until marriage (which wouldn't have been very long at all). So yes, talk of them expressing their love for one another physically didn't bother her at all. It was talking about them expressing their love physically in front of _Dumbledore_ that bothered her. And then in front of her Head of House. Not to mention that Voldemort was thrown into the mix and wanted to breed something wicked from her.

"I'm afraid it's not as simple as all that," Dumbledore told George with a thinking frown. "The Death Eaters are convinced of their master's beliefs. They have already openly attacked the castle gates once in trying to take the pseudo-Miss Hunter." Tonks gave the _real_ Miss Hunter a comforting squeeze. "If they thought her chastity or fertility was seriously in jeopardy, and therefore their future amiss, they would surely not hesitate to try and take her immediately from the grounds."

Live was smirking into her hands, the idea so ludicrous that she actually found it quite funny. That a bunch of Death Eaters, not to mention Voldemort himself, had nothing better to do than wonder about her virginity only went to prove that evil was becoming lazier and more asinine by the day.

"How do they _know_ I'm still a virgin?" Live spouted blatantly, looking up with such demand that she wasn't even embarrassed by her own question. "I could have given it up _years_ ago."

Dumbledore regarded her with as much respect and clinical study as he could to her open inquiry. Tonks was trying not to snicker at her obvious lack of tact, while George's own face was red, though curious himself as to just how the buggers could keep tabs on such a thing. No one _dared _a look to see how Snape felt about her rather intimate postulation.

"In sticking to a plan to keep you as safe as possible from any threat which might present itself, I am also under the belief that such semantics would not matter to Voldemort nor his followers. The prophecy, the end result, is a child. It is said that the _child _itself will assure the fate of the father, and that destruction will thusly take its course. Whatever fate Voldemort has planned for himself, I do not think he will care much about any past indiscretions. It is of the future, and of a first-born child, that he is concerned. As you currently have no other children, he would see the prophecy as being wide-open for fulfillment." Live looked sick again at his words, and buried her face back in her hands. "It is for this reason that I cannot marry you as of yet," Dumbledore continued. "Such horrid things would happen if they were to get their hands on you, or be provoked to desperation. I wish to keep you as low to the ground on this as possible until we can defuse the situation."

"But-," George started, looking quite unaccepting of the whole bloody business. "But who's to say that would happen? Maybe if we're married proper, people will leave us alone."

"It's not as simple as that," Tonks spoke softly to George, a sympathetic look on her face. "People never leave well enough alone. They've been after Harry for more than a decade, George. Imagine how long they'd be after you two," she finished sadly.

George snorted. "Only until _our_ first child was born," he said rather smartly. He grinned, feeling a bit better, his humor coming back. "I just gotta knock her up, and they'll get off our backs!" Considering, of course, that any children that the two of _them_ might have wouldn't turn out to be some cause of destruction. But in any case, it was a far more desirable plan than any that involved allowing Voldemort to get his hands on her. He gave a smirk and a waggle of his brows in Live's direction, no longer deterred by any reason not to marry her. She was snickering despite the somber mood and present company. George was always good at diffusing horrid situations.

"Now is not the time for jokes, Weasley!" Snape spat quite seriously.

"Who's joking?" George spat right back, a sneering look to match the one Snape was giving him. George looked away and back pleadingly to Dumbledore. He thought he'd made quite a good point. But it also crossed his mind that Dumbledore didn't want to risk that it _was_ a child of George and Live's that the prophecy was referring to, and that the plan of the Death Eaters was just another seemingly obvious option. Either way, it didn't matter to George. All he knew was that he and Live _would_ be married, one way or another. "Please, Professor, we want to get married. And we want _you_ to marry us," he said determinedly.

Live looked up in agreement as Dumbledore regarded her pensively. "I told you, sir, I'm through with this prophecy business. It doesn't mean I'll turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to the goings on, but I'm not going to let the inferences of others run my life. I've already got things in my head I can't get rid of, and I'd like some happiness in my life. We want to get _married_," she said the word happily, a bright smile on her face as she pushed all other bad thoughts away from her. The thought of marrying George could immediately brighten any cloudy attitude. "As in _forever_. All the nonsense of others doesn't matter. Only the now matters. And in any case, if it _did_ turn out that they knew we were married, we could just go into hiding until we've had a few kids."

George grinned at her and clasped her hand in his own. She stood from the chair, certain their conversation was more than over. Dumbledore had all the cards in his hand. Now he only needed to decide what to do with them.

Snape sighed heavily, his hand to the bridge of his nose in actual frustration at how lightly they seemed to be taking it and at how simply they thought they could end things. Tonks, too, seemed a bit on edge at the idea, mind going to how much Sirius couldn't stand to be locked up in hiding. And she knew Live and George's personalities wouldn't allow for them to keep themselves away from the world for long. And anyway, they were far to young to be thinking about settling down with children of their own already. The situation wasn't fair for them to begin with, forcing their hands.

"I appreciate your love," Dumbledore told her warmly. "It will not corrupt. But I cannot, in vowing to protect the students of this school, marry you two. It will have to wait until it is safer."

Live sighed, a bit annoyed, though it was exactly what she'd expected. "Alright," she agreed. "I guess…is there anything else?"

"Unless you would like to discuss any other matters," Dumbledore offered kindly. She shook her head, and he smiled at her warmly. "Alright then. Off you go."

George laced their fingers as they took their leave of the Headmaster's office. Though neither of them were in very dour spirits. A welcoming thought still lingered between them: _well, if _Dumbledore _wouldn't marry them, then it didn't matter as he wasn't the only one capable of performing the ceremony._

"And one more request," Dumbledore added as George was closing the door. The Gryffindor poked his head back in, Live doing much the same, and looked at the ancient wizard. "I must ask for you two to please remain on the castle grounds." George gave Dumbledore a wide-eyed look as if he had suddenly read his mind. "There _will _be a time for such joyous occasions. Just, give it a bit more time. I promise it is not forever."

George and Live gave each other wistful looks, but agreed to the old wizard's request. He smiled at them as they left, their spirits a bit down, but still high nevertheless. Standing outside the door on the platform, they looked at one another without a backup plan.

"So much for finding a preacher in Hogsmeade," Live said with minor disappointment.

"All spiffed up and nowhere to go," George stated, entwining his fingers with hers as he regarded her with looks of love. Live sighed, but smiled up at him. They could save all these horrid developments for later. They still had each other in the meantime. He grinned and kissed her cheek. "Want to get sloshed?"

She giggled and nodded, and decked out in all their finery, they set out to drink Gryffindor Tower dry.

sSs

With all intention of making Gryffindor Tower more dry than a desert, Live and George proceeded to the common room in rather good moods, uplifted at the thought that there was a nice bottle of fire whiskey stashed somewhere in his dorm, and that several of the other residents of the tower had a certain penchant for drink-- of which they would pilfer, of course.

What was surprising to find therein, however, was that everyone was dressed in their finest, standing around with anxious, patient looks, though they looked heartily relieved to finally see Live and George once again.

Kelena was messing with Hermione's hair as Seamus and Dean were making chess figures duel each other out of boredom. Harry and Ron were talking with Lee and Fred while Ginny and Kara kept prodding at the boys for attention and information, Neville shifting uneasily in his dress shoes as Kara kept pressing him to back them up.

All those in the common room were obviously waiting for the couple, some dressed up nice with foreknowledge of what was going on, and others still in school robes too anxious to go and change in case news was given. Obviously, they all wanted to go to this post-haste wedding, but no one knew much about it, or where it was going to be. George himself had ducked out quickly when he'd gone, leaving his passed out twin and frantic dorm mate behind in order to collect Live. Now, though, they all looked at the couple expectantly, as if waiting for orders and instructions.

"Um…" George started, a bit at a loss of what to tell the large and unexpected gathering.

"Live! What in the hell?!" Kara spouted without reserve as she came towards her in what Live recognized to be one of her missing dresses. Kara'd done a bit of transfiguring, and there was no mistaking the girl's own colorful influence on the piece. "Where the hell did you disappear to?! You know everyone's been waiting?!" She came up to stand nearly right under her older sister's nose, and looked up with a grin. "So, where's the wedding?"

Everyone listened with bated breath for the spot, some pausing on the stairs to go and relay the location to others.

"Dumbledore wouldn't marry us," George said. Everyone looked a bit confused, if not shocked.

"Well why would he? I don't think you're his type, George," Fred announced to his twin as Lee grinned. There were a few giggles and snickers at that. Live herself smirked.

"Wait," Kara said, wanting some corroboration to her current train of thought. "Are you telling me you two were going to get married _without any of us_?!"

"We're supposed to be your bridesmaids!" Ginny spouted with horror that their chance had almost been nullified.

"And what about the best man?" Lee posed to George. The fiery-haired young man grinned at his friend in answer.

"You can't just get married without telling anyone!" Kara declared adamantly.

"Well, _you_ knew," Live told her little sister. That didn't cut it for Kara.

"But I didn't know you'd flounced right up to Dumbledore's office! Why get married _there_ of all places? I mean, I know he has a lot of cool stuff, but an office?"

"Oh, that doesn't even matter anymore," the blonde Slytherin pointed out, cheeks a bit flushed at the thought of wanting to have married George so badly it didn't even matter where it was or who was there. "He said it wasn't the right time for him to marry us, or something," Live elaborated, though she kept details to herself.

"So? Let's take this wedding party into Hogsmeade," Lee suggested. "There's bound to be someone there who could marry you."

Lee's idea was met with a lot of excited chatter. Some girls left to change their shoes, and the younger years began to ask if they could go, too (though the entire outing would be breaking school rules altogether as it wasn't a Hogsmeade day, and night was something else entirely, so really, their approval was of no consequence).

"He also asked us not to leave the school grounds," Live added to Lee, quashing his idea. The seventh year looked shocked that Dumbledore would be so against it.

"None of that matters," Fred posed with a grin as he looked at his brother and the girl he wanted to marry. He gave the room at large a self-important grin. "I happen to be an ordained minister."

His announcement was received with much laughter and grins, and he stood with hands on hips in a sort of proud stance, grinning like he thought he was some kind of Super Pope. He grabbed the scarf hanging off Lee's neck and put it around his own, making a few minor adjustments to his person (though not many, really) until he decided he somehow resembled a holy man (which Fred was actually the furthest thing from). He stood on the bottom steps of the stairs with his hands steppeled in front of his chest and eyes closed as if in solemn peace. People were laughing and shoving George and Live towards him, giggling and snickering as they prepared for an impromptu wedding.

"Now," Fred started, looking heavenward for some sort of enlightenment. In his spiritual search, he realized there were rather a lot of cobwebs high up in the ceiling corners that the tiny House elves must have missed. He gave his attention back to his twin and the Slytherin now standing in front of him with grins and snickering, having been zealously shoved by the common room inhabitants to the impromptu altar. "I would like to officially commend this misfit pair to the holy-- _Oi_, I'm trying to have a ceremony here," Fred pointed out to some students trying to slip past him down the stairs. There were laughs and snickers as someone flipped Fred off and he returned the favor, then went back to George and Live with a smirk.

"As I was saying…This idiot pair, whom Merlin himself wouldn't want a piece of, because, as we all know, they're both complete nutters--"

"Oi!" George spouted. Live giggled, grasping George's arm a bit tighter with laughter.

"--and not to mention, disgustingly in love--"

"You're just jealous," George told his brother with a smirk.

"--and I think this would also be a good time to mention that George still owes me five sickels--"

"Would you shut up already?" George told him through a grin. Live was no help at all. She kept laughing at Fred's 'ceremonial speech'.

"--and also that I think we're really going to crush Hufflepuff in the next match, so place your bets now--"

"What's that got to do with _them_?" someone pointed out to much laughter.

Fred gave a look of disbelief that they were questioning his method of marrying others. "While we're giving things up to the Almighty, I don't think it would hurt to mention quidditch." Several people laughed while others still threw jibes at him to get on with the ceremony as they, to much giggling, had places to go and people to see. He gave them all a grand one-finger salute and continued with his diatribe.

"So, anyways…" Fred paused with a menacing look at the crowd. It didn't help that everyone snickered and laughed. "Alright, let's get it over with then." He gave George a look, then a grin, bringing himself up to his full height, really towering over everyone as he stood on the stone step. "Do you, George, beater for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, my own twin brother, second best-looking man in this room--" there were a lot of laughs at that, "--partial owner of Weasley Wizard Wheezes- where, by the way, we've been developing a lot of new stuff that you can all get your hands on this week--"

"Hey, advertise at your own wedding!" Live chided through laughter.

Fred smirked and cleared his throat as the common room was anything but the definition of peace and quiet. "Anyways, George, true lionheart of Gryffindor…Do you take Live, Slytherin himself re-embodied and gender-reassigned--"

"Fred I will kick your ass," Live promised through giggles.

"--pretty, _pretty _Live," he said with a grin to placate her, "who excels so much better than yourself in potions," he said to George with a grin, "Or any Gryffindor for that matter, except maybe Hermione, but then," he said, looking back at Live as if banally discussing the weather, "you're not half as anal as she is about things--"

"Shut up Fred!" Hermione said from the back between Ron and Harry. Ron's face was red as he was trying to stifle his laughter. Ginny was nodding in agreement and giving Harry sly, flirtatious looks from where she was standing.

"As I was saying…George, do you take Live as your unofficial partner in crime, to prank and to pervert--" Live blushed horridly as George laughed and pulled her close against his side, Kara's gagging resounding in the background, "--though in ways of which I hope none of us will ever have to find out--" there were a lot of laughs and catcalls while others wolf whistled, "For ever and ever and even after you're officially sick of one another?"

"As if," Live said of Fred's prognosis.

George laughed and tightened his grip on Live in love. "I certainly do," he told his twin, and then winked at Live. Many more wolf whistles followed that, and Live shot half-hearted glares about the room of Gryffindors with a smirk.

"And do you, Live, realize what you're getting into with this sorry sod--"

"Don't make me smack ya, mate," George told his brother with a grin.

Fred looked scandalized, both at George's threat, and for being interrupted for the hundredth time. "You wouldn't hit a man of the cloth?!"

"No, just a stupid sod," George promised as several people laughed and questioned in what ways Fred found himself particularly holy.

"Sod off, I'm trying to commit a ceremony here, people!" Fred declared. He looked back at Live with another smirk. "Anyways, do you, Live Hunter, already related to _one _Gryffindor-" Kara smirked toothily in self-importance, "-who's more trouble than she's worth-"

"Hey!"

Fred grinned at Kara, who made a rather sour face at him. He winked at her, and then gave his attention back to George and Live, the former clearing his throat for his brother's attention. "Well, to make a long story short, do you take this sod, to be glued to your side, through pranking and perversion and practical joking," Fred paused a moment, feigning tears as he brought a hand to his forehead dramatically, "This lionheart among men, a true Gryffindor's Gryffindor--"

"Oh get on with it, Fred!" declared Ginny from the back. Fred removed his hand from his face and gave her a smarmy look the polar opposite of his 'truly touched' expression.

"I'll deal with _you_ later," Fred told his little sister in threat. He cleared his throat and finally _did_ get on with it, a bit more casually. "Oi Live, you take this brother of mine for your unofficial pranking associate, to keep in line and in love until you realize the true horror you've gotten yourself into?"

George brandished a fist at his twin as Live laughed and declared that she would, for ever and for ever.

Fred looked pleased and clasped his hands together. "Okay. Let's exchange some jewelry. George, put that ring back on her finger," Fred instructed for his twin to take it off and then put it back on. George grinned as he removed the shining band from Live's finger, only to put it back on. Live panicked a moment as she realized rather stupidly that she hadn't been at all prepared, and had no ring for him.

"Oh shit. George, lemme see your wand?" Live asked as she held out her hand with a bit of an idea.

"Oi, save that for the honeymoon!" Lee called out. Fred himself was laughing horrendously, and Kara prodded him on his 'altar' to shut the hell up.

Live yanked the pendant off the chain hanging around her neck, and used George's borrowed wand to turn the silver-set emerald stone into a silver band with the stone leveled around it like green liquid. She held the silver chain between her fingers as she slipped the ornate band onto George's finger. He was grinning widely, utterly, utterly pleased, and took the silver chain from her fingers and put it back around her neck, making a mental note to get her a new one as he knew it was her favorite. Fred sniffed with approval, and grinned at the both of them.

"Well then, I now pronounce you nutter and nutter. You may now kiss--" he paused for dramatic effect as all waited with smiles and bated breath, and then he grinned, "--my arse."

Everyone was laughing and clapping horrendously, even as George flipped off his twin and brought Live into his arms only to dip her in cliché, then seal his lips over hers. The catcalls that filled the room only got worse as Live had both of her hands on the back of his head pulling his lips further closer to her own. Wolf whistling ensued heavily as everyone cheered and told them to get a room ("Oi shut up! We _share_ that room! I don't want to see any of that!" Lee declared) and the common room burst into happy well-wishing.

Live grinned at George when their lips finally parted, considering Fred's impromptu ceremony just as good as any that Dumbledore might have done (even if it wasn't at all legal or anything). George was grinning back at her, of much the same conclusion and happiness, the joy in the room contagious and spreading happily. They grinned and snickered to each other, and George brought her back up to stand as she hugged herself to his chest, and he held her close against him.

Like some unholy maitre d', Kara (enlisting Neville's carrying service) produced some _very_ alcoholic brews that she'd been experimenting with (she swore that anyone who drank it would be seeing faeries for three days) and started doling out shot glasses and butterbeer flagons to the 'wedding guests'. Butterbeer and alcohol was flowing like honey, and Fred lit off some of their fireworks, releasing a few out the windows into the evening that spelt out over and over in fiery letters "Congratulations!" and for some reason, "Come grab elation!"

"I think that one is expired," Fred said in inspecting his own work whizzing about the darkening sky.

"Or you just royally messed up again," Kara informed as she handed him a bottle of his own. "What about that _accidental_ mix up with the bubbles and the explosives? I don't think it's safe for someone like you to mess with explosive pranking items. Leave that stuff to George. At least he's still in potions."

"Hey, I take the joke business _very_ seriously," Fred contended proudly.

"Doesn't that defeat the purpose of jokery?" Kara pointed out with a daft look. He gave her a wry glance, then grinned and popped open his bottle.

To say everyone was hung-over the next day was an understatement. That entire _week_ students were milling about with dazed expressions and severe headaches. Many others chased after faeries that were not there.

Once again, Kara made a killing in sales.

sSs

Sooooo…anyone catch my little _Bill and Ted _joke:D heh heh. If the name of the crappy Gryffindor beater seemed familiar to you, well hee hee, it was totally on purpose. Anywho, make it interesting for me. It helps me to write and get inspired if I think you guys are really enjoying this (cuz, well, if you weren't, I'd just say 'fuck it' and take another few months off of writing) XD.

As always, my mailing list is open and up and available.

And also, because I'm poor, and I like to expose myself (haha) and my works, I have a lot of neat stuff up for sale in my e-bay (link in bio) all very inexpensive and totally affordable. I've got Jack Sparrow tattoos, dark mark tattoos (again), more Hogwarts house banners coming soon, "Save a broom, Ride a Quidditch Player" T-shirts (only one is up right now :D), jack sparrow soap (imagine washing yourself with _that_ every day, hawt), pirates nail decals, slytherin-crest underwear, among other things! All supa' cheap! All bran-spanking new! And I do a bunch of custom-stuff too :D (again, check my bio for links!!)

….So support me and paying off my debtors, yes? I like being able to use my legs. Spread the word if you know someone who'd like this stuff…Please?

To my loverlies, those who own my writing soul:

Scarlet Faerie: HAHAHA always first to review! Lol I love it. Tee hee, oh no, Live and George know what the naughty potions look like…Haha. But Live herself, well, being blonde, it takes a minute to sink in XD Haha:D Oh dear. The things I myself have mistakenly walked in to XD Conversation-wise, hahaha! Woot. Hee hee. Well let me say that the vision changing once back at Hogwarts is very pertinent to the plot. It's a bit of a road sign where the prophecy is concerned o.O She didn't have a fainting spell for any sort of physical reason as opposed to the fact that the sudden changing of the vision coinciding with their return to Hogwarts is what brought it on. Like, say, a warning o.O Dun-dun-dun:D And Melinda Harris did indeed poison Live's body wash, and someone got back at Melinda via _her_ potion exploding in potions class. But I won't be revealing who did _that_ for a little while longer ;) heh heh. WOOT! Yes I adore your reviews! I love hearing your thoughts :D They really do get me writing :D

Chineseretard92: Heh heh, yes, Viv and Becca are quite dirty-minded enough, though Live being a scatterbrained sort of girl wouldn't quite pick up what they're on about XD haha…even though her mind spends an equal amount of time in the gutter…;) Fred's cool, getting drunk, pulling pranks, sneaking about, all that good stuff. Haha!! Much the same to how I've been doing…tee hee. Now we can get back to the rest of 'em now that we're back at Hogwarts :D Good times there…and prankity fun!

Redheadlover: hee hee, yes, what _was_ Melinda's motivation? (other than the fact that she seems to be quite a snobby little bint) And who _was_ responsible for getting her back for hurting Live? Ooooh…a plot twist! Haha :D I'll be saving that info for a later time, I am afraid…Kind of pertinent to plot-ness ;) heh heh

Dckveg: Woot! My film classes (mainly screenwriting stuff) is actually helping me a lot with my writing :D haha. And let me tell you, being eaten by something when you can't stop it by yourself is _not_ fun. Terrifying. I have ear-trauma in a way that I still have trouble getting to sleep at night because of it, and I get really panicky if anyone touches my ears now O.O Ha, it sucks. It really does suck. Ugh. Haha thankies and I'll try to keep things up :D

Nomanslandvicki: Thankies!! Hee hee. I'll be getting more into all those crazy questions laters. I've got that saved up for a big plot reveal. Not sure when I'll get to it, but it _will_ all be addressed :D hee hee. I think this must be one of my far-sooner updates than normal :D haha. Less than three weeks and another update! Haha. And an extra-long chapter of fluffy fun too :D I hope it tides you over until I get around to updating again:D Luuuuuvs!!

Karma-k2: You should be pleasantly drowning in fluff yet again XD HAHAHHA woo!! Gotta love the fluff...especially the kind Kara has HAHA :D

Nara Merald: Thankies. And as for the who/why, we'll be reading that in later chapters :D It's a major twist as to why she did it and who got her back (well, maybe not as to who got revenge on Melinda for Live, as I've left little clues here and there in previous chapters). Heh heh. I've got some stuff going on for once, haha. Hope it doesn't bother you all that I don't get to those answers quite yet;)


	49. Some Developments

Hey guys, sorry, it's been a bit, I know, but between all my script writing and film classes and two campuses and my radio show, I've been a bit insane lately XD Not to mention, I designed an entire CD (_Sex American Style_) for the band E.V.LOUD, and I've been under incredible pressure from that for _months_! But it's all done now, the CD looks great (it's for sale now, ut there's no pics up yet...I'll be putting a link in my bio profile page very soon for _that_ CD) and I'm once again free to pursue the fanfictional delights of my hidden subconscious. Woot.

-_FireValkyrie_  
T. Vaughn S.

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 49: Some Developments

sSs

The week went by smoothly enough, but the transition of being back in school gave George and Live a few unexpected problems.

Such as, Live woke up one morning to that horrid gaping pain in her chest to find George gone and herself quite alone in the boys' dorm. She found out on later inspection that he had been on the quidditch pitch, rather far from the castle, and having what Angelina referred to afterward as "the most pathetic practice in Gryffindor history." Though George had been doing his best to ignore the pain and prove his merit, it was decided for the couple (and by Angelina, no less) that Live had to come with George to quidditch practice every morning till unnecessary (or at least stay in closer proximity) because it caused him such debilitating distraction otherwise. It was suggested by a few smarmy voices (mainly Lavender when she heard about it) that Live would sell out Gryffindor to Slytherin if allowed to watch their practices, but it was a risk Angelina was willing to take. Mainly because she knew Live didn't care a lick about quidditch anyhow.

Though it made the blonde Slytherin grouchy to have to wake up so early and be dragged out of George's warm bed, Live decided it was rather nice to take advantage of the sun until the drab winter set in, and she could enjoy the lake or the trees when she got too agitated staying in the pitch. Angelina was a task master, to be sure, and Live could only watch so much quidditch before she had to leave, just far enough away that her chest didn't hurt and that George could play without being distracted by either her _or_ the pain.

Classes, too, were something of an adjustment.

Live was struggling horridly in potions compared with her usual knack, trying her best to keep up and really hitting the books hard since they had been back. And though she was doing rather decently, she was upset with herself that she still wasn't up to her usual par standards. Worse, working over the cauldron in long sleeves and her hair down (as she was still working on ways to hide her scarring without pouring on the makeup by bucket-fulls) was sweaty and tiring. More than once that week George had threatened that if she came to bed smelling like dragon blood fumes, he'd give her a right bathing himself (which she was still considering a worthy consequence of _purposely _spilling the stuff on herself).

George was having a downright horrid time of potions. Snape was using every excuse he could to take points off the Gryffindor, and though Lee tried his best to help George with his cauldron, they still ended up with potions more akin to cement than proper brew, the time away from class definitely not helping his performance. But the quality of his potions didn't even matter. As Lee kept jibbing him, Snape was probably working for the good of the community, keeping George so wrapped up in homework and detentions that he wouldn't have the time to think about-- let alone get around to-- getting Live pregnant and solving their little problems all of his own devices. While the idea made George smirk, it still wasn't much consolation to have Snape even more up in his business than usual.

Lee complained that potions had been bloody awful until George had come back. He'd had to partner up with Putterly more times than naught in the Gryffindor's absence, and the Slytherin was arrogant, self-absorbed, and so full of himself that Lee wondered if the bloke thought himself the rightful king of the planet. Though Lee painted a rather nose-wrinkling picture of his sod-of-a-temporary partner, the seventh year Slytherin seemed to be helping Live along swimmingly. That is, if she ever _really _required anyone's help. But Snape didn't take it easy on her, either, and piled the homework and assignments on just as heavy.

"Snape give you makeup work too?" George asked Live as the both of them left class alongside Lee. He had his arm around her waist, finding it hard to believe that the Slytherin would be subject to all the strange and unusual punishments of potions work as the man had laid on George himself.

Live huffed with haste, shoving parchment into her bag. "Yeah…so much…But at least we _can _make up the lost points instead of our grades suffering. Ugh, I'm so out of practice! This is shameful..."

Lee grinned as they made their way through the crowd of students, many of the Gryffindors grumbling over all the points today. They didn't even blame George, racking up Snape's unusually sour point-taking to a bad case of Man-PMS. "Well it's a worthy trade. At least I don't have to partner up with that Putterly bloke anymore," Lee said with a relieved sigh. He grinned at the Slytherin. "Sorry 'bout that, Live," he apologized with a smirk at the loathsome fact that she had to be Putterly's partner once again.

"Yeah, but _I _get treated to _your _ugly mug again," George jibbed with a smirk to his mate.

"Sod off," Lee said, giving him a friendly punch in the arm.

Live fixed her bag about her person and flung her less-than-pristine hair back in a rush. Not even time for a quick shower between classes. Ugh, first chance she got to be clean… "I'm gonna be late to charms!" she announced as she slipped out of George's grasp but was grabbed by the hand to keep her from leaving.

"You have class?" George said with surprise. He'd planned to stick it out in his bed with her for as long as possible until other classes that day. Being dragged out of bed the past several mornings before dawn for early quidditch practice hadn't been his idea of spending time with Live. Not to mention, he was exhausted.

"Yeah, Flitwick's giving me extra sessions when he has spare time so I can catch up," Live informed. "I gotta take it or leave it, and I'm already doing so horridly in potions, I can't afford to fail _all _my subjects."

"I forgot how Hermione-ish you can be sometimes," George teased with a smirk.

She grinned and held George's hand entwined with her own up to her chest to bring him close, stealing a kiss before she had to bolt.

"Oi! When're you going t' be out?!" he hollered emphatically as she disappeared through the crowd of students.

She stopped, standing up on her tiptoes with a grin to see him. "I'll meet you at lunch!"

He grinned as she once again disappeared. He shrugged with relief, and Lee clasped him on the shoulder with a laugh. George was hopeless.

"Oi, Weasley. I want a word."

George turned towards the self-important voice belonging to Jason Putterly only a little ways from them. He was frowning at the Gryffindor with a sort of condescending look, though it wasn't much different than the way he mostly looked when confronting George and his housemates.

"What do you think _he_ wants?" George asked Lee with a wry look towards the Slytherin. He made a mental note that his wand was still in his robes pocket, ready for quick action.

"Haven't the foggiest," Lee replied, also giving the Slytherin a rather disagreeable look. "You going to see what he wants then?"

The Slytherin was standing in the middle of the hallway, and other students casually went about their business after giving him a frown for not moving out of their way. He eyed the two Gryffindor seventh years with a sort of distaste, and took his attention to something apparently more pleasing- the statue of a rather ugly gargoyle.

"I suppose," George said warily, ready for anything. He turned from Lee, and the other boy made a remark that caused George a twinge of amusement.

"If he says anything about my brewing skills, you give me the signal and I'm going to curse the git." Lee then continued to mumble about his superior skills in all things potion and women.

"Right," George agreed with a smirk as he approached the Slytherin who seemed especially high and mighty today. What a bother. He couldn't afford to get into a duel so near Snape's dungeon. He'd already lost Gryffindor well over twenty points just for being himself. And the self-aggrandizing Slytherin before him was well-overdue for Gryffindor harassment. The other seventh year gave George a deprecating look.

"You had better keep a closer eye on Live."

George frowned at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" he said with threat, the sudden need to protect Live swelling up like a wave threatening to crash down on the Slytherin before him.

Putterly gave him a wry look, eyeing the halls around them and Lee waiting against the further wall for George. The Slytherin wrinkled his nose at the fiery-haired boy before him as if it was utterly distasteful for him to condescend to speak with him. "Malfoy has been sneaking around lately. More than usual. And with the rumors I've heard, I wouldn't keep less than a focus on her."

George narrowed his eyes at the other seventh year with suspicion. "Why are _you _telling me this?"

Putterly gave George the most condescending look he could muster. "_I_ cannot be everywhere at once to keep him from harassing her. And since you seem so adamant at tarnishing her reputation with _your _presence," he said with a distasteful look at the Gryffindor, "I suppose you could be an extra set of ears and eyes in the hallways."

George gave him a solid, possessive look. "We're _engaged,_ you git."

"Hmph," Putterly scoffed, as if the idea didn't matter a lick to him. "That's of no consequence. I don't trust Malfoy a speck. And an idiot like you can't keep her very safe or for very long. But sadly, I can only do so much by myself, and your ilk seem to attract danger like stink on a troll." He didn't mention the fact that Live's presence, or lack thereof, in the Slytherin dormitories had escaped his knowledge, as well as per the fact that Vivian Monteclaire and Rebecca Haversham only told him off with spouts of Live being sick or tired and in no mood for visitors. He'd only managed to get words in and chat with the blonde during potions, and that was getting seemingly nowhere. He _still_ had no idea where she'd been off to, but she had affirmed that Malfoy had had nothing to do with her disappearance. Which at least put his mind a _little_ at ease.

"Watch yourself, Putterly," George warned of his statement. The Slytherin's description of Gryffindors attracting danger was actually pretty apt in George's opinion. It rubbed him the wrong way to think that someone else, especially Putterly, had touched upon the fact that Live's well-being was either directly or indirectly related to his added presence. Wasn't it Live in the very beginning who had warned him about the risks of them being together? But he had brushed all her concerns off, and thus far there had been attacks and Soul Bubbles and numerous hospital stays…

"_You _watch _yourself_, Weasley," Putterly said in a menacing manner, turning his back brusquely on the Gryffindor, ending the conversation.

George stood there wondering if he had just been threatened or not when Lee joined him at his side for information.

"He's up to something," George reported back to Lee with a wary eye. Lee's eyes widened as they watched the Slytherin go. "Definitely planning something…"

"Putterly?"

"Malfoy." The seventh year Slytherin was now gone from sight. It didn't help George's nerves to think that he might know something. Or at least more than he was letting on. "He told me to keep an eye on Live. That ferrety git has been sneaking about lately."

"Well that's a surprise," Lee declared truthfully. "Malfoy doing his own dirty work. But why bother telling you?"

George shrugged. Why _had_ Putterly warned him? Aside from the obvious interest the little blonde-haired prick seemed to have in Live, which was good for nobody on either side. He did suppose though that at least they had something in common, and that was that neither of them wanted Malfoy anywhere _near_ her.

"Oi, Lee, do me a favor," George said.

"Depends what it is," Lee said caustically, remembering a taste-test incident with the twins gone horridly, horridly wrong.

"I want you to keep an eye on Live when I can't. If I'm not around--"

"As if I'm around her more than you, mate. I've got one Hunter already trying to attach herself to my hip with experiments. I don't want another," Lee said both figuratively and literally, dragging his hands dramatically over his face.

"I mean it," George said. "If something happens that I'm not around, keep an eye on her for me, okay?"

"Like, emergency quidditch practice or something?" Lee asked, trying to think of some alternate reality where Live and George were not connected at the lips. He rolled his eyes at the thought.

"Yeah…Like that," George replied wearily, hoping Lee understood the seriousness of his request. "I don't trust Malfoy. Or _any _of those vipers."

"What about her mates?"

"Vivian and Rebecca? Those bints are alright," he said a bit more lightly with a smirk. "They _like_ Live. They wouldn't hurt her. Besides, it's blokes like Malfoy and Putterly that rub me the wrong way."

"Speaking of rubs…" Lee snickered, giving George a sort of grin as his mind continued on. "How _is_ married life treating you, then, mate?"

George grinned at the change of subject. Live as his wife. His _real_ wife. Godric Gryffindor, the idea! What a rush! "I cannot wait," he informed, trying to keep his tones level through the excitement that quickly flowed over his feelings of agitation. "First chance we get."

"Well unless Fred becomes ordained somehow-- and I don't think anyone in their right mind _would_ ordain him, by the way-- looks like you'll have to," Lee snickered. George rolled his eyes as Lee looked momentarily pensive. "You know Kara told me that people actually _want _Fred to unofficially marry them? He's got a waiting list a mile long."

George looked ponderous with an entrepreneurial air. "Maybe there's money in this…" he said with a smirk.

"Aside from all the extra selling Kara's been doing," Lee informed as they meandered through the halls. "I think you owe me an apology, mate. She's boosted our sales by more than half. Though I actually think it's because she really pushes at the clientele like a back-owed goblin."

George smirked at the other Gryffindor, willing to grant said apology. "Why Mister Lee Jordan, I do hereby solemnly confess an admission of guilt on my part." Lee was smirking at his smarminess, but George wasn't done. "To think, I ever doubted _you _or _any decision _you have ever made. Why the very thought is appalling!"

"Apology well accepted," Lee said with a grin and a laugh.

"From now on," George continued, with a look of utter atonement, "I shall hereby grant you power of attorney in matters concerning our business affairs, and never act without your supreme guidance and direction, o revered one."

Lee waited a moment, then smirked. "Can I have that in writing, mate?"

George shoved him with a grin. "Want to visit the kitchens? Nick an early lunch?"

Lee shrugged. "Sounds good." He gave George a wry smirk. "I didn't get a chance to get decent breakfast with you hogging the shower this morning."

"It wasn't me!" George denied, remembering how peeved Lee had been when his water had run cold mid-shower. "_Live_ was in the shower," George defended, clearing himself of guilt.

"Yeah, and _you _invited yourself along," Lee said with a conspiratory grin. "_She_ usually doesn't take that long. Git."

George only grinned like the cat that got the canary. "Yeah, but that's partially _my _fault as well," he told the other seventh year with a wickedly implicative smirk and a haughty grin. Lee laughed and gave him a playfully-spiteful punch in the arm.

sSs

"I told him I was sorry. _Damn_," Kara explicated as she walked through the halls during lunch.

"Well I think you got off lucky," Ginny commented. "Snape's been kind of off-kilter lately, be glad you caught him in a good moment."

"Hmph," Kara grouched, looking again at the parchment in her hand with her own writing scrawled all over it. "There's two hours I'll never get back."

"Love letter?" a voice asked from behind as the parchment was quickly whisked from Kara's hand. The younger blonde and redhead turned to see Fred looking pensively at the pilfered paper. "_I will not sell first years to other students or teachers as pets." _He lifted a brow at her pensively, and turned it over with surprise to find even more. "_I will not sell first years licenses and panties that declare they own each other._ Is _this_ how we've been making our fortune?" Fred asked as he waved the paper emphatically.

"Stupid Snape went and ruined it all," Kara grumped, not put off by his teasing.

Ginny snickered. "She was giving a license and panties to Mary Goldstein and Tommy Jager. _Right in front of the potions classroom_."

"Well class was over! I didn't see any harm in it!" Kara defended. She lifted her chin on the offense. "_They_ wanted to buy from _me_. If two people want to be joined in pantied love then who am I to refuse them? And they were rather old for first years, anyway. It was hardly a crime." Ginny was laughing at Kara's insistence that what she was doing wasn't wrong, and Fred was still giving her a thinking look.

"You know," he pointed out. "This parchment doesn't say you can't sell _other_ years to other students." Kara's face brightened with the loophole he'd found.

"Hey you're right!" She stuck her hands in her bag and did a quick count of some merchandise that was unviewable from the Weasleys' angle. "Excellent! Fourteen! I'll see you both for dinner!" she spouted as she dashed off, calling behind herself, "Ginny please save me something from lunch for the common room!"

"Alright!" the fourth-year redhead responded as the blonde sped away. Fred gave his little sister a look. "What?"

"Why does it say she won't sell first years to students _and_ teachers?"

Ginny smirked toothily. "There was an incident with Tonks and 'extra help'." Fred gave her an intrigued look. Ginny shook her head solemnly. "We don't talk about it." She flitted away as he looked with amusement at the parchment, his head filling with all sorts of ideas.

"Tonks, you nark," he murmured with a smirk before going about his business.

sSs

Dinner was rather uneventful that night, people milling about, eating their share and taking their leave. Kara's presence unnerved the other Gryffindors as she came to eat amongst them with a great grin on her face and an overfilled rucksack. They wisely kept their questions for later, as disturbing Kara as she ate was certain to erupt in some sort of fiasco where one might lose a limb. Closer inspection of Kara's bag by Ginny had resulted in curiosity over just what the fifth year blonde was doing with a bunch of brightly colored handkerchiefs. The blonde fifth year muttered something about house elves and went about her dinner without much interruption, especially after her bag bit Ron in his attempt to further inspect her merchandise.

"He's doing it again," George remarked quietly to Lee amidst the sounds of his younger brother trying to free himself from a teal-colored handkerchief. Lee gave his fiery-haired friend a raised brow as he spooned a portion of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"Whaf?"

"…staring at her."

Lee looked up over to the Slytherin table to see Live eating dinner between Vivian and Rebecca. The girls chatted amiably and with obvious missed-friendship, completely unaware as to the furtive glances Malfoy kept stealing their way. And they were not at all friendly glances either.

Lee swallowed and frowned. "Putterly's noticed, too," he pointed out, and George's attention was immediately drawn to the other seventh year sitting just far away but close enough to the girls to give the Gryffindor pause. "What do you think he's planning?"

George shook his head, as if it would clear his troubled mind. "I don't like any of this. I told her we should eat _together_."

Lee laughed lightly in sad amusement. "I'd like to see you waltz on over to the Slytherin table, mate," Lee said with a grin. "And I don't think it would be good for her to eat with us either, the way her housemates are…love for us Gryffindors and all…Though I'd say most are still jealous over that ring she's got and they don't," he finished with a smirk.

George sighed. He didn't think it would take much persuasion to convince the house elves to deliver their dinners to his dorm every night. At least then she'd be out of their leering eyes, and they could spend some more time together.

"Maybe…" George muttered, watching them without much interest in his own half-finished plate. Live looked up from her friends and caught George looking at them. She smirked at him and said something in Vivian's ear while still looking at George. The other girl's eyes went wide, and she looked at George with something akin to surprise and shock, all three girls giggling. George felt his face becoming hot as he was more than certain he was the subject of their secret discussion, and Live giggled and mouthed 'love you' before blowing him a little discreet kiss and a wink before going back to her meal with her mates.

"What was that about?" Lee asked with a sly grin, prodding George for info after the fiery-haired seventh year didn't answer a moment.

"I don't know," George muttered quickly in distraction as his attention was focused on something a bit more worrisome. His eyes were nonchalantly on his food, but his peripheral vision worked just as good. He didn't want to be noticeable. "Lee don't make it obvious, but tell me what you see."

Lee got the message and slowly looked up to see Malfoy glaring towards them with a definitively pensive look on his face. "Malfoy's looking over here like he has a new crush," Lee said with disgust and little amusement. He further watched the blonde-haired boy until Malfoy turned his attention back to the girls, and then looked in Putterly's direction as if to check. Seeing that he had been spotted by the seventh year Slytherin, the platinum-haired fifth year went back to his dinner with a vengeance. Lee let out a breath. "Little ferret."

"He knows he's being watched," George pointed out with a sick feeling as he took a good thorough look over at the Slytherin table. "Why would he be so on-edge if he wasn't planning something?"

"I don't know, mate, but it makes me sick," Lee replied, pushing away his plate. He sighed. "Are you going to let Live know?"

George shrugged and looked in her direction. She caught his eye and smiled at him in acknowledgement before going back about her business. George pushed around the food on his plate. "I don't know. Should I?"

"Keep her on edge at least," Lee suggested.

"She's already on edge," George replied not without agitation at that fact. He pushed his plate away from himself. "I don't like any of this business."

"Well unless you sneak off and get married and live in obscurity for the next twenty years, I don't think there's much you can do about it but deal with it," Lee replied.

George knew that Lee was making a good point, but he didn't want Live to have to 'deal'. He wanted all this bloody business behind them. "I'm through here," he said, getting to his feet as Lee cocked a brow and gave him a look while his mouth was busy chewing a large piece of chicken breast. He said something to George that came out garbled, and the other boy just gave him a sort of smirk and shook his head because, no, he didn't want pumpkin pasties for dessert.

Slightly grinning, George freed himself from the table with a look over at the Slytherins to see Live watching him with intent eyes. He offered her a smirk, but decided not to make her leave if she wasn't finished with her dinner. Lo and behold, Live patted her friends and gave them smiles and words before jumping up and following after George, her departure being watched by more than just her two smiling friends.

"Ditcher," she accused outside the great hall with a smile as she wrapped her arms around George's arm and walked next to him with a loving grin.

"I wasn't sure if you were done or not," he supplied, though at her little noise of protest, he realized how it came out.

"Are you calling me fat?" she asked with a smirk, playfully picking a fight. He smirked back at her and kissed her cheek. "Oh, I get it, don't answer, that's fine," she continued playfully as she carried on conversation with herself. "Don't dig your own grave, huh?"

He grinned as he decided to let her draw her own conclusions with this false quarrel of her own designs. His mind was heavy with worries he wasn't quite sure he desired to share the weight of.

"Silence is louder than words…" she spouted off in a sort of haughty, entitled voice of play, in her own little world of proverbs and provisions at her disposal. "But if I _have_ put on a little weight," she started a little bit serious, prodding him in the side to make sure he was listening as he looked down at her with an absent smirk, "it's because of your mother's cooking. Vivian said I must have gained ten pounds while we were away!" she both whined and accused.

He grinned at her but let her continue on her tirade. As every male knew, it was very dangerous territory to navigate, discussing a female's weight. He'd leave well enough alone and let her come to her own conclusions. He was still musing on whether or not to tell her of the new state of things. He didn't like the options at hand, and with knowledge that Malfoy _knew_ he was being watched, it only helped to further put strain on George's mind.

"…which I guess means having to go on a freakin' diet or start wearing those bulky clothes Kelena keeps gifting me," she continued in her frame of thought. "Un_less_ Vivian _was _just teasing me again because she's so jealous of the ring you gave me…How much fat would you say is in those meals your mum makes anyways?"

When George didn't stop to answer her, she gave him a little tug and frowned up at him with a sort of odd smile. He stopped walking and rolled his eyes with a grin. "Vivian's just being a right bint because Pucey hasn't presented _her_ with a such an ingenious ring yet," he said in praising his own abilities. She grinned at his brass. "Now quit getting your knickers in a twist," he ordered, kissing her on the lips as she murmured pleasantly against them. "What?"

"I'm not _wearing_ any," she repeated with a smirk.

As much as that delighted and pleased him, it also worried him- she having been so close to those other buggers in her school skirt and robes for very, _very_ easy (he pleasurably assured himself) access. Turned against her it could have disastrous consequences. Now turned against _him _on the other hand…

Taking in his surroundings a bit dazed, he realized his feet had automatically taken them in the direction of the Gryffindor common room, and right now they were rather alone in the corridor before the halls of stairs. Live was pressing her body against his with obvious interest, looking up at him with a naughty sparkle to her eye. How _that_ little fact had escaped his immediate awareness he had no bloody idea.

"Hey. _George_. What's up?" she asked, knowing full well the double entendre of her words as she pressed herself against him with curiosity and a smile. "Your mind's gone, but your body's _definitely_ here."

He scoffed with an embarrassed smile and brought her better into his arms. "Thinking."

She looked a bit agitated with such a brief explanation as to his absentmindedness, and gave him a patiently exasperated smile. "Well, alert the papers! It's a bloody miracle!" she teased. He gave her a patient smirk and she looked at him with expectant concern. "What's wrong?"

He took her chin in his hand and gently brought her lips to his, kissing her fully until her insistence for answers was quietly stilled. He laid her head on his chest where he stroked her hair and thought deeply, wondering if she should be brought to further worry or not, and would giving her the added strain of his own thoughts further go to agitate her attempts at controlling that wild magic? It was a heavy decision. Though he supposed it could always wait, and he could deal with more immediate problems…such as just how long she had been panty-less and what he should do about it…

sSs

"And a near-miss of a hit by Harry Potter! Lucky shot, that! Nearly got him! Excellent playing we're seeing today!! And did I mention that you can really show your house spirit with a few specialty-made items from--"

"JORDAN!"

Giggles erupted from behind the stands from which Lee was doing commentary for the Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff quidditch match, and McGonagall also shot her indiscriminate gaze at the offenders themselves.

"Ooh another ten points to Hufflepuff! Almost had the quaffle snatched right away!! Another lucky shot! You can tell they didn't expect Gryffindor to be so strong even after the absence of beater George Wea--"

"_JORDAN_!! Stick to game commentary only or I'll replace you myself!" McGonagall affirmed with agitation.

Lee huffed and went back to commentary with the dullest voice he could muster just to spite her. Though his apathetic-revenge didn't last long as three more goals and some very tricky moves had the crowds cheering and going wild. Hufflepuff was putting up a very good front, but it was obvious that they had gotten cocky what with George's unexplained absence during the past few weeks. Though the fiery-haired seventh year did indeed have a few moments of weaker resolve atop his broom, it was clear that Angelina's militant pre-dawn practices had gotten him right back into shape. And the fact that the Hufflepuff team hadn't expected him to be so on top of things was giving Gryffindor quite an extra edge.

"…with ten points to Gryffindor!! An amazing goal made by Katie Bell!! And--wait! Has Potter seen the snitch?! He's going into a dive!! But can Hufflepuff stop him? They'll really have to try--Watch out for those bludgers, Harry!"

"Lee Jordan if you don't stick to straight commentating without your little extra snippets, I'll be forced to pull you from the job!"

"Sorry ma'am, won't happen again!" he offered McGonagall with a winning smile. As he turned back to the field, he saw that the snitch had been caught, and that the game was officially over. He groaned at the fact that she had caused him to miss the exciting end. Though he pondered that perhaps it would make him learn. _Perhaps_, but unlikely.

sSs

George put his face under the water of the Gryffindor changing room showers, relishing in how good it felt to be warm and out of the chill air. The Gryffindor quidditch team had long since left the pitch and the room, carrying Harry off for catching the snitch at the last second and giving Gryffindor quite the bonus in running for the House Cup. It was nice, and while George had assured them he'd be right behind them after scrubbing the 'out-of-practice' off himself, he was actually spending his time deep in thought.

It was only a few days in which he'd been putting off the decision of whether or not to tell Live about his impromptu meeting with Putterly, and how Malfoy had been keeping extra tabs on her lately, and none too covert about it either. He was still on the ropes as to what he should do with that information apart from watching her extra closely and coercing the house elves to deliver their meals to his room. He thought that he would feel overall less stressed and calmer once the big match was finally over and he could prove to them all that he wasn't finished as a beater. But with all gone from the stadium and the pitch, he was only that much more aware of the worries and concerns picking at his strained mind.

He jumped in surprise as two very familiar female arms wrapped themselves around his middle, splaying her fingers in amusement.

"Drowning yourself in the shower after a _victory_? Seems a little backwards to me," Live said with a smile as she placed a kiss on the nape of his neck, giggling as she had startled him.

He turned his head back to look at her with a smirk as the water fell over him. She offered him an unapologetic grin with a rosy tint to her cheeks. It only made him smirk at her bravado. "I must say I'm pleasantly surprised," he started with a smirk, "but then there's the question of just how long you've been peeping at my backside, my love." His eyes widened a bit as she hugged herself close to him with a giggle, feeling bare breasts on the skin of his back. "Are you _naked_? _Naked-_naked??"

She giggled again with playfulness. "_You _invade _my_ showers often enough. I thought it was time to turn the tables and take charge of this war. And it is bloody chilly outside."

"But in the Gryffindor changing rooms?" he said with disbelief, wondering how she'd gotten in in the first place, let alone how long she'd been in there peeping at him. Though the idea did make him smirk.

"If you don't like it, I can always leave," she suggested with a grin, contrarily trailing her hands down his front and waist as he gasped with surprise at her candor. She nuzzled his shoulder with her cheek, closing her eyes and enjoying the closeness under the warmth of the water with no intention of going anywhere.

"Can I ask why _here_?" he said with a surprised croak and barely concerned wonder, more interested about the rather strategic placement of her hands.

"I waited long enough outside for you to come out…bloody taking forever," she murmured with feigned annoyance. She smirked into his shoulder. "Everyone's back at the castle…the teams have all left the pitch…we're all _alone_," she implied with a smirk in her voice. "And, I love you." He sniffed with amusement and she grinned to herself as she allowed her hands to explore his body. "Hm, no injuries that I can tell…no run-ins with bludgers. Everything…_intact_." He gasped as all thoughts but for the progress of her hands left his mind. "Judging by the state of your person, seems like you played a good game…a _very_ good game, if I do say so myself," she snickered as she splayed her fingers out for a better feel.

"You…didn't watch?" he gasped, thoroughly distracted as she giggled at his words. He felt her shake her head behind him.

"I stayed close, but I can't watch when you play…Stresses me out and everything," she informed, kissing his skin and nuzzling his shoulders. "But luckily, I know a few ways to help one unwind. And besides, you did win the game…"

He moaned as she lightly snickered, taking much advantage of their little private rendezvous away from all the annoyances of the world.

sSs

"But I heard there's all sorts of types of pox you could get down there, so he wouldn't be the prime suspect to consult, now would he?" Pansy Parkinson was remarking to her group of friends in the Great Hall on the way to dinner. "Besides, he's got broom-blisters you-know-where. I don't know how he even thought seeking would be a good position for him." She turned her attention on to a sound of familiar giggling only to see Live Hunter and George Weasley strolling in from off the quidditch pitch. They both had wet hair despite the chill air, but looked blissfully ignorant of that fact, walking past Pansy and her little group without even the barest of acknowledgements. Pansy wrinkled her pug-like nose in annoyance that she wasn't even worthy of the little blood-traitor's attention. "Speaking of pox and scars….Hey Live, didn't see you in our stands at the quidditch match earlier," she began in falsely-innocent tone, "Were you off cheering with the little Gryffindors for their pathetic little team?"

Like a hawk Live turned her focus on the other girl with a venomous glare, stopping George with a sudden jerk as she dared her to say another word.

Pansy was obviously intimidated, but tried to stay calm and collected (a true feat indeed with the death-glare Live was giving her) acting innocent of charge with that sweetly disgusting tone. "I was just wondering how they would even have you there…But then I remembered that Gryffindors always favored ugly scars."

Live started with a snarl at the other girl as a small decorative pottery vase exploded behind the gaggle of Slytherins. George had both arms in restraint around Live as the girls shrieked with surprise as to the random explosion. He herded her away from the annoyance with a glare and a mental note to truly make old Pug-Face pay for her disrespect to his lady.

"Come on, sweet. Don't waste any thought on them," he whispered to her as he was pulling her along with him by an arm around her waist. As the group of frenzied girls were looking at their persons for any sign of damage as to the random event, Live gave Pansy the nastiest glare she could muster.

"Go fuck yourself with something hard and sandpapery, you ugly little closet-case!"

Pansy looked momentarily shocked at her words and immediately distanced herself from her concerned female friends as George and Live took their leave up the stairwell and towards the Gryffindor common room. If George hadn't had her arm pinned so, she would have cursed the little bitch rightly, even at the risk that her magic might go haywire.

"It's alright, Live," George coaxed as he gently patted her flank with the arm around her middle as they walked, trying to talk her down. "She's just a stupid little pug-faced bint. She's not even worth it."

Live blinked back tears, incredibly sensitive to the scars that still mottled her skin. She wished she hadn't forgone the longer-sleeved shirt today. "I just need one of my potions and it won't matter if I'm moody," she told him through quietly enraged and hurt tones, knowing full well that she might have hurt the other girl- and enjoyed it- had he not anchored her down. But if she could take one of the potions Snape was constantly preparing for her before she decided to have the bint's head on a platter, she'd be fine. She huffed once, and felt him angle down so he could kiss the top of her damp head.

"They're not even in the same league as you, Live. Not even on the map." She sniffed and nodded, though he knew she wasn't really taking his words to heart. "Oi, you want I should have Fred put frogspawn in her pumpkin juice at dinner tonight? He's been more than waiting for any excuse," he offered, having no doubt that his twin would still be in the common room with the rest of the Gryffindors celebrating their victory over Hufflepuff and in a very delightful mood to have a go at Slytherin. "At least until we can think up something better."

Live's little snort of amusement was all the go-ahead he needed, and he made a mental note to let Fred take a bit of creative license as to how and when the pumpkin juice would be nastily spiked.

"Love you," he whispered over her ear, causing a delightful tremor to go down her spine. She leaned against him with disconcertion, upset that the stupid little bitch had ruined the great mood she had been in when they had left the Gryffindor changing rooms.

"George, do you think it's possible to get Dobby to bring dinner up to your room again tonight?" she asked with expectancy. She didn't feel like going down to dinner tonight, and he didn't blame her, her self-confidence shattered at the moment.

"No problem," he assured, giving her a squeeze. Though Live was under the pretenses that he wanted to spend more time together, now including dinners, it was actually due to Malfoy's leering gaze and too-insistent stare upon her that brought him to his desired action. It was also a plus that he could recline with her in the comfort of the mattress, and he was tired as hell. He grinned down at her with gentle eyes. "Live, you're far more beautiful than she'll ever be, even if she tried to layer on the most complex of spells and magic to cover up those ugly hound features."

Live let a snicker loose as his description of Pansy was pretty apt. "Yes, but you're obligated to say that," she told him with a minorly playful smirk, willing to lighten the mood back up.

"Yeah," he agreed with a grin, "But even if I wasn't so crazy in love with you, I'd still say you're the prettiest thing around. You can ask around the castle, anyone would tell you."

Live smirked and embraced him from the side. They walked along together in silence for a bit, Live's mind busy around mean thoughts of her skin while George's mind was back to the subject of alerting Live to the other fiends waiting in the wings.

"I want another shower," Live spouted in their contemplative silence, feeling dirty and ugly after Pansy's unnecessary words and the thoughts that they brought on.

George grinned down at her. "Can I join you?"

She laughed lightly and looked at him with feigned surprise. "Again? Why, I didn't know showers were _possible _with_out_ you!" He laughed and made a face at her teasing. She giggled, but was actually more than glad whenever he snuck into her showers. It helped to keep away transient flashbacks of being burnt by that potion.

It was a few more moments in contemplative silence before they were before the Gryffindor portrait hole.

"I'm just gonna go straight on up to your room, if you don't mind," Live told him as they stood outside. "You can meet me up when you're ready."

He grinned sideways at her. He appreciated that she was giving him the chance to enjoy the Gryffindor victory without her, but truth be told, he would much rather spend his time with her. And he wanted the dorm to themselves as he was still contemplating the very serious thoughts in his mind, and whether or not to burden her with their weight.

"Oh, but I'm always ready where you're concerned," he told her with a wolfish grin. She smirked at him even as the Fat Lady gave him a disapproving look. "_Fishbone_."

The portrait hole swung open to a minor ruckus, and the two of them popped through.

"Oi George! Took long enough to come on up," Fred told his twin as he caught sight of him in the portrait hole. Then he grinned as he saw Live come through after George. Fred smirked wickedly at them. "Ah."

"Oh shut yer gob," George jabbed at his twin with a smirk.

Live put her hand on his forearm to get his attention. "I'll be upstairs," she said, dismissing herself even before he could stop her.

Fred watched her go with something of curiosity. "Where's she off to in such a hurry? We're celebrating!"

"Pug-Face Parkinson said some nasty things to her," George confided with a frown.

Fred nodded in understanding. If Live was willing to navigate the Gryffindors crowding the room- something she usually didn't attempt out of discomfort unless George was with her-- then it must have been something rather mean-spirited to have upset her. "Want I should rain some hasty and swift justice down upon the little viper? The Slytherins have been far too cocky since your absence."

George grinned wickedly. "I was thinking the very same thing. Maybe a bit of frogspawn into her pumpkin juice, or whatever else you could think up on short notice. I'm not picky," George told his brother with a grin.

"Ah, this shall be my greatest work yet!" Fred declared, the wheels in his brain already turning. He clapped George on the shoulder with a smirk. "Oh, and have you seen Kelena by any chance?"

George blinked. "I thought you two were done?"

"Oh no, nothing like that," Fred corrected, shrugging. "Just that Hermione's been looking for her since the game ended. Something about House-elves and vid-O's or something like that…I'm not sure what she's on about but Kel's been hiding out." He looked around the room. Neither Hermione nor Kelena were there. "Not even poking her head out of hiding for free booze. Hmph."

"Kara _usually _knows where she is," George supplied, also noting the blonde was absent from the mini-party. "As a matter of fact I think that's the only thing she might know."

"Yeah, but she's out doing 'business' for us," Fred said using air quotes, a smirk taking his face at George's incredulous look. "Don't worry, nothing like that. I made Lee go with her."

"Oh bloody hell…"

"You never objected to this before!" Fred said with exaggerated shock.

"No," George corrected, "Why didn't you inform me _previously_? I wanted to be there for the exchange!"

Fred had a good laugh at his poor twin's expense. "Oh, don't worry, I'll let you inspect them once Hagrid's gotten a look at them." He went away with a laugh, but then pulled back as a last thought took him. "Oh yeah, just remembered. I'm going to need you to cover the Ravenclaw orders of Pygmy Puffs. They're going even faster than we can breed them, and I've got to take care of the Owl-orders."

George grinned and nodded. "Right."

Fred smirked. "Great. Now get out of here. There's dirty work a-foot, and I've got to get that frogspawn in ol' puggy's drink before it's too late."

George grinned and took leave of his twin, bobbing through the Gryffindors and making small-talk on his way towards the stairs, hoping Live would be right and well in the shower when he got up there.

sSs

"Dammit Hermione! I told you I'm not doing this again!"

"Oh, come on Kel, please?" the bushy-haired witch pleaded. "We need inserts! You're the only one I can ask. And they're too brain-washed to do it themselves!"

"No! Get someone else!"

"There _is _no one else! They're all busy with dinner!" Hermione affirmed.

"No! This is a disgusting misuse of power! A right sin against nature! _And_ it creeps me out the way you keep having Creevey film it all!!"

"_Kelena_," Hermione started, her voice filled with pleading. "You said you'd help them any way you could. And while I know this is a bit unorthodox--"

"It's unnatural!"

"--it's really the best bet we've got!"

"Hermione," Kelena started with a firm note in her voice, "If you can't get a House-Elf to do it, then there's _obviously _something wrong with what you're asking! And they take care of most anything you could think of!! Wrong _and _humiliating!"

"Come on, Creevey doesn't know it's you…And Dobby's all for it!"

"He _would_ be."

"Please?"

"You're demented, 'Mione."

"Pretty please?"

"There is no amount of therapy that would make me forget this."

"You'll be doing a service to the wizarding world!"

"…wizarding world has had enough _services_ done to it…" she mumbled.

"Now put this on," Hermione instructed, giving Kelena a shredded old pillowcase.

"You're warped and twisted."

"Great. Now stay in that position, and I'll tell Creevey we're ready to shoot!"

"Merlin's spare bikini…This is gonna scar me for life."

"Just keep thinking thoughts of years of bondage and servitude! I'll be right back!"

Kelena's eyes went wide at the fifth year's statement.

Yes, there was no doubt that she would remember this for the rest of her poor poor life. It would make her future therapist a very rich and happy man indeed.

sSs

It was early morning, dark, gray from the further chill of the cold-setting weather. Henry the Pygmy Puff happily bounced on the pillow next to George's head, waking him from sleep to the mute tones of the early morning. He breathed deeply through his nose, coughing once and sparing a glare at the happy little creature before yawning with sleepiness.

Live was cuddled up next to him, laying on her side with her face half-burrowed into his side under his arm as she was completely off the pillow and sleeping comfortably upon the flatness of the mattress. It made him smile warmly, and he pulled her closer to him, covering the blankets further over them, and grabbing Henry in one hand to stop him from all the bouncing. The little purple fluff ball went still in his hand as George held it firmly to his chest, and then started purring after a moment. It made George smirk as he fell back asleep to the sound of the puffskein's song, a certain lovely indulgence in sleeping peacefully while the rest of the castle began to wake up.

sSs

"So who _can_ tell me the difference between the Malaclaw and the normal lobster?" Tonks asked her class of first year students. She rolled her eyes as no one raised a hand. Either they were too shy, or everyone, including herself, needed a nice strong cup of coffee. "Alright, since no one can answer, I want a sheet of parchment from each of you on the differences of these two creatures with specifics as to differing habitats and the natural aversion predators have of them." Her class minorly groaned, but she didn't care. It was a simple topic, almost busy-work as they were actually ahead of schedule in some areas, but the class didn't want to cooperate, and she was in no benevolent mood. "It might not seem dangerous, but believe me, it's no fun if you can't tell the difference. Just remember: if you ever get horridly sick and turn green because you ate Malaclaw instead of lobster, don't blame me."

She dismissed the class thereafter and lazily flopped down into her chair in her office. She rested her head on her desk and huffed a moment, wishing she could turn back time and get a few more hours sleep…Though she highly doubted anyone would lend her a time turner for such a gracious deed.

"Asleep on the job again? If I said I was surprised, it would surely be a lie."

Tonks didn't even bother looking up, but merely flipped off the snarkily offensive voice to her ears. She heard an affronted snort in response, but didn't care.

"Look," she started from mumbles at her table without looking up, "I've been without sleep for the past thirty-two hours, without coffee for the past four, my students don't know the difference between a sprite and an earthworm, I'm nursing an injured knee, and on top of everything else I'm majorly PMS-ing…If you've got something to say please get it out fast before I get a right mind to bite your head off while I'm at it," she stated quite bluntly. To say the multi-colored haired DADA teacher was at the end of her rope was an extreme understatement. If it had been Dumbledore himself, she wouldn't have been any less kind. But this was Snape, and she really couldn't have cared less.

"Hmph, like I said, I'm not surprised," his snarky voice informed. She actually laughed at that, truly amused, a snort escaping the prison of her arms that her head was pillowed on. "I'm actually here for that specimen of the crag mollusk you have collected."

Tonks lifted her fingers again, but this time indicated a cupboard to the left of her desk. "Take it…the damn thing put up a right good fight."

"You didn't damage the feelers, did you?"

Tonks looked up with a scowl, her eyes and most of her nose hidden by her folded arms. "Damage the feelers?" her voice came in an agitated, high note. "That thing damn near bites my leg off, and you want to know if I damaged the feelers?!"

"If you hadn't released it from the crate in the first place, it wouldn't have had the chance," Snape corrected with a smug tone. Tonks only responded with an angry, gruff sound as Snape found the crated-creature he was looking for. "It will be completely useless if the feelers were damaged. I need at least three drachmas of juice from that alone." He threw a look over his shoulder to see her glaring with slitted eyes at him.

"If you make me get another…"

"It would be fair if this one was ruined," Snape told her with self-imposed authority. She gave him a frown. "But this one seems to be intact. If I need another, you are the first one I shall notify," he said with a tone of entitlement, walking past as she gave him her deepest, sleep-deprived frown yet.

"Lucky me," she said disdainfully as he left her office. She put her forehead back down on her forearms and sighed in exhaustion. The kids weren't much of the problem so much as all the spy work she had been doing recently inside the ministry. As Fudge's right hand 'man', she had been privy to much-needed information as well as an extra persuasive ear to the changes that needed to be made, some regarding marriage laws still, others having to do with the flow of cash and 'special divisions' that the ministry had been putting together without public notice. Adding on top of that fighting with a rather aggravating creature for an hour and a half with a shell that was impervious to magic and over a hundred teeth on the underbelly that gnashed once unlatched from its rock, Tonks was in no mood for anything. She was, however, consoled by the thought that whatever juices Snape could get out of that critter's feelers might help Live in better controlling her magic. That was the plan, at least. They had been trying many new things and potions as of late, really anything, to keep them all safe and well inside the castle. She only hoped their efforts paid off.

"Professor, professor!"

Tonks raised her head slightly off the table to look up with tired eyes. A Hufflepuff third year was standing in her office door with an excited look on her face. Tonks merely groaned. "What is it then?"

"Tommy got locked in that magical closet again!"

Tonks groaned again, rolling her eyes as she forced herself to get up from her comfy chair. "I wish that kid would stay _out_ of the magical closet already…"

sSs

George coughed into his robes, swallowing once before inhaling deeply and glaring at his reflection in their bathroom mirror. He had both hands on the edge of the sink, catching his breath from a coughing fit as he was pulling himself together for yet another ghastly chill day. He had some detentions to catch up on, a few classes, and business dealings with his twin. Though the latter would most likely prove to be fun and interesting, he would have been glad to have forgone the rest.

Live's arms snaked around his middle before he saw her face reflected in the mirror, grinning at him with guilty innocence as he smirked back at her in mild surprise that she'd gotten the drop on him.

He straightened up and grinned back at her, taking his hands off the sink and placing them over her own. "Ready then?"

She nodded and let him go so he could embrace her properly. "Honestly George, you're beginning to take even more time than me in the mornings…" she teased into his chest as he pulled her close.

He smirked back down at her and gave her an impish smirk as she looked up at him. "Should we just tell Lee to adopt the prefect's bathroom for his own?" He made her giggle, and grabbed her bum to get her going out the door. "Nothing I like better in the morning than sweet buns."

"_George_!" Live chastised with a grin, batting his hands away from her as he chased her from the dorm room.

"Oi, Henry, no parties while we're gone!" George said in afterthought to the miniature puffskein. He grinned as Live's laughs came up to him from the bottom of the stairs. Smirking at the purple fluff ball on the bed, he left Henry the Pygmy Puff to his own devices, burrowing and bouncing in ignorant bliss as he shut the door.

"What, do you _live_ here now?" a smarmy tone reached George from below as he took the stairs several at a time.

"I'd hold my tongue if I were you," Live's voice threatened at half strength as she _was _alone in the _Gryffindor_ common room, not her own, and feeling very out of place without George at her side.

"Or _what_?" the voice asked with incredulity. "Going to file a complaint with your Head of House?" There were snickers heard. "I'll tell you what, I'll even set up the appointment _for_ you. How about that?"

George hopped off the bottom step with a jaunty strut, seeing Live bristling on one side of the room, and cocky seventh year Gryffindors on the other, mostly male, and some of whom he recognized only as bothersome prats. George walked up to Live and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Problem gentlemen?"

Williams, first in line for title ranking of 'idiot king', gave George a smarmy look and a grin. "No, no problem, Weasley. How are _you_ this fine morning?"

George gave him a winning grin, as if completely unbothered by the nearly-visible tension in the room. "Better than most. Though not much sleep, you know," George continued on congenially. "Or then again, you wouldn't know, would you?" he asked genuinely, a devious smirk on his face. "How is Amanda? You two still together?"

Williams gave him a frown, an obviously touchy subject for him, while his mates snickered and he gave George no reply. George smirked and herded Live towards the portrait hole, the both of them leaving without further conflict. Once outside, Live huffed and flung her hair over her shoulders. George put a soft hand on her forearm.

"Assholes," Live muttered as he stroked her skin with his thumb and kissed her shoulder.

"Don't worry about any of them, Live."

She huffed as they walked together, entwining her fingers with his as they held hands. "George, what _if_ someone says something?" she broached, the problem being on her mind for quite some time.

"They can talk all they want, won't stop us," he told her with a grin. She smiled at him, though less confident.

"I know for a fact that Lavender's been trying to get McGonagall's ear about me being in your commons," she stated with troubled eyes. "Vivian told me between classes that she and Becca have covered for me enough times that McGonagall isn't taking Lavender seriously anymore, but if she asked enough people…"

"I really don't think McGonagall cares _that_ much about our love life," George told her with an impish smile.

She smiled back at him, though they both _knew _that the teachers were taking especial interest in their love life due to the complications involved therein. "Maybe I should stay in the Slytherin commons for a few days just for appearances sake," she suggested with a worrisome frown. "If they at least see that I'm staying there--"

"No," George directly opposed. His harsh tone took her a bit aback, and she stopped in the middle of the corridor they were in to look at him with puzzlement.

"George as much as you say otherwise, your housemates do _not_ like me being in Gryffindor Tower," she admitted in slightly ashamed tones. "Some might be nice, but no one _wants_ me in there."

George let out a deep breath as if it pained him, and he gave her a somber look. "I couldn't care bollocks if my housemates _liked _you in our tower or not," George began to clarify. "Their opinions on the matter are naught. You're not _safe_ in the Slytherin dorms. You're safe in Gryffindor."

She cocked her head slightly at this information, shocked by his earnestness and obvious concern, wondering where and when he came to this conclusion. As long as she had been in Slytherin, she had never felt at risk in the dungeons nor among her housemates, nor was she ever given reason to feel so inclined. _Except, _she reminded herself,_ since the advent of being burned and scarred._

She looked a bit pensive, but realized that he would naturally be wary of the Slytherins, especially with what had happened to her. She subconsciously ran her fingers over the scars on the opposite arm, and looked at George trying to come to some compromise. "Well, Melinda's in St. Mungos now…And Vivian and Rebecca are always with me."

George shook his head and swallowed with worry, deciding it was necessary for her to know the talk Putterly had shared with him, and the scrutiny with which he was now watching Malfoy. He entwined their fingers once more and looked her in the eyes. "It's a lot more serious than that," he affirmed.

"How?" she said with anxiety and a frown.

He led her from the corridor to the nearest outer courtyard where they could speak without his words echoing in the stone passageways. Sitting with her in the chill air, their breath came in fog as it mixed with the nippy freshness. He held her hands between his own larger ones to warm them as he spoke of what Putterly had told him, and how Malfoy had been watching her rather closely lately, and that these realizations were the _real_ reasons that he'd been wanting them to eat in his bedroom together these past many days.

"Putterly hasn't mentioned anything about this to me," Live told him with thorough worry and rising fear. Why hadn't he said anything to her in class? Why had he never mentioned it during their potions partnership? She knew they both shared the same opinion of Malfoy. The jerk often came up in conversation if they were speaking of objectionable things. Why had he kept this secret from her?

"I don't trust the lot of them," George said in reference of Slytherins. Live didn't even call him on it. "And I'm not sure what Malfoy's up to, but I don't like this renewed interest he's taken in you," George told her strongly, the thoughts making his blood boil.

Live removed her wand from her robes and pointed it at a weed growing out of the craggy rock across the way from them. The plant began to smoke as George asked her what she was doing. "I'm trying to make the damn thing burst into flame," she said in worry. She turned to him and threw her arms around him, burrowing her face in his neck as he patted her back, trying to make sense. "If I take my potions during the day, my magic won't work properly…and when I'm away from you…" she whispered the possibility of being assaulted, her lips ghosting over his flesh as all her nightmares became horridly real again. "And if I don't take those inhibiting things, I could really hurt someone."

"Just take them at night," George suggested with a contrary calm to his feverish thoughts. They were in a right state of things. Now she didn't feel safe without him, and he honestly couldn't be everywhere at once. And the trouble with her potions was their sometimes varying strength, the times at which they had to be taken so as not to overdose, and also the problem of inhibiting her just enough so as not to be dangerous, but also to allow her to still utilize her magic in everyday ways. It was an exact science and an even larger problem.

"I'll have to talk to Snape," she intoned in anxiety. George hugged her close, and she didn't realize until then just how hard she was clinging to whatever little suggestions he could offer her. She needed his support in this, and found herself very afraid at the moment, both of the fiendish plans she was certain were being made without her knowledge, and of the possibility that she could once again be subjected to the sickening whims of Draco Malfoy. She looked up in his arms, to his deep, troubled eyes that still held that mischievous sparkle. "We should go away."

He raised an eyebrow at that, his stomach dropping a bit in anticipatory excitement. "Go away together?" She nodded and watched him, and he grunted in response, a hand to the back of her head gently bringing her back close to his chest where she laid her face and he thought. He seriously considered it, the idea of their running away together and living in obscurity for a while. Lee would surely go catatonic if he knew George was actually considering his offhand statement from several nights ago. "…elope…"

Live angled her head up from his chest to look at his face. She ran a finger over his jaw, and he looked down at her with surprise at the vulnerability in her eyes. "_Could_ we elope?"

He smiled down at her, and his smile grew into a grin as wild and ingenious thoughts built up in his mind. They could leave, go abroad. They could go to Romania, and from there, who knew? Surely Charlie would help them, wouldn't he? And he was far enough away that they would be considerably distanced from all the problems that currently plagued them. They _could_ in all possibility ride out all this nonsense and get away from prophecies and Death Eaters and double-edged swords all ruining their vision of a happy life together. At least leave long enough till it all blew over.

George leaned his chin on top of her head, and whispered down to her to make especially sure only she could hear his words. "If you can get a hold of as many of those potions as Snape could make you, I'm sure we could duplicate them if it became necessary…"

"I've been practicing trying to get a feel of my magic without my wand," she spoke up a bit optimistically. "If I practiced harder, I might not need the potions, eventually…Dumbledore said someday I could control it…If I just try harder…"

George was stroking her scalp with his fingers as he thought very seriously. "If we left it all behind, there's no telling how long we would have to be away…No one could know where we go."

"…Kara and Fred and everyone…"

"No one could know…Fred…Fred will manage," George confirmed, completely certain that his twin would be a mess and angrier than hell when he found out the pair were gone.

"I love you," Live whispered, grasping the true depth of this commitment.

"There's no telling how long we'll need to hide out, Live," George told her plainly, offering her the chance to reject this spontaneous plan. Unless they got the Death Eaters disinterested in her and somehow shook themselves from the fabric of the damn prophecy, they might have to hide out for years if they were being hunted.

A light smirk came to her face. "I'd say about nine months…Once we get around to it. By then they should well leave us be."

He grinned with intrigued amusement. "Why you saucy minx," George teased with a grin. "Though I'm not too sure about bringing a child into a family that's being hunted, we'll make sure we'll give it a lot of practice beforehand!"

She giggled and stood as he lifted himself from the bench they'd been sitting on. He gently took her face between his hands and kissed her slow and deliberately, making her stomach go to butterflies and her legs all weak. "We should probably talk about this more tonight," he told her.

"Less talk, more action," she said pressing her body up against his.

He grinned wickedly and laughed heartily. "I was talking about making a break for it, but I think we should definitely give your idea some serious thought." Her cheeks reddened in a mixture of desire and embarrassment as he kissed her again and entwined her fingers with his. "We'll have to really think everything perfectly through."

"I'd like to spend a day with Kara before we go," Live spoke up quickly. George nodded in understanding.

"I'd like to do the same with Fred…Maybe set Ron straight on a few things, too. Birds and Bees and hippogriffs and all that." Live smiled at that, and he gave her a charming grin. "I want to marry you the first chance we have."

Live gave him a heartfelt look, eyes full of love. "I love you so much, George."

"And I you. But it is a sacrifice, I know," he spoke truthfully, knowing they would be leaving behind everything just so they could chance really being together amidst all the problems they'd so far endured. She smiled at him as he gazed at her softly. "Let's spend the time we can wisely…Perhaps I'll owl mum and let her know where I buried her good cauldron in the yard." He snickered, though Live knew he was as sorrowful as her to leave their loved ones behind. "We'll need time to gather some pertinent supplies of course…I'll see what the house elves can help us dig up and if I can get some speedy owl deliveries. In the meantime, start packing, darling. For soon we'll be fugitives." He gave her a lighthearted grin.

"As long as I'm with you, I couldn't care less."

sSs

"Dammit this isn't fair!" Kara complained at the Gryffindor table during lunch. "If they didn't want me to sell anyone to anyone else, they should have been clear from the get-go!"

"And now we're thirty points lighter…" Ginny muttered into her goblet.

"Oooh I'm gonna get the little prat that ratted me out!" Kara declared, rapping her fist on the table top. "This is the greatest injustice since-- well, since anything!"

"That's being a little dramatic," Hermione commented as she took a seat next to Ginny.

Kara shot her a dirty look, but then frowned in thought. "Hermione I haven't seen you _or_ Kel in a while…Where the hell have you been?"

Hermione grinned wickedly. "Making these," she said, opening her schoolbag to show the girls hundreds of pamphlets.

Kara and Ginny's eyes were wide, mouths agape.

"Are those pamphlets for us to recruit new Sexpert Guild members?" Kara pried, looking in with a bit of caution. "You know I had to take Kelena off the board for your escapades?"

"Nono, not _that_," Hermione reported with a smirk. "Want to see?"

"I'd be careful Kara," Ginny remarked with a look at the now-frowning brunette. "Kel's been telling me horror stories, Hermione. About posing and weird pictures and stuff. She wouldn't go into specific details, but I get the supreme feeling that whatever you've been doing is _not_ legal…or anything I'd like to get burned into my retina either."

"She got used to it after a while," Hermione informed. Kara's eyes were wide at the exchange. "Besides, it'll make wizarding history!"

"…Hermione, some things you simply don't want to go down in history _for_," Kara told her with wide eyes, mind spinning terrifying thoughts as to just what kind of pamphlets the bushy-haired witch would make. "It's like holding the world record for smelliest feet…No one wants to be remembered for _that_."

Ginny and Hermione both gave Kara seriously quizzical looks, but the bushy-haired fifth year took pamphlets out of her bag anyway without giving the blonde sugar-piston much thought. "Look you two, I've been working very hard on trying to promote this," she said as she grabbed a sizeable stack. "Now let me know what parts of the castle you think you'd be best suited to handing these out in."

Kara reluctantly took the paper with one eye closed just in case. Ginny took a stack from Hermione with a worried frown, and both girls surveyed the work the fifth year had been so hard at work on.

"_The necessity for drastic change in House Elf existence_…Hermione, I'm only gonna say this once," Kara said with a cocked eyebrow. "You are _not_ Upton Sinclair."

Hermione gave her a deep frown. "You didn't even look inside!"

"For the last time, they _like_ how things are," Kara tried to get across, thoroughly through with Hermione's attempts to convert everyone to her house-elf liberation front. She opened the pamphlet for a look, and gave an eye roll. "For the love of Godric, Hermione, no wonder no Hogwarts House Elf would pose for these!" Ginny gave the blonde fifth year a frightened and intrigued look. "Turn to page five, Ginny."

Ginny's eyes went wide. "_Hermione!_"

"What?" the bushy-haired girl demanded. Both Ginny and Kara gave her exasperated looks. "It's real!"

"Hermione you can _not_ distribute these," Kara said in gesturing to the document. "It's completely falsified!"

"No it's not!" Hermione declared loudly. "You should hear some of the things Dobby told me the Malfoy's used to make him do. And do _to _him! It's all _truth_-based!"

"Hermione shut the hell up!" Kara whispered through a heavy frown of suspicion. Their quickly-heating discussion was garnering the attention of the other patrons at the table leisurely eating their lunch, and several didn't even bother hiding the fact that they were eavesdropping. "…jerkasses…" Kara muttered, giving out glares.

"Hermione, really, this is undignified," Ginny said more quietly than either of them. "You know Dumbledore doesn't treat the Hogwarts house elves like this at all. To think that Kelena even posed for these…"

"OOooh! Kelena posed for what?!" Fred asked with a kinkified grin, plucking the pamphlet out of his little sister's hand.

"Would you quit doing that?!" Ginny demanded of her older brother, towering over them as he stood looking at the paper with furrowed brow.

"Okay, show me how it works," Fred said in holding the pilfered paper out in his hand.

"Ooh well I'm looking for people to hand them out if you're volunteering Fred!" Hermione piped up with delight.

"It _doesn't_ 'work', dingbat," Kara told the fiery-haired seventh year, trying to cover any and all information of Kelena's involvement as there were still only a few girls who even _knew_ of the sixth year's shape-changing powers. "Hermione's just trying to start civil war here at Hogwarts."

Fred fixed them all with a look as if he was deciding which of them was wearing the strangest Halloween mask. "These are some pretty awful pictures," he said seriously, handing the pamphlet back to Hermione with minor disgrace. Then he grinned and leaned down. "So, where's the naughty pictures I hear tell of then?"

"There's not--"

"Creevey has them," Kara told him. Fred smirked and gave her a thumbs-up before leaving them and the pamphlets behind him.

"Kara, there _were_ no naughty ones," Hermione said with a wry and disturbed look on her face.

"Well he never shuts up on it otherwise…Ugh," Kara harrumphed.

"Really though 'Mione, there is _no way_ you can pass these around as long as Hogwarts is affiliated with it," Ginny spoke up. "Not to mention, it's flat-out horrid." She gestured to some of the pictures, opening it on the table between the three of them. "None of Hogwarts' elves are half as dirty and beaten-down-looking here," she said of a nondescript house elf with a look of shamed disgrace on her face, blinking back at the camera in utter indignity. Yeah, Kelena _would_ have been feeling that to have posed for these pictures. "And then there's this--" she pointed to one of Kel the Elf sticking her hands towards some embers in self-chastisement, trying to stop herself "--or this--" the same 'elf' being trodden down by a certain bushy-haired witch's boot, "--and then this is absolutely slanderous!" The house elf Kelena had been portraying was cowering in fear as the hand in frame they knew belonged to Hermione was thumping the neck of a medieval-looking spiked bat into her other hand.

Hermione flushed a bit. "I know it seems a little dramatic…But it's necessary!! Some elves are treated even worse than my imagination!"

"Hermione…does it bother you even a little bit that you couldn't _find_ any house elves out of ALL the ones at Hogwarts to use as an example for your pamphlet? That you had to get a person to do it?" Kara asked nonchalantly, taking an apple off the table and biting into it with a cocked brow.

"Well…"

"She's right, you know," Ginny agreed.

Hermione looked dejected, but not defeated. "But what of the others?! All the other elves held in slavery and oppression? Hogwarts elves might be treated better, but they're still slaves!! They need basic rights! They need representation! They need freedom!"

"They need you to leave them alone." Kara let out an apple-chunked sigh. "Tone it down, girl, tone it down…"

"Toning it down will not get people's attentions!" Hermione declared, taking the pamphlet back from the pair. She got up from the table, the passion for her cause once again ignited, and she wasn't about to let that energy go to waste.

"Where are you going?" Ginny asked.

"To find Kelena!" she hollered.

"Make sure you get rid of all the Hogwarts affiliations!!" Kara called after the bushy-haired brunette. Her statement received several intrigued and amused looks, but Kara didn't seem to notice or at least didn't care. She continued on to her apple with a smile at Ginny.

The fourth-year redhead gave her a smirk. "You owe me five sickels…It wasn't elf sex advertisements or weird porny things," she laughed.

With a jingle and a clatter, Kara surrendered the money with a grin as product ideas swam through her head. She would later credit Hermione on the product itself when she went into production.

sSs

Well lovies, that was a damn long chapter. Sorry it took so very long. It is officially Thanksgiving break, and hopefully I can catch up on everything well :D Woot. Doing very well in my classes, tats and nail decals sales are good (bio link, whut), my online radio show keeps me busy, and all that crap is all going well :) Woot! So yeah. Don't forget, i'll be putting up a link so you can see my CD work-ery! Ho yeah! Excellent music too! And I can say, ho yeah, I designed their shit XD hee hee. I am le proud XD

So I'll be attempting to get another update out before mid-December (being realistic) and all that good stuff! I'm also working on a book right now, too, so that's been consuming a bit more of my time (though the major hard stuff is done, I just have to write it out). On top of that, the book has to be finished before I can submit it to an agent (anyone know a good literary agent? Save me a bit of time?) and I'm working my ass off on all my endeavors to really re-ignite the spark of life in me. Oh yes. That means crazy awesome times for all :D hee hee. Oh yeah, still got my advance mailing list. lemme know if you wanna be on it and all that. Whut whut.

All of my loves, I just want to say how much I really always do appreciate your reviews and reading : ) They never fail to make me smile and happy.

Luniepoo: HAHAH Bill and Ted…I do love the _classics_ XD heh heh. Thank you very much for the wonderful review:D le woot, heh heh. I wanted to be adorably fluffy…sickeningly sweet even…bwahaha! For this chapter I decided to go a bit opposite and play up the dirty Hermione/Kelena/Creevey/House elf joke XD ha. Hope it did it's thing for ya:D

scarletfaerie: Woot, good stuff my lovie :D haha see I didn't forget about you all:D Ha I'll try to get writing sooner this time and not make you panic XD hee hee

Karma-k2: I think I more than satisfied everyone's curiosity about just what in the hell Kara and Kelena were talking about last chapter XD haha probably not the best reveal, but still amusing at least. Heh heh. Damn I so with they had dA emots everywhere! They always get the point across!! Hahaha ooooh and thanks for all the fanarty-ness and whatnot XD ha I have a tribute thinger in my profile XD tee hee Because remember, I am forever gay for you XD bwaha!

redheadlover: Ha yeah I'm terrible with being roundabout, but I've learned a LOT this term in my script-writing classes and I think it's going to help me tie up all loose ends and be a bit more eloquent story wise :D hee hee…I wish someone would fake marry me like that XD hahaha!!!

Dckveg: Thank you so much my darling dear!!! Hee hee, I was thinking of going in that direction- having Fred have really married them, but I decided against it :D heh heh, still got at least one cat in the bag :D Heh heh, and apparently it had kittens!! Hee hee, thank you so much for the lovely review! Woo!!

Nomanslandvicki: Thankies very much for everything lovey! Ha unofficial marriages are indeed, the shit :D Hope it was a good read for you:D I'll be planning out everything and really getting more on-track very soon :D I feel it isn't fair of me to work anywhere at all below my ability, but I feel I've been a bit lax lately. Blah. Haha oh well, I'll do the best I can for ya!!

chinawrites: woo for changed pennames!! Haha it's all good! Me, I'm scared of change, so I've just never changed any of my pennames XD haha!! Yeah I'm a randomass, all over the place like a bad oil spill XD Heh heh. But it's all good…we gave Lavender a little sumthin' sumthin' last chap, a bit this…Let's just say we flat out don't like her, and she flat out HATES Live O.O Biatch, hee hee. Changing things back up in this chapter…dun dun dun…God bless transitions of 'later that week' or 'several months later…' Heh heh heh….oooh cop-out :D

TeAroha: Ha maybe you're kinda like me in the reading-sense: (I'll just toot my own horn here a bit) but when I find a story I _really_ like or that I find one that has major skill and wonderful plot and is just a fantastic read, I'll read everything they have up, and stick with it like a rabid fangirl with the weekly updates or whatever…But when it takes them longer to update, then it takes me longer to read cuz suddenly they have more updates out and I still haven't read that last chap…but boy howdy I'm still a fan, even though I'm horridly behind (I.e. "Cauldrons Aflame" by J.S. Sumner here on ff is one of my all-time favs, still being written too!) Tee hee, oh dear, well…I'm just thoroughly glad I can make you smile and nearly burst with laughter :D woooo!! Hee hee. Love ya!!


	50. George happened to my teapot

_Sorry for the wait. No internet at my house, campus was closed mid-december, and I couldn't get to a USB port to upload this sucker. Add on top of that catching the plague from my little sister and the rest of my household, and I was in bed sick for days unable to eat. Ugh. :/ Wow, chapter 50... How many more can I pop out? Who knows? O.O Ha, well here's to another 50! Okay lovies, official link to that CD I designed is up in my bio…it's actually pretty funny too. Also in my bio, I've got direct links to fanart I have received for this story, and the art I have done for it is at my deviantArt page all nice and neat in a folder in my gallery. Good stuff. _

_In honor of the new year and the fiftieth chapter, we'll break the run with a little lemony goodness. Not quite to my usual par as per my PotC fic at OM, but still more spicy than we usually get up in here. Oh well. Enjoy the lemon-flavored cotton-candy fluffiness XD Bwaha._

-FireValkyrie

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 50: George happened to my teapot

sSs

Live and George spent much of the next morning quite seriously. George was coercing the house elves to help him round up supplies and materials they would need immediately (like knapsacks) and putting in owl orders for things Hogwarts simply didn't have (though what George would ever do with a rotary blender and copper tubing, Live _didn't_ want to know). Mainly it was a lot of legwork as they still didn't have an exact plan of escape or point where they would be running away to at once, and that they barely had a ghost of an idea at that. They did, however, agree on one fact, and that was that they both believed that Charlie would help them out if they got as far as Romania before they really decided where they wanted to live in obscurity.

Live thought it was a bit unfair that Charlie would get to see them while they would be leaving Kara and Fred in the dark, but she didn't bring it up as she knew it pained George to have to deceive his twin. At least by omission. And it pained Live to have to leave Kara behind as well. At least George had many siblings to look out for one another. Live only had Kara, and she knew it would be tough on her to be left alone, even for a little while.

"I think we're pretty good on potions supplies," George noted as they lay on his bed in the Gryffindor dorms. Early afternoon light was bright though cold through the windows. His head was in Live's lap, and she was absentmindedly stroking her fingers through his hair. "Between us I think we've got most ingredients we might need."

"Mmm," she mumbled as she pet his hair in thought.

"But there are a few things I would like to get my hands on that might come in handy…" he smirked in self-amusement. "And I know I won't be able to simply order _those_ kind of items…" he rambled in pensive thought. "There are a few people outside Hogwarts who could get it…hmm…owe me and Fred favors. Might be useful if we had some of the more _illegal_ things with us than naught…I'll send an owl to Mundungus and a few of his cohorts…"

"Mmm," Live mumbled in agreement.

George looked up at her to see her eyes sort of glazed over in thought. He wondered if she was actually considering the things he'd been saying, or if perhaps she was caught up in the feeling of his hair through her fingertips. He loved her, but sometimes she really could have moments of blonde-inspired inattention. It made him smirk. He knew how to get her attention. Or at least make sure she was listening. "And I think I'd like to make love to you right now."

Live's fingers curled in his hair as she looked down at his smirking face with an amused frown. "I _am_ listening," she informed pointedly that his shock tactics wouldn't work. "Gryffindork."

George was not discouraged. He waggled his eyebrows exaggeratedly at her. "So how 'bout it?"

She was grinning widely, rolling her eyes in mock-annoyance and looking anywhere but at his face as he was winking and making kisses at her. She laughed, deciding to tease him. "Sure, why not."

George, who wasn't one to give in easily, jumped up and sat in front of her on the bed. She further backed into his pillows with a grin, both daring him and seeing what he'd do next.

"Shall we discuss proper course of action or shall I simply claim you in ways of olde?" he teased with a wolfish smirk.

"Oh? You mean you're _actually _going to take charge of things?" she teased with an incredulous look. He fixed her with a predatory grin, making her giggle nervously.

He rolled his eyes at her, smirking. "You watch who you tease, woman, I'm only a man," he said before surprisingly springing on her, causing her to shriek with giggles as he covered her neck with kisses. She was giggling though she hugged him, and when he believed he had her thoroughly pinned, he looked down at her with a scholarly expression and an impish wink.

"You prat," she decided as he raised eyebrows.

"You know, if I wasn't such a gentleman--" Live scoffed at that. "--I might actually carry through with my threat regardless."

She grinned. "Well feel free to threaten me any time, George Weasley. I think I rather like it."

He grinned and kissed her, which she really did love, and then looked at her once again. "So as I was saying…"

"Make love to me."

He blinked at her, causing her to giggle.

"That's what you _were_ saying," she pointed out with a grin.

He still observed her with thought, his mind trying to get back on track as it suddenly spun pictures and ideas for him. This wasn't helping him to organize their eventual flight from Hogwarts. Nor did it help to stop the dirty images in his head since she was already below him.

"You could, you know," she added.

"Huh?"

"For real this time."

"Wha?" he said unintelligibly, happily lost in the fantasies that seemed to have spilled over into reality. Live grabbed his face between her hands and made him look at her as the current expression of blithe delight on his face signaled that he wasn't quite all there.

"It's as good a time as any. I know I said I wanted to wait, but…" she sort of shrugged as she pressed the matter. "Well, we'll be gone soon enough…And it's not like we're not gonna be married soon. And well, it might be nice to have a mattress under us…And we _are_ currently here and proper," she pointed out with a smirk and a playful grin at him.

He took a long moment to blink before looking back at her. "I think that was the most unromantic reasoning I have ever heard," he told her with amusement. Color came to her cheeks, but he only grinned and gave her a kiss. "But I do see your point…Remind me to have Dobby help us find a collapsible bed to take with."

She giggled, feeling a bit sheepish even if it was what she currently wanted. "So?"

His eyes fluttered in quick blink. "You're serious? _Right now_?"

"Well we've been alone for like an hour and a half, George," she immediately justified with minor impatience. "And I can only listen to you talk about potion ingredients for so long when I've got your head in my lap…Where else could my mind possibly go?"

He snickered in her admittance to having quite dirty thoughts about him while he'd been unaware, then he looked offended. "I thought you liked potions! I was trying to be interesting!" he assured.

She grinned up at him. "Well, I do," she countered lightly, "But, it's kind of hard to focus on _that _when…" She left the sentence hanging for him to fill in whatever naughty memories he might that they'd both shared in the very bed they lay on. She sighed heavily in playful admittance, grinning at him with openness. "And I don't know if you've noticed, George, but you _are_ one freaking hot piece of Gryffindor--" he snickered "--and you drive me all kinds of wild--- will you shut up and quit laughing and strip already?" she cut to the point with slight annoyance as he was snickering and laughing with delight. She frowned and prodded him, deciding that he could think it was as funny as he wanted as long as he took his shirt off. She'd been sitting complacently in his bed for far too long with far too dirty images in her mind anyway. "Dammit George, last time I tell you exactly what I think!"

He was laughing and chuckling and she looked up at him with impatience, however amused she actually was. He couldn't help it. He was just so utterly delighted with her and pleased with himself. It filled him with love and pride and want. "And you still want me to make love to you then? _Now_?"

She gave him an incredulous look, their levity driving away possible nervousness as they were teasing and playing with one another as much as they were being serious. "Well if you know someone better suited to the job, George Weasley, please point me in the right direction," she teased cuttingly. He gave her a tight-lipped grin, trying to stop his laughter as he knew she was quite serious though her tone would have said the opposite. "Otherwise," she said, grabbing his hands and placing them on her breasts to really get his attention, "I'd very much like for _you _to make love to me and right here and now. Preferably before I lose interest in you," she teased.

He gave her a light smile and a gentle squeeze. "Yeah?" She nodded with a smile and he smirked, his stomach suddenly a tumult of butterflies and a black hole, falling and almost making him sick with nerves. "Okay."

She rolled her eyes at his one-word answer, but snickered and brought him to her as he kissed her, and purred when his tongue caressed her own. She eagerly had her fingertips under his shirt, trying to maneuver it until he sat up to quickly get rid of it. She followed suit until they were both making out once again, only this time quite topless. As he kissed her throat, she remembered their privacy. "George, the door."

"What about it?"

She snickered as he looked her in the eyes, and she saw desire mingled with love mirrored back at her, his pupils not the only thing expanding in craving. "Ward it," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He snickered in realization, and quickly retrieved his wand from the side of the bed to lock them up without intrusion.

As he came back to the bed properly and tossed his wand to the side, Live tugged at his pants and together they quickly got rid of them. With the ease of an expert escape artist, Live quickly disentangled herself from her skirts and sent them flying across the room. Though they had suddenly sprang upon this idea rather haphazardly, they were so hot for one another with such little effort that it didn't much matter. The time, the place, and the mood were just right. It was as if they wanted one another on some instinctual level without pretense or planning, just gut feeling. It only intensified things that they loved one another so deeply, and wanted that love to spill onto the physical plane.

A shiver went up Live's spine as George kissed her, and her stomach went to nerves and fell at his touch. He made her want to cry and scream and laugh all at once with the way his lips touched hers, and knowing what they were about to do, it only intensified her feelings and the pleasure she took in his embrace and caresses.

"Live, if, if you've got any doubt as to, ah bloody hell, _any_thing, please for the love of Godric Gryffindor let me know right now because I'm quickly approaching a point where I won't be able to stop once I start it all up," George informed with haste, making her smile at the look of intense seriousness upon his face. "I'm dead set."

She kissed his lips, lightly biting the lower one as he panted heavily, a deep growl reverberating in his throat as she let it go. She could tell by his expression that he was ready to love her every way possible, and there'd be no turning back. "I don't have any worries, I want you proper this time," she promised confidently as a delighted shiver went up her spine. She gave him a bit of a sheepish look. "I'm a little scared--"

"Dammit so am I," he admitted in a gruff voice.

She smiled. "Well, I trust you, and I want you, and I want this, and I love you," she laughed nervously. "And I'm excited, and nervous, and, well, I can't really say what I mean, George," she told him with near impatient frustration. "It's just, I want you. I love you and I need you."

"Oh lovey," he told her, kissing her lips as he was feeling all the same things. And if they didn't get this show on the road soon, he was sure he'd end up bringing a premature end to things he wanted her so badly. "I love you Live, and I'm going to love you, and--" he added with an upturn of his lips in cocky smirk, "--you're going to love it." He winked and she snickered before he returned his assault upon her lips, his hand busily trying to rid her of her panties and anything else that was keeping them apart.

He was shrugging out of his boxers when a loud knock came on the door.

"Oh for the love of Pete! Ignore it," Live groaned, wrapping herself around him and exciting him to near frenzy, fumbling with his boxers.

"Oi George!" a voice came through the door. George claimed Live's lips with his own in disregarding the sound. More pounding came. "George! McGonagall's looking for you!"

"Bollocks," he swore hoarsely against her lips, Live straining between listening for the annoyance to go away and to continue on with George for a few crucial moments until they could _properly _express their love.

"Oi! I _know _you're in there!" the voice insisted in warning. "And no reminder-ward is going to keep _her _from coming up!"

"Shit," Live said, her body wracked with need just as much as George's, and with McGonagall on the way, it didn't look like they'd be satisfying it the way they'd planned. Or desperately needed. "Should, should we just--?"

"No-no I don't want it to be so rushed or fast," he grunted with supreme strain, aching. "It shouldn't be so bloody fast."

"Me either, _buuuuuut_," Live said, looking at him above her with needy panting. He quickly kissed her, his tongue caressing her own in a way that made her stomach drop, and he held her mouth to his with his hand at the back of her neck. The other hand he manipulated between them until he quickly and easily released her from her need, making her sigh with both frustration and satisfaction. She kissed him back with just as much verve, though when she moved to quickly return the favor, he stopped the progress of her hand.

"There's not quite _enough _time," he told her with a smirk and a pained grin. He kissed her once again deeply. "Now hurry up and hide. I've gotta do something about hiding _this_," he said of himself with rough annoyance.

Live sighed heavily, still panting as she looked at him with sated but desirous eyes. They were both covered in a very fine sheen of sweat. "George, why don't you just let me--?"

He snickered painfully. "I told you, not enough time."

Though indeed they didn't have enough time to argue, let alone perform all the dirty thoughts lingering in her mind, Live pressed the point. "Are you saying that you can hold off on it longer than me? Or that you're better at what you do? You're not _that_ good, George Weasley."

He smirked, still panting, but tore himself off her. "That's not exactly fair right now, Live."

She frowned lightly, but grabbed his face to hers yet again and kissed him hard. She looked him in the eyes. "I have more than just a few tricks in my bag," she said as she got off the bed wrapped up in his sheet. She borrowed his wand and pointed it at him with a look of deep focus on her face, and before he knew what was happening, even as she was tossing the wand back on the bed, walking towards his bathroom to hide with the sheet trailing after her, he feel to his knees with such sudden wonderful release that he hadn't even known what was happening. She hadn't even touched him.

A knock on the door proved he didn't have time to think on it even a bit as he quickly tossed on layers and cleaned stuff up the best he could- which wasn't nearly half as good as he would have liked, and not in his current state, barely recovering.

"Weasley, a word," McGonagall's voice came through the door without so much as a warning.

"One minute!" he called frantically, knowing full well that she would come right on in if he didn't quickly open up. Having him and Fred for her pupils all these long years, the Head of Gryffindor had learned a few things about letting them 'hide the evidence', and it had become an unwritten rule that if they didn't open promptly, it was practically inviting her in for thorough inspection. Though learning the hard way a few times in second year had taught them proper enough. Being caught in one's underwear when one was actually telling the truth about being naked was enough for them to learn to move with speed. He just hoped Live hid in the bathtub or something in case she decided to give his dorm the once-over.

"_Weasley_," McGonagall's stern voice came again in single warning.

"Let me put some pants on!" George shouted through the door. He could hear her grumbling about pants and fireworks seconds before she decided to dis-spell his wards and enter the room. Luckily for them, he had pants on, and had had just enough time to shove clothes and a few illegal things under the bed. George put on a charming smile as McGonagall entered the room. "Can I help you ma'am?"

McGonagall's eagle eyes slowly inspected the room for any misappropriations that might be therein. "I'd like a word or two," she said, though she looked about suspiciously. George knew she was thinking on his ward to keep others away. Though it didn't put much to her imagination as to wonder why a seventh year boy, or any boy for that matter, locked himself in his room alone and warded it so others would steer clear. Either he had a girl in there, or he was getting to know himself a bit better…

She went towards their bathroom, and George tried to dissuade and stop her, but she demanded he move (with a bit of precaution as one could never know what those boys could be cooking up inside a bathroom) and with the turning of the handle, George inwardly and outwardly cringed. There was no doubt they were busted. McGonagall wasn't one to leave out checking the tub itself, and Live was wandless, loathe to do much better than hide in its recess. Unless the Slytherin had actually been practicing wandless magic more than George was aware, he was pretty sure they were going to be majorly busted.

The Head of Gryffindor gave the bathroom a cursory look, and as George was waiting for the shouts and condemnation that was sure to follow, ("Professor McGonagall I _swear_ I don't know how she got in here or where her clothes went!") he was surprised when she turned in satisfaction and went back into the bedroom at whole.

"What the…" he muttered, peeking in to see. The sheet Live had covered herself in was laying on the bathroom floor in a pile. His dirty clothes from that morning were still on the floor where he'd left them, and everything otherwise seemed normal. He grinned to himself as he looked at the bathroom window that viewed out at the castle grounds. Kitty-Nimbles was sitting in the windowsill, tail swishing back and forth and smirking a cat-like smirk at him. "Oh, you clever little witch…" he muttered with a smirk.

"What's that, Weasley?" McGonagall asked from behind.

"Nothing, um, what did you say you wanted again?" he inquired.

"I didn't, precisely," she said with a suspicious glance back into the bathroom. "Whose cat is that?"

"Um, Kelena's…Thing's a hellbeast, professor. I wouldn't advise trying to touch it," he admitted, drawing upon past experiences with Live's animagus form. It wasn't exactly a lie, either.

"Hmph, very well," she agreed, closing the door on the cat and stepping back into the room. George was never more grateful of Live's little 'talent'. "There are some very pressing matters to attend to, Weasley. Mainly concerning the bond between you and Miss Hunter."

He gave her his best nonchalant-yet-attentive smile. "How 'pressing', professor?" he mimicked in slight grin.

"Dumbledore has asked me to check in on you, and Professor Snape will check in on Miss Hunter." George began to sweat a little. He hoped Snape wasn't looking for Live right about now. "You realize there have been incidents in the past week and a half? Suspicious movements about nearby towns?"

"I read the Prophet," George replied begrudgingly of the fact.

She nodded in approval of his knowledge. "Then you'll know how very serious things are becoming right now."

"Yes ma'am."

"Has your chest been ailing you, Mr. Weasley?"

George was a bit surprised that she could know about the recent troubles he'd been having. He hadn't been to the hospital wing lately, and McGonagall wasn't known to double as a Healer. "Well I've--"

"Is it still troubling when yourself and Miss Hunter are separated by great distances? Dumbledore wants to know the extent of your progress in healing from it."

George blinked a moment. "Oh. Um, that's actually considerably better. We've been trying to stay close when we can help it, but if we can't for classes at opposite ends of the castle, well, it hasn't been that bad. Nothing I can't ignore."

"That's good," McGonagall said, satisfied with his answer. "It means you're both healing properly. I'd like to see the two of you on the mend. There are…_forces_ at work which you know would take advantage of the situation otherwise."

George nodded. McGonagall was being precautious not mentioning the Death Eater's interest in Live, but he knew all too well that he had to be strong for the both of them, even if it was sometimes harder than naught.

"It is very important that the two of you are healing properly. No doubt that pain you get when separated could be used against you. And with outside foes moving about so close to Hogwarts and the absence of the heart strings-"

"Like I said, it's not that bad of a problem anymore."

She nodded. "That's good. I'll have more for you later, Weasley. Just please, be on your guard," she warned.

"I will," he promised, still edgy in that Live needed to get back to her dorm so Snape wouldn't suspect their inter-housal love fest.

McGonagall turned to leave, but looked back at George. "And Mr. Weasley, I'm more than certain you're aware of the rules here at Hogwarts?"

"Why yes, professor," he agreed with a smile.

She gave him a look that spoke volumes in opposition to his statement. But she merely gave him a frowning smirk. "Good. Now get that brassiere back to its proper owner and see that you continue to observe the rules."

As she turned to leave, George was left gaping, wondering first how he had missed hiding it, and second, how she had managed not to say anything or even bust him properly for it. Not that she could prove it belonged to Live and not some Gryffindor girl Lee or Fred had had in the dorm…Except for the emerald color and snake insignia on the back…He grinned to himself. So she _was_ fully aware that Live often visited Gryffindor Tower…Well at least McGonagall, in her own way, approved of them.

"You can come out now," George said through the bathroom door as he lightly rapped on it before turning the knob. Live was on the other side of the door with the sheet wrapped haphazardly around her as if she'd been waiting for his OK. She gave him a grin.

"I thought she'd never bloody leave," she said before wrapping her arms around George's neck, leaning up to kiss him as the sheet dropped and pooled at their feet.

Though there were several different feelings, thoughts, and emotions all vying for George's attention at once, he remembered that Live needed to get down to the dungeons in order for their cohabitation to remain unnoticed. "Mmff- we don't have time," George said against her lips even as his hands trailed down her back to cup her bottom.

She gave him a frown to his statement. "What do you mean? It's the perfect time," she said with a slight curl to her lips of delight. "We won't be bothered again. Surely."

"No, I mean, well, mm, yes, but--" He had to mechanically grab her hands to stop their successful removal of his pants. "Did you hear what McGonagall said?"

Live gave him a sort of sheepish look. "Actually, there was this bird nest outside the bathroom window, and I was watching them, and…well it got distracting the way the bird was fluttering about…I wasn't really listening…" She made her weak excuses with a sort of apologetic look at George. "Well it _is_ a bit more distracting when you're all catty."

He only grinned at her. "Snape's going to be looking for you. McGonagall said Dumbledore's been worried about us and whatnot, and he's having them check up on us--"

"Dammit."

"--and if I went ahead and shagged you silly right now like I _really_ would like, no doubt they'd come looking for us and _then _where would we be?" he finished with a great wolfish grin at her.

She pressed herself against him, thoroughly reminding him just how naked she really was, and gave him a determined look. "Well, we'd be in your bed," she whispered in his ear, "tangled up in the sheets, skin to skin, no doubt for several hours until someone came to look for us--"

"Alright, bloody quit it, this isn't helping," he told her, his voice a rasp as he tried to keep from throwing all thought to the wind and tossing her on the bed. She gave him a sigh and put her forehead on his chest in reluctant cessation. He was breathing a bit faster, but with a near superhuman will, he slid his hands away from her bum and up her back to hold her properly. She turned her face to the side to lay her cheek on his chest, hearing the rapid beating of his heart, and he kissed the top of her head with amazing control. His fingers were itching to caress her everywhere, but her held them steady on her back.

"I guess I need to get to the dungeons then," she said with annoyance lacking will. She'd much rather be in his bed. She wrapped her arms around him, enjoying the solid feel of him as he held her back.

"Hey…Live," George started.

"Hm?" she replied.

"What was it that you did to me before?" he asked, trying to convince himself that it was out of scientific interest that he asked and not the fact that it got him hot again thinking about it. "You didn't even touch me, but I--"

She held her head up to look at him with a smug smile. "You mean what I _did_ to you?" she asked with a smirk, giving his crotch a proper grab for emphasis. The sharp intake of his breath was all the reply her ego needed. "_Mortuua Petite_. It's a spell I learned a while ago from an old book. I think it gets the job done," she said with a teasing grin.

"A bloody book taught you _that_?" George was astounded. Never again would he poke fun at those who liked their literature.

"So you liked it?" she said with a smile as he gave her a glazed-over look. She snickered. "See? There's always enough time for certain things…I just usually prefer doing things the old fashioned way, even if they take a bit longer," she said, trailing her hands down the front of his pants again.

He was breathing hard, and he knew he had to get a grip on himself lest he try and get a nice satisfying grip on her. But he couldn't help his current mindset. Not with her toying with him and standing completely naked in his arms. "So I…uh…what else is in that book?"

A grin grew on her lips as she became aware of just how tightly he was holding her, and the amount of restraint he must have been utilizing for the both of them was astounding. "Well that's the lesser of the two spells," Live informed with a wicked smirk. "There's _Mortuua Petite _and _Mortuua Gran_. I've only ever used the one spell," she said with a grin at the look on his face.

"What's the…What's the other one do?"

She gave him a rather curious look in introspection. "I don't know actually. The one spell is so powerful, I'm kind of afraid to ever cast the other…it could be dangerous, and I wouldn't want to go about accidentally destroying the nether regions," she said with a smirk as she cupped him through his pants.

"Alright Live, you've really got to get out of here," George told her gruffly even as he pressed against her hand. She sighed with delight. "I _will_ shag you senseless if you don't, and though the irony would be terrifically funny, we would indeed be screwed if the professors came looking for you. And I for one would like to take it all at our leisure."

Though the thought was indeed hilarious, George had a point. He was like a drug, and she was terribly addicted and loathe to let him go. But she somehow managed as he tore his arms away from her and turned lest her naked body tempt him even more. She sighed, knowing it was a current lost cause, seeing logic through hormonal haze, but still not liking it. She was surprised George had such a focus on things as she quite couldn't help herself. George rubbed his eyes as she forced herself to gather her wand and clothes quickly, repeating willpower to herself before her hormones broke reason down.

She was pulling her skirt back on to complete her hastily-clothed ensemble when George turned back to her with decisiveness in his voice. "I'm coming with you."

She raised a single brow at him, her school-tie held in her mouth as she was pulling on a shoe. "Meh?"

He was giving her a quirked smile of amusement for the odd spectacle she was, clothing buttoned haphazardly and slightly skewed, but he highly appreciated the overall tousled look of her. It made him want to strip everything right back off her regardless of consequence.

"_Pphu_. You think that's a good idea?" Live said as she spit her tie out of her mouth.

George gave her an obvious frown. "I don't like the idea of you traveling all the way down there by yourself. Especially with the possibility of Malfoy being down there and those inhibiting potions still in effect on you."

Live rolled her eyes at him with a smile for his concern as she pulled on her other shoe. "I didn't mean because of that," she clarified as she stood. She bunched her messy hair into a hand and used her Slytherin tie as a makeshift hair-ribbon as she spoke. "I meant because if you follow me down the dungeons and into my bedroom, we're going to be back in square one." She gave him a naughty smirk as she tied off her hair, crossing her arms over her chest. "And personally I would rather have McGonagall catch us than Snape…" she said with a growing grin of self-amusement. "At least _she's _fair. _He_ might try to castrate you on the spot."

George pulled a painful face and hissed at her mention of castration, his legs subconsciously squeezing together. It made her giggle though he looked quite convinced and a bit more sane through her rationale.

"Anyways George, I won't be just waltzing through the castle down to our commons," she said of the Slytherin dungeons. "Sneakery _is_ one of the reasons I became an animagus in the first place."

He gave her a thinking frown. "Well, that's a start, but still."

Live crossed the space between them to put her arms comfortingly around his neck. "George- and I'm not just saying this for your bloody ego- but if I _do_ get you in my room, there will be _nothing_ to stop me." His eyes were wide with intrigue as he looked back at her with half-crooked smile in pondering her words. "Being in the Gryffindor tower holds a bit of pause for me, mainly because I don't think Lee or Fred have ever heard of knocking let alone privacy. But back in my own element, there will be _nothing_ that can keep us apart. Vivian's always with Pucey and Becca would clear out, and if I got you alone in my bedroom right now for _any_ amount of time, even _if_ Snape came looking for us--"

"Okay I get it," George told her quickly, her words causing his excitement to grow. He could tell she was being serious if not light on the subject, and there was only so much of her that he could successfully restrain himself from. If she saw a zero-danger factor in having him in her room, there was no doubt he would have no choice but to really shag her quite silly, and if her Head of House came looking for her in the time they had an empty room to themselves…Well, quite frankly he _wanted_ children.

Live looked at George a few moments, the both of them wearing quite silly expressions, and she kissed his lips and gave him a thoughtful smile. "I really do want you George. As soon as we can without any freaking interruption," she said with frustration. She bit her lip in thought. "I'll be back here as soon as I've checked in with Snape."

George chuckled. "Well make sure to pencil me in before the holidays, eh darling?" She gave him a playful smack, and he kissed her, holding her body tight against his in want. "Ah, bloody hell, Live. Get out of here. You forget _I'm_ in _my_ element and I have very poor self-restraint." He gave her butt a firm squeeze which made her giggle in response.

Though he still had his arms around her, she took a step away from his person and a second later there was a cat standing on the floor in her place. The face of Kitty-Nimbles looked up at him with the cat's equivalent of a grin, and he ran a hand through his hair with troubles as he looked down at her. She mewed up at him, and he shook his head slightly as if to cast his addlepated thoughts from his brain. He gave her a look as she waited for him to share.

"To still want you though you're currently a cat…That _must_ be some kind of wrong on some level."

sSs

"Don't know what you did, but Snape's outside for you, Hunter," an older Slytherin told Live as the blonde was standing just inside her bedroom door.

"Okay, thanks," Live said as the other girl nodded and went about her business. Live ducked back inside her room to check her appearance again, applying a security-comfort amount of muggle makeup to her skin once more to cover any evidence that George had been playing vampire with her neck. She decided she looked well-enough for anybody to care (that is, her clothing was on properly and buttoned this time) and with a last glance in her mirror she left her vacant dorm (a _very _good thing that George hadn't come with her) and walked with the air of a queen down the common room corridors.

Still blissfully absent of Malfoy or any of his cronies, Live entered the green-lit common room only to see Snape standing inside it waiting for her. Her surprise was evident, she knew, though she played it off as nothing. Snape didn't usually enter the Slytherin commons as, she assumed, he would rather not witness all the sordid things and petty fights that went on within (and thus waste his energy dishing out punishments). Slytherin ambition might make many of them successful in the long run, but it didn't help to keep things very civil for very long.

"Miss Hunter, my office," Snape directed as he turned on his heel with the expectation that she would follow. Figuring it was as friendly a greeting as she'd ever receive, she did indeed follow him out of the dungeons the short walk to his office.

"Close the door," he instructed as they entered his office.

She did as told, a bit on-edge, and turned with expectation to see him fixing her with a calculating look. It caused her to fidget, and she instead focused her attention on the simmering cauldron on a way table, and the slimy things he had pickled about his office walls.

"Have you been taking your potions as instructed?"

She blinked and looked back at him. "Yeah, every day." She found this beginning of questioning rather optimistic as the subject of her potions was rather at the top of her list of priorities. "Sir, do you think it would be-"

"What of the separation pain?"

She raised a brow a moment in thought, then realized he was talking about her and George's bonded link. "It's better, actually. It's more of a minor nuisance now."

He nodded. "Any complications with your magic?"

She sort of frowned, though wasn't surprised by his lack of interest or courteousness in her own questioning. "My magic's a bit diluted, but I can still sort of use it. Nothing bad has happened if that's what you're asking."

He ignored her last statement. "Diluted? In what way?"

"It won't manifest correctly. I can only smolder things I try to burn, or cool things I try to freeze," she responded concisely with a sigh. He gave her a look of minor condemnation, as if it were some fault of hers and not his potions, before going to his personal stores and taking out bottles and vials, some she recognized and others she didn't. "It's usually worse in midday by the time the potion has really kicked in…I mean, I can still make my magic work, but it becomes considerably harder if I have to think about it."

Snape continued with the apparently more-interesting bottles on his desk as he measured out powdered bits of this and dried pieces of that. Live continued to talk to fill the rather uncomfortable silence as the noises of clinking bottles and slowly-cooking potion did little to ease her mind.

"Sir, I was wondering…Could I maybe only take the potions at night? Like, before I go to bed? My magic would still be balanced…just, we'd be changing the times I have use of it…I think it would be most productive if I could have more daylight-hours of use for my magic as opposed to not functioning properly during classroom time…" She trailed off, her economic-angle not garnering any more attention from him than outright query. She sighed, thinking that, even for her, a Slytherin- and she assured herself- one of his better potions students, that this was rather shabby treatment indeed. Even for Snape. She sighed with abandonment of her previous argument and decided to settle for trying to get as many potions in advance as she could. She'd need them while off with George if she didn't get a handle on things. "Would it be possible for me to get a bunch of these potions so I didn't have to visit as often? Sir?"

He looked up from his work and fixed her with a nearly offended expression. Her eyes were wide with surprise and realization at how her sentence had sounded- ungrateful in the least, and implicative that he wasn't the best of company…Which wasn't exactly a lie.

"Currently, Miss Hunter, the potions are balanced in a way which works cooperatively with day cycles. It is not a simple matter of merely changing your imbibition from day to night," he addressed succinctly in a tone that confirmed her previous supposition that she had offended him. "And as for an advance supply, the potions must be altered from time to time depending on the need of your magic. And as it has yet again changed, I'll need to readjust it once more." She was giving him a thoroughly apologetic look, reeking with self-chastisement. It must have been what he was angling for, because he went back to adding ingredients to his cauldron and uncorking vials. "Though I suppose, until this new batch is ready to be _tested_--" he said the word as if it was a minor threat, "--I could give you an extra vial to prolong the absence of necessary visits."

Her mouth twisted in a wry sort of smirk. He was doing her some sort of little favor, though she supposed she was being guilted into gratefulness by his actions towards her. Well, she wouldn't let him think she was as ungrateful or useless as all that. "Could I possibly help with the brewing sometime?" she asked, all sorts of ulterior motives in her mind. "I hate being such a burden. I'd like to learn more about making them." She knew she was laying it on rather thick, but it was going to be a necessity that she learn the basic brewing of the potions for herself.

He looked up and raised a single brow in minor surprise. "I suppose you could leech the sap from the stink berries," he said with an icy grin. She visibly sickened. If his goal was to dissuade her by the fact that she might learn what she was actually drinking, then he just about succeeded. She decided to change the subject.

"Professor, can I ask you another question?"

"Your ability to ask questions does not fall under my jurisdiction."

She frowned a moment and rolled her eyes. "_May_ I ask another question?"

"You may."

She huffed in self-restraint. The man was aggravating. But it was nothing new. "Sir, why was I never told about Melinda Harris?" He went back to ignoring her with intense study of his cauldron, but she pressed on. "The one who scarred me…Why wasn't I told?"

He didn't look at her as he spoke. "As it seems that you are already aware of that fact, I find your complaint redundant."

She frowned, a bit frustrated and determined not to drop the subject. "Sir, she scarred me and not a day later she was scarred herself. I think that's more than coincidence, and more than enough reason that _I_ shouldn't have been left in the dark."

He looked up at her with intense agitation. Though Melinda was already at St. Mungos', he wouldn't put it past a Slytherin to desire revenge. Though that was minor reason as to why she hadn't been informed, there was also the fact that her knowing wouldn't change anything, nor could she do anything about it. Melinda had already been questioned, punished, and chastised as far as Dumbledore had seen fit. Enough time had passed since then that any further involvement with Live seemed superfluous.

"It was the opinion of Dumbledore that the matter be closed. The both of you have suffered similar fates and it should be left at that." He gave her a hard look that discouraged against more questioning, and went back to chopping up something small, wriggling, and green.

She wrinkled her nose with dissatisfaction. "Sir someone must have known that _she _was responsible for burning me far before you and Dumbledore figured it out." He looked up at her, and she pursed her lips with trepidation.

"And you came to this conclusion on your own?" he posed with a raised brow. He studied her face, gauging it. While he knew she was rather astute, he hadn't expected her to have put so much thought to it, though it didn't surprise him. After all, it _was_ her person that had been badly damaged and put at risk because of it, not his. "Are you suggesting someone acted with vengeance on your behalf?"

She realized it sounded a bit arrogant, but that's exactly what she thought. She didn't think Melinda's own burning was an accident. And to be burned so severely was nothing short of nefarious. "It's too coincidental, sir."

Snape sighed and added the chopped green bits to his cauldron. "That is the general opinion…But as we are unable to find any suspects or further reason to believe it was anything other than a bizarre coincidence, the matter has been closed." She was about to speak, but he stopped her with a look. "Unless, of course, you _know_ a responsible culprit."

"No I don't," Live stated. They were quiet several more moments when Live spoke up. "What do _you_ think, sir?"

He didn't look up, but he spoke truthfully. "I believe that there are matters going on of which even we are unaware. If indeed the case that Miss Harris' burns were the result of sabotage and not an accident, then I would advise even you to be on your guard. Against everything. A supposed ally is not necessarily a friend."

She nodded, taking his advice to heart. Though someone had gotten revenge for her, it didn't necessarily mean that it was someone she could trust, let alone someone friendly to hers and her own. And if _Snape_ didn't know what was going on, no doubt they were in more trouble than she had assumed. And not just the bother they were aware of with Voldemort. She was thinking about herself and George, what they were going to do with themselves, and if they could ever hope that apart from his defeat, that Voldemort would just leave them be. It was obvious that Voldemort had nothing to do with Melinda. He was too preoccupied with other more important devices. But that meant that there was something further going on that they were unaware of, and as Snape passed information that even he was unaware, it was clear that things were not going well.

"Professor, can I ask you one more question?" Live posed delicately, valuing his opinion.

He gave her a look that was blatantly discouraging. She held her tongue, cowed by the expression. "You mean another question on top of the others you have already raised?" he corrected with an annoyed look.

"Um…yeah," she answered weakly. He went back to seemingly ignoring her, his attention on slowly stirring the cauldron, though she knew he was listening. "Um…I know there's already a lot of focus on Hogwarts because of Harry Potter, sir," she started, trying to sort her sentences for maximum efficacy as she didn't know how long she could keep his attention. "I mean, the focus of the Dark Lord and his group," she clarified, biting her lip. When he didn't react, she continued. "And I know there's even more focus now, because of me, and that prophecy. And…" She sighed heavily, losing some of her steam on how she knew she was going to make it all sound. "And I was thinking, that, no matter what, the Dark Lord is going to be focused on the school as long as Potter's here, regardless of any of _us_. And like, it's almost making it easier for him; two birds, one stone. And I was thinking, _in theory_, that if, perhaps, _in theory_," she repeated, "that if we were to split his attention--"

"You think that running away will deter the will of the Dark Lord?" he said without looking up. She sort of cringed at his assessment, realizing that she sounded like quite the coward. She couldn't help her thoughts. Self-preservation was at the top of her priorities.

"Well…I was thinking," she weakly defended, "I'm not as important as Potter, and for whatever reasons, maybe he'd stop caring about the long-shot that I am and leave me alone if I was out of sight long enough." She hated herself when she heard herself out loud. She realized it was as if she were willing to serve Harry up to Voldemort just to get herself out of his spotlight. It was a despicable thought, that she'd rather Harry took all the attention of Voldemort than split his malignant interest between the two of them. She felt shame at the possibility of that being some underlying reason she hadn't addressed in her conscious mind. Slytherins were known for ruthless ambition, not nobility.

"Potter isn't any more important than you," Snape immediately said, looking at her with the usual frown. "It is the importance with which the Dark Lord has put upon him which makes him _seem_ important. Potter's as common as everyone else, Miss Hunter. Do not think that simple hiding could keep you from any plans the Dark Lord might have for you."

Live's face fell, a bit in panic at the thought that anyone could be so relentless, and also at the idea that running would do her no good. It seemed a surefire way out. "But professor, surely He's not as interested in my prophecy or me enough to divert from his primary objective…If I was just to disappear from his sights, then he'd just be back interested in Potter, wouldn't he?" She sighed, disgusted with herself and her desperation. "I mean, it's not like I ever want anything bad to happen to Harry, but…Oh I feel like such a coward for even suggesting it."

"There is no cowardice in wanting to live," he told her, wondering when he had taken on the role of personal confessor for her obviously desperate and guilty thoughts. He gave her a good frown, looking at her with utmost seriousness, trying to convey to her the truth in his statement. "Miss Hunter, once the Dark Lord gets an idea into his head, it doesn't leave. He is so concerned for his future world order that he has attempted every possible path that could further secure his place in the new world and fix his outlook to permanent status. If he is convinced that a prophesy has promised an heir from you which will topple the magical world to rubble at his feet, he will make it a top priority to see the possible truth in such a fantastical promise come true. And since it is comparably such an easy task, as you are not under the constant eye and lock and key of Dumbledore and the rest of the world, then he will see no problem in fulfilling this prophecy at his leisure. If you ran, it might further convince him that your prophecy holds much more power and appeal than he might have previously thought," he finished with blunt honesty and truthful opinion.

She looked like she was going to cry. He hoped she wouldn't cry. He hated crying. He didn't know what she had to cry about. As far as he knew, the Dark Lord hadn't yet set a time or day when he wanted the Death Eaters to come and properly claim her. If anything, she was currently on the backburner of the Dark Lord's mind, his pet-project, as it were. As long as she stayed under the radar and didn't go about stirring up trouble for herself, she would be safe.

"What about summer?" Live spoke up, eyes swimming but cheeks dry.

He gave her an inquisitive look. "Evil doesn't rest or take a vacation, Miss Hunter."

"I mean, Hogwarts is all well and good, but what about home? Me and George Weasley _are _going to get married, and we wouldn't put that off for ever. What about when we all leave until next term? I'm not under any special protections or anything, professor. And beside worrying about myself, my mother's a muggle."

Snape gave her a pensive frown, though he himself didn't yet have a proper solution to this. He wished he could give her some sound advice or hope on the matter, but truly, he didn't have any. "Cross that bridge when you come to it. There is still time before that."

She nodded, though she didn't look the least bit hopeful. He opened something below his desk that she could not see, and he produced two large vials for her in hand. "Take these with you. It should be enough of an advance that your appointments can be withheld for a week," he said dismissively. She took the vials graciously, and nodded, realizing he was done with her.

She opened the door to leave, and started when she saw Malfoy outside. He sneered at her as she made to quickly go by, wondering what he was doing there, but not caring enough to stick around.

"Mr. Malfoy, you're late," Snape's voice came from inside his office. The platinum-haired boy immediately straightened up and went inside. Live exited quickly with a smirk to herself as she heard Snape dishing out orders. "…scrub the scorch marks from Longbottom's desk to start…"

sSs

"Alrighty we've got every color! Pink! Blue! House-colors! Even scented! Choose your parchment! Fool your friends! Pick your poison, we've got it all!" Kara declared like a soapbox orator pushing her wares.

"But what do they _do_ exactly?" a Ravenclaw asked of the quizzical-looking stationary.

"Got a favorite quidditch player? Singer? Wizard-mag pop idol?" Kara waggled her eyebrows. "Come on, anyone you fancy?"

The girl raised a brow. "Well…That guy from The Weird Sisters is pretty hot, I guess."

"Hm…Weird Sisters…Weird- Aha! Here we go!" She held out a blank piece of pink parchment. The Ravenclaw gave Kara an odd look. "Well, go on."

She took the paper from the Gryffindor's hand. Holding it and waiting expectantly, nothing fantastical or shout-worthy happened. "So?"

"Take this quill," Kara said with a wide, sneaky grin on her face. The girl took the quill in her other hand as Kara snickered. "Well, go on, have a look at the paper."

The girl's eyes widened as she looked, and she quickly grasped the paper against her chest to hide the front of it. "That's obscene!"

Kara snickered wickedly. "I've also got some star quidditch players in that same pose."

"What is it?" another Ravenclaw asked, trying to pry the paper from her friend's hand.

"No it's too…_naughty_!"

"Don't be shy, let her have a look," Kara encouraged slyly. The Ravenclaw shook her head, and Kara plucked it from her fingers and handed it to her friend.

"But there's nothing there," the one replied.

The scandalized Ravenclaw peeked at the parchment in her friend's hand. She let out a relieved little sigh.

"Try this," Kara said with a wide smirk of satisfaction as she took the quill from the girl's hand and gave it to her friend. "Now have a look."

The other girl blinked and grinned. "Wow…That's…Where did you _get_ that?"

Kara snickered as others crowded around to peer at the parchment.

"But there's nothing _there_!" a sixth-year Hufflepuff pointed out.

"Are you _blind_?" the Ravenclaw said. "Look!" She held up the parchment in both hands to display to the Hufflepuff, who pushed her hands down and gave the girl a frown.

"There's _nothing_ there," she repeated.

Kara began giggling as the Ravenclaw looked at the parchment, her friend, and the Hufflepuff and began to argue with them. "Ha, no, you're not going mad, that picture _is_ there…But you see…You have to be holding the quill to be able to see it," she pointed out in plucking the feather from the Ravenclaw's hand.

"Hey. It's gone!"

Kara giggled as there was more dissension, and she pulled out several different colored quills and different colored parchments. "Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to Life's Hidden Pleasures, a new line of _entertainment_ goods that are fully _designed_ for your satisfaction and general enjoyment in _or_ out of class." She grinned as there were several questions and inquiries about her meaning. "Using the latest of concealment charms combined with my own ingenious wit," she held a self-satisfied pause here, "you can gaze at what others might find…_indecent_ all at your leisure and in the company of whomever you might wish-- _including professors_," she finished with a smirk. "All you need do is make contact with both the quill and the parchment, and the _fine art_ will appear only to you."

There were a few murmurs of doubt through excitement, and Kara decided to reassure them. "Every quill and parchment comes with a one-hundred-and-ten percent guarantee!"

"How can you guarantee _that_?"

Kara looked at the smarmy seventh-year Hufflepuff looking at her with doubt. "Why, I have Hermione Granger to thank for this little bit of technology! You could even write notes on it and they'll only show up when quill and parchment are both in hand! _And_ only to _your_ eyes." There were some satisfied murmurs at that, and she grinned. Though indeed it was Hermione who had inspired the idea, the witch really had nothing other to do with it. Though her name certainly did lend Kara's creation some credibility in the reliability sector.

"I'll have one!"

"Me too!"

"Got any I could use in potions?"

Kara grinned and got out her bag. "You prefer standard-color or scented?"

sSs

Live was sitting cross-legged on the floor in George's dorm, adding things to a small cauldron she had over a low flame. Henry was bouncing in her lap, his melodic humming keeping her company as she tended to the concoction, sniffing the pleasant aroma.

A knock came at the door, followed by a voice. "Hey, you in there? _Dressed_?"

Live smirked. "Yeah Kel, come on in."

The door opened easily, and Kelena poked her head in cautiously. Seeing Live sitting on the floor with a smile and a kind look, _fully clothed_, Kelena entered and closed the door behind herself.

"Now there's a face I haven't seen in a while," Live said with a smirk. "Aside from what I've been hearing through Hermione…"

"You're in here by yourself?" Kelena asked, dodging the issue.

"Yeah," Live said with a smile, stopping Henry's bouncing and cupping him in her hand. She pet him as he settled down. "Me and Henry. George is off running the records and deliveries and peddling our wares," she said with a smirk. "Fred and Lee abducted him not an hour ago."

Kelena grinned. "Ah, and taking time to yourself, eh? What're you brewing while he's gone? Magical _loooove_ aids?"

"Only tea," Live said with a smile. "Would you like some?"

"You're making tea in a cauldron?" Live nodded as she stroked Henry's fur. "What happened to your teapot?"

"George happened to my teapot," she said with a wry look. Kelena made an amused noise. "I think I understand why Mrs. Weasley has to hide her best cauldrons," Live said dryly. "I don't even want to know what they were testing in it."

Kelena wrinkled her nose. She sat down on Lee's trunk, relatively the cleanest of the bunch. "So, aside from the usual, what's up? Anything new?"

Live's eyes widened a bit. If Kelena had any inkling whatsoever as to the things that had been going through Live's mind lately, she would be most shocked, if not distressed. The things she and George were getting up to lately would have left her shaken in girlish shock, if not the plan to leave Hogwarts. "No, nothing much new." Kelena gave her a look. "I'm still alright, if that's what you're angling about. Snape's been tweaking my potions more for me."

"Let's hope that's the only thing he's tweaking," Kelena said a wrinkle of her nose.

"You're really sick sometimes, you know that?"

Kel snickered. "What can I say but I aim for the shocking."

"Speaking of shocking, there were some things Fred told me about you, naughty pamphlets, and house elves…Shall I inquire as to his meaning?" Live asked with a sweet yet threatening tone. "It really has been a long time since we've had proper girly chats."

"You can be mean sometimes, you know that?"

Live grinned as she retrieved a ladle and poured herself a cup of tea. She was grateful for the liquid. Talking with Snape had set her stress levels high, and all the thinking she had been doing hitherto had actually physically exhausted her. "You want some tea? Special blend."

"_Special_-special, or just special?"

"It doesn't have anything illegal in it, if that's your aim," Live said with a smirk as she raised her cup to her mouth, blowing on the hot liquid.

"Well then count me out," Kelena said with a grin.

"Want to go to the library?" Live asked, changing the subject. "I have a few things I wanted to look up, plus there's bound to be books even _you_ haven't read yet."

Kel shook her head and stood up from Lee's trunk. "No way. I'm still avoiding Hermione like the plague. And she's _bound_ to be there."

Live took a sip from her glass and smirked, satisfied with her brew. "' never know."

With a grimace, Kelena paced the room. "I've been sleeping in Angelina's room, you know that?"

Live raised a brow. "Have you been dabbling in the love which dare not speak it's name?" She giggled. "I could set you up with Parkinson, you know."

"Oh go shove a cauldron in it!" Kel sighed. "I haven't slept in my own bed in a solid week. There is _no_ place sacred to which Hermione won't look. Angelina threw me a bone when she caught me trying to bunk with Neville. And you can lower your damn eyebrow, you know I don't mean like that!"

Live smirked into her cup. "Alright then, if I see her, I won't mention you."

"Thanks for the great favor," she replied dolefully.

"Why don't you just slip into someone else's skin at night?" Live mentioned. "You _are_ a Metamorphmagus."

Kelena sighed again. "I would, but don't think it would do much good. It wouldn't take long for Hermione to figure out it was _me_ hanging about my dorm, plus, I don't think I can hold a morph fully asleep. I mean, I've tried, but how would I know if I did it right or not? I'm _asleep_."

"Hmm, right," Live agreed. The blonde witch smiled. "Cheer up. Maybe I can have George nick Harry's invisibility cloak and you can sleep under it at night. I know how much you like that nest you call a bed."

Though Live was smiling with what Kelena knew was a gleam of wicked amusement, she was grateful indeed for the thought. Since Ginny and Kara had talked Hermione out of releasing her house-elf liberation pamphlets to the world, the bushy-haired fifth year had been hounding Kelena to do a re-shoot without any Hogwarts paraphernalia. Frankly, the sixth-year witch was downright frightened.

"Might make for a nice change. I don't know of any other enchantments that could get that laser-focused brain of hers off the subject at hand…Unless…"

"Huh?" Live said, swallowing her tea.

Kelena was smirking. "Oh man…if I could get _Tonks_ in on this…"

"Erm…"

"I'm not the only Metamorphmagus in this castle!"

"Yeah, but…"

"Hermione _might_ just leave ME alone!!"

"But don't you think she wouldn't go for it? Hermione _or_ Tonks? I mean, Hermione's got a stick up her ass that salutes the teachers regardless," Live spoke truthfully through a smile. "To approach the DADA professor…even if it _is_ just Tonks…"

"It's the only shot I've got…I'm gonna go find Hermione!!"

Live extinguished the flame under her cauldron and set down her cup. She scooped up Henry and grabbed her school robes, depositing him on the bed in her stead. "Wait! Come to the library with me!!"

sSs

"Oh hi! Hey have you seen Tonks anywhere?"

"Sorry Hermione, don't keep tabs on teachers. Well, the trouble-less ones anyway."

"Hm. Forgive me to say, but you look dreadful, George."

"Well you're not exactly a ray of sunshine yourself," he said crankily.

"Really dreadful," she continued, ignoring him. "What happened?" the bushy-haired fifth-year asked. George was pale, he looked bruised in several places, and overall he had an unkempt appearance as if he'd rolled about on the earth outside. His school robes had dry dirt on them as well.

"Got into a minor altercation with my pal Putterly," he informed her. She frowned.

"Live's not going to like this."

"She will if you don't say anything," he said snarkily to her.

She pouted and sighed. "Fine. I don't want to know. I'm far too busy anyhow. Are you sure you haven't seen Tonks anywhere? I really must speak with her immediately."

"Try the Great Hall. She might be eating."

"Right," Hermione said with a nod. "You should see Madam Pomfrey about that bump though. It looks nasty."

"Yeah, thanks," he said with a grimace and a frown.

She rolled her eyes at him as he coughed to cover up his indifference. The last place he'd willingly go was Madam Pomfrey. The mediwitch would ask questions that he no doubt wouldn't want to answer. She gave him a frown as he coughed into his hand. "Or at least Lee."

"Okay," he said. She seemed to be satisfied by that, and continued back on his path to the library before Hermione had stopped him. When he got inside, he avoided the wary and usually-irritated Madam Pince and strolled about through the book shelves and dusty tomes to find Live ensconced in a corner she favored for study. His worry over her vanished as he found her quite endearingly asleep amongst many books. _Slightly Altered States- Wizard Disambiguation _was under her elbow, and _The Tea-Leaves were Wrong_ was opened flat on its pages. He smirked sadly, seeing that she'd been studying prophetic works. Looks like she hadn't given up hope on getting herself out of the prophecy's grasp. He softly laid a hand on her arm, and gave her a gentle shake. She popped up half-asleep off _My Magus Made Me Do It_ and looked up at him, more bodily-alert than mentally.

"Hi George," she said sleepily.

"Hey," he said with a smirk.

"Time for bed?" she questioned, still half-asleep and trying to gauge her surroundings. She rather latently wondered if she'd drooled on any of the books. She yawned.

"Time for dinner," he corrected with a fond grin.

She blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes. "I'm sorry," she said with another yawn, still not quite coherent. "I didn't realize I was so tired."

"It's alright. You want me to put you to bed?" he asked with a smirk. Her half-awake looks and obviously-sleepy tones were incredibly endearing to him. It made him warm inside with affection as she nodded. "Alright then, love, let's go, shall we?"

She nodded again and rose out of the seat, not even bothering with her selection of books. She yawned again, wondering if it was really dinner time or if he was just being funny, and gave him a once-over. "Are you alright, George?"

He grinned and wrapped an arm around her. "Fine, fine. Let's get you in bed."

"You don't look fine," she said, ignoring him in her sleep-addled state. She thought he looked a bit pale. "Do you feel alright?"

"Got into a state with Fred and Lee," he told her through a half-lying smile. "Some of the things we had weren't _quite_ ready for the market, but we've got an awful large order to fill with our active campaigning," he excused. "We're going to really have trouble filling the Pygmy Puff orders at the rate they're selling, too."

She squinted at him, wondering if it was the crappy lighting in this part of the library (which had thus helped her fall asleep) or if she was just seeing things, but it looked like his jaw was bruised. She dismissed it for the moment as he wrapped an arm around her middle and herded her out the library, thankfully absent Madam Pince and her death glares.

While walking was active and keeping her alert-enough, her senses drifted in mindlessness, walking mechanically as she concentrated more on the wonderful warmth of George's arm around her waist, and the rhythm their footsteps created on the stone of the corridors. She was tired from all the reading she'd done, and from the rather uncomfortable albeit accommodating table and book stack she'd been researching from. Her head was swimming with pieces of information she had absorbed, the thoughts having even slipped into her dreams. It made her naturally groggy.

George kissed her from the side, and she smiled and leaned close to him as they walked to the portrait that would let them into Gryffindor Tower.

The portrait of the Fat Lady gave the usual dowdy look at Live as the two of them stood before it. "Oh, go on, then," she said as George gave her the password. He could hear the Fat Lady discussing the presence of the Slytherin to her friend, and her friend exclaiming how very odd it was that a Slytherin was boarding in Gryffindor Tower. It made George smirk.

The common room was blessedly absent people as they climbed through, most on to dinner and others already there, and they climbed the stairs hand in hand without incident. Live was playing with George's ring finger, tracing the underside of his silver and emerald awaiting-wedding ring. It made her smirk that very soon the rings would be _actually_ be true to their name, and not just symbolic of their pseudo-wedding by the Un-holy priest that Fred was turning out to be. Couples _still_ wanted him for spontaneous-matrimony.

"You hungry?" George asked as they entered his dorm. She shook her head. "Just bed, eh?" She nodded, tired and book-weary, and he grinned with fondness.

She shuffled over to his bed and in the process knocked over the cauldron she had been making tea in earlier. It turned over with a metallic clang and splashed everywhere. Live groaned.

"What was that?" George asked, standing clear of the liquid now spreading out over the floor. He'd left the cauldron alone when he'd found it earlier. Now he wasn't sure if that was quite such a good idea. Lee wouldn't be too happy if their floor came alive again from spilled potions.

"Just tea," she groaned at herself.

"Oh. Okay then." He got out his wand and magicked the mess away, righting the cauldron and sending her a winning smile. She smirked back and sat on his bed, shrugging off her shoes and trying to wiggle out of her robes. It made a wealth of desire spring up in him, and he had to stop her. "I know it's not your intention, Live, but you keep squirming around like that and I'm going to have to have my way with you."

She raised a brow at him, her actions stilled in pose as she mused on what her intentions _should_ be, when George came and helped her out of her robes. He wished she would stop wearing bulky things beneath them when she was about the castle. Her scarring wasn't as bad as she thought it was, at least to him it wasn't, and he didn't like her so covered. But then if he had it his way, he'd keep her naked in his bed twenty-four seven.

"George, there were some things Snape said," Live started as he divested her of a long-sleeved sweater she'd somehow managed beneath her robes.

"I told you earlier that I'm not worried about any of that, Live," he said, running his palm up her leg. She was momentarily distracted by the warmth of the caress.

"I know, I meant, hmm," she paused as he was rubbing her thigh. It felt quite good, and relaxing at the same time. She gave him a look. "I can't think when you're doing that."

"Then don't," he said with a wicked grin.

She smiled at him but shook her head. "What I mean is that, even with everything he said…we should at least take it into consideration…"

"If you don't want to go through with it, just say the word, Live. It's going to be incredibly risky, and if you're at all in doubt…" He raised her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm. It warmed her and she stroked the side of his face with her fingers, delicately avoiding the darkened spot on his face that appeared to be bruising. She'd have to talk to Fred and Lee about better safety precautions with their experimental joke items.

"No, I want to run away with you," she affirmed with a smile. "I want to be your wife. Just, we shouldn't discount the idea of living amongst muggles for a bit."

He gave her a lopsided grin of amusement. "Snape suggested that?"

She yawned and lay flat on his bed. "No. But I think it might be smart. Even masquerading as muggles."

"Dad would quite approve, I think," he said with a grin.

"Yeah," she agreed sleepily. She rolled to her side, and George automatically patted her flank. "George if you want to eat, go ahead without me. I think I'm just gonna sleep. My eyes are so tired."

He smirked and ran his hand up the side of her skirt, resting on her thigh. "Now where's the fun in that?"

She smirked at his tone, and felt him sit up on the bed, followed by twin clunks- his shoes being tossed over the side. Next she knew he was snaking his arms around her and pulling her up against his body. When he'd fully settled her against him and into the pillows, she burrowed into the crook of his arm and fell quickly asleep.

He smirked as he watched her with hopelessly devoted love. He absolutely hated lying to her, but he didn't think any good would come of her knowing about the row he and Putterly had had, nor that he had, unavoidably, lost. He coughed into his hand and frowned as he looked down at her. He wanted to protect her and keep her well. He never wanted her to worry about any of the nonsense about school again. He just hoped he could get everything together for them when the time came that they would leave Hogwarts and elope. He kissed her cheek, pulled blankets over the two of them, and sat up thinking until Dobby the house elf popped into the room with dinner for one.

sSs

I really can't apologize enough for the damn time it took to update. There was no web access, which i couldn't help, then horrid sickness and plague at my house, haha. On the plus side, i've lost over 5lbs for being unable to eat. Woot! Anywho guys, i'll try to get the next chapter out and written much sooner. I'll be starting on it as soon as i'm well :D Remember, there's fanart for this fic done by both myself and another, listed in my profile, and i've also got that link to that CD up. Whut. LOVE YOU!!  
_-FireV._

Redheadlover: Haha I think that's easy to say XD Fred would definitely be pissed off if George booked. And Kara…I wouldn't want to be on her bad side XD hahaha!! She's a fright even when she's not pissed at anyone! hahaha! Thanks!

Chinawrites: Heh heh, I hope you liked their bit of 'alone time' in the beginning too! Haha :D And Putterly…Hum. Lol Oh my god I laughed so hard at your comment: _malfoy really needs to just go rape lavender and catch aids from her. would serve both of em rightly so_ XD HAHAHAHA omg….You rock XD

Karma-k2: George Live shower scenes, woo! Heh heh…I could tell you a few shower tales…oh my HAHA! You're always so perceptive :D hee hee hee Putterly, oh dear, lol. Haha I hope your joygasm is always awesome and everlasting XD haha speaking of which…well, there will be a funny part next chapter I think you'll like lol

Scarlet faerie: oooh, malfoy, putterly, and secret agents of doom! Haha. I've got a major secret agenda on them…heh heh :D oh dear. Lol hope the house-elf porn idea wasn't too mental XD haha ewww…man, it kinda makes you wonder just what house elves _have_ to do for their masters O.O Eww…lol I figured for Tonks, since she _is_ the DADA prof, and she knows about that kind of stuff, she could procure stuff for Snape while he's busy brewing :D lol. Or he just likes tormenting her. Tee hee. And at least Kel can try to turn things around for herself! HAHHA thankies for the review:D

Nomanslandvicki: Thanks woo! I've been going strong on the book :D hee hee, thanks for the support! Heh heh I'm glad you're still enjoying the fic. I was like, damn, now we're at 50 chapters…I hope everyone is still interested! XD Ha, seems so :D Anyways, hope you enjoyed:D

Ponytail Goddess: Ha thanks for all the great reviews! Hee hee, I always like when readers put in what they liked, then I'm like, good, glad I put that bit in! heh heh. Yeah, Malfoy can be a total douche…Oh dear, but I have some stuff in store for him :D heh heh, I think you'll get a kick out of it. Fred and Kara would not be pleased with our lovely Gryffindor/Slytherin pair, but I think they'll all deal well :D I'll try to get the next chapter out much sooner!! None of this ridiculously-long waiting nonsense!! Really, it was too damn long a wait. I can't apologize enough for that XD argh. Thanks!!

Dckveg: Hee hee I'm so glad you liked that chap!! Bah I hate that this chapter had to come so late, and I wanted to update so much sooner for holiday reading! Oh well, that's fate for ya :P Anywho, I'm so glad you're enjoying it still! WOO! LOVE :D

TeAroha: HAHAHA Damn yeah Hermione and Kelena…at least it wasn't house elf porn, eh? Heh heh heh oh man, sick XD BWAHAHA! Yeah, fuck Malfoy. Wait, that's the _opposite_ of what we're trying to accomplish…hm…lol. You'll like the little trick I'll be playing on him next chap XD heh heh heh

Smashley007: Oh man, I just gotta say, your username rocks. It made me laugh :D Smash-ley :D heh heh That's the best :D Anywho…Yeah I totally understand, I don't review until the end of stories that have been up for a while either (I always feel like I should, but yeah…I don't, haha!) Anywho, I'm just glad you got through it all and are enjoying it thus!! I'm so glad you think I have comedic timing! WOO! Ha, probably because a lot of the lame jokes and whatnot are actually taken from my life XD ha, I'm not brilliant, just weird crap happens to me, heh heh. Woo for twins! I've only ever known one set of twins, and they weren't identical, just fraternal. I did however know a set of triplets and I could easily tell them apart XD haha :D But yeah, Live's been put quite through the ringer…and I'm not done with her yet XD oh dear. What can I say, I'm a cruel god. Lol. I'm so glad you like the story, and I'll do my best to keep entertaining:D heh heh. In answer to your question, the story is a bit AU, so, there are some minor discrepancies, but it sort of also follows the book storyline. Hm, not a very good answer…Basically Live's prophecy is just happening at the same time as Harry's with voldemort…I tried to put a bit in about that with this chap :D heh heh…As well as the steamy bits, because hey, you requested it XD Alrighty, well, if I've further confused you, apologies! Just, um, ask me again, and maybe I won't be so scatterbrained XD heh heh :D


	51. All a matter of Training

Hey my loves. I've been running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. This spring: stepping in to help a friend put me back like two weeks, 18 upper-division units is my workload, my radio show tuesdays, trying to secure an internship (hopefully with Universal if not the Emmys…hopefully :p), balancing something akin to a social-life, trying to make sure I get my B.A. in film done by next May, practicing up on my drawin' skills (check my dA, lotsa new fanart :D) and general craziness. Also, my 22nd birthday is march 3rd…So I'm trying to deal with the reality that I'm officially **really **in my 20's, and starting to get oooold. I am not suiting well with this O.O I'd like to make a reservation for the Pity Party, service of one, please.

Have fun. Love me.

The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
by  
FireValkyrie 

Chapter 51: All a matter of Training

The morning was bright, gray, and cold. Live stirred, wondering vaguely why the bed curtains had been left open, and more importantly, why she felt stifled. She blinked slowly, and realized that she'd slept in her bra, which was constricting in itself, but even more so than normal. Upon further investigation, she found George's hand on her breast, beneath the bra, as he slept. She lightly smirked in daze and turned toward him, silently slipping his hand out and wrapping it around her.

She knew it was late, but it was also a weekend; a time fully supportive of her late-sleeping habits. She looked at George silently, hearing his even, rhythmic breathing in sleep, and mildly wondered if they had the dorm to themselves. She softly snaked her hand up his chest to his face, gently cupping his jaw under his neck as she snuggled close. He looked pale, she thought, as well as most assuredly bruised. It alarmed her for a moment until she remembered that it was due to the experimental joke items. She snuggled up close to him as he pulled her to him instinctually in sleep. Listening to the beating of his heart, she fell back to slumber.

sSs

If one looked out the windows of Gryffindor Tower that morning, they would see several things. Most notably being that the grounds of Hogwarts were covered in drifts of snow. It had come strong during the night, and the castle was blanketed in pristine white fluffiness. Another thing one might see would be students playing and frolicking in the white fields, building snowmen and forts, and most markedly that of enchanted snowball fights.

"Think fast Ginny!"

"Ow! _Kara_! That one had an ice-chunk in it!"

"I told you to think fast!"

"You could have told her to watch it, Kara."

"Watch out or you'll be next, Fred!"

"Better a snowball than what she usually ends up getting on us…"

"_LEE_!! CATCH!"

"_OW_!"

"I don't think she meant for you to use your face to catch that, mate…"

"Shut up you wank!"

Ginny and Kara were chucking snowballs at one-another, and then dodging the ones Lee and Fred charmed to chase after them. Several of the snowballs pegged a gaggle of Ravenclaws who had ventured out to see the new landscape without proper snow-wear, and they gave the group of Gryffindors dirty looks. It sent the eclectic bunch back to their proper snow activities, and they set about making snowmen of themselves with perhaps a bit too much enthusiasm.

"Ginny, look! Mine has rainbow hair!" Kara declared happily.

"I think you should try that with your _real_ hair one day," Ginny quipped with a smile. "Oh, hey Kel."

The sixth-year Gryffindor witch was bundled up in bulky clothes under her robes, a scarf wrapped around most of her face, and hat firmly over her head as she approached. She did _not_ do well in the cold.

"What in the world are you doing?" the Metamorphmagus asked.

"Making snow-us's!" Kara said cheerfully. "_See_? Snow-witches!" She gestured proudly to the colorful snow-hair and pile of white she'd formed into something similar to a person. It sat next to another lump that Ginny was currently working on.

"Snow_men_, Kara. Snow_men_," Fred corrected. He gave Kelena an impish grin and winked. "See?" He gestured to the snowman he had made. Lee was laughing on the icy ground, holding his sides at Fred's grand creation that was most _definitely_ a snow-_man_.

"That snowman is _not_ to scale," Kelena spouted with a smarmy look towards Fred. She gave the snowman a disdainful look.

"Yeah, well, snow isn't _that_ flexible…You couldn't possibly expect it to hold up to the truth of reality," he countered with quite a dirty grin. "Let alone the forces of gravity."

"Fred shut up!! I'm gonna have nightmares!"

"You shouldn't be listening to this anyway, Ginny!"

While Ginny mimed poking out her eyes and Kara was grasping her hands over the fourth-year's ears, Kelena waved her wand and Fred's snowman-bits crumbled back to white powder. She turned and trudged back towards the castle while Fred's moans of sympathy for his snow-twin followed behind her.

With Lee's skills of field medic and Fred's reassurances to his snowman that he would indeed be a man once more, they built up several more snow_men_ of proper stature and dealt with Fred's wounded pride in a more creative fashion.

sSs

Live vaguely thought she heard snickering in her sleep, and in dream mumbled for George to quit it. The half-asleep noise came out a muffled "_Kffit_" and she woke herself in murmur. Minutely opening her eyes, she was still relaxed, accepting that she was dreaming an odd dream. That was, until the buckets hovering over the bed emptied themselves in a mix of icy white fluffiness and slush, the frigid mess causing both Live and George to bolt clumsily from the bed with rudely-awakened cries of shock.

Uproarious laughter met their ears as Lee and Fred were bent over in hysterics, wands in hand as they held their sides laughing. George was on one side of the bed, Live on the other, both of them in a state. After near heart-failure, he was the first to start in on them.

"What in the name of Merlin's balls do you think you're doing?!"

Fred and Lee were wiping tears from their eyes. Lee spoke first through snickers. "It's snowing!"

Fred was still bent over laughing, but managed to look up to see the look on his twin's face with grand amusement. "We thought since you were still inside, we'd bring _it_ to _you_!"

"You wanking git!"

Lee was grinning. It was the best idea he'd come up with in a while. The look on George's face was worth it, and only magnified by his thoroughly shocked state. He looked like he hadn't gotten much sleep, and a bit paler than normal, though he supposed that was what happened when one was awakened with the freezing force of nature's icy grace. Lee snickered. "What happened to your face, mate?"

"Go bugger a skrewt!" George spouted, a bit of color coming to his cheeks from wounded pride. He realized the bruise on his face must have shown up more thoroughly in the night. He didn't need a morning reminder of his disgrace.

"Is that what you tried?" Fred inquired of his twin with a wide grin, admiring the shiner on his jaw. He thought George seemed a bit bothered today. In the past he'd woken up to fireworks in the face with a smile, but snow in the bed….Hm. Perhaps Live _had _denied him…Fred then snickered to himself to give Live a glance and a right 'good morning', realizing he'd implied that she was the skrewt George might've tried to charm, only to have the words fall right out of his mouth.

"Dammit Fred and Lee!!" Live shrieked as she found her voice. She was sitting on the cold floor, shaken, in her under things and nothing else, but frankly she didn't care. She was too pissed off to care. Having one's skeleton try to jump out of one's skin from a dead sleep was both disconcerting and uncomfortable. It aggravated the body and set one's nerves to electrical fire. Her hands were still shaking from jumping up, her body not allowed a gradual wake-up. If she hadn't been quite shaken, she might have given them a nod for a prank well-played with extra-points for creativity. But as of now she was quite peeved, having had nothing more than the desire to stay in bed with George all day. That plan was bust. "What the fucking hell were you two thinking?! You think we _want_ a bloody winter wonder-land in the fucking bed?! Are you crazy?! What do you have to say for yourselves?!"

Fred and Lee were both staring at Live, eyes wider than normal, both silent. Her brows knit together in further ire as she stared right back at them with an angry frown. She hadn't exactly taken to full-coverage while normally in the dorm, but if they were staring at her scars….

George's head popped up from the other side of the bed to look at her over the slushy ice-mess that was his bed. His eyes went wide with a half-smirk.

"Boob's out, love."

Live looked down quickly to see that one of her breasts had indeed freed itself from her bra at some point, and Lee and Fred, the pervish males that they were, were just staring with no-doubt silent delight.

"AH!" She shrieked, her hand flying to her breast as the other motioned quickly towards the bed. The buckets that were still hovering above the mattress immediately flew at Fred and Lee with kamikaze vengeance. The two seventh years shrieked in turn as they tried to fight off the traitorous pails, but to no avail. In another moment the buckets were trying to lodge themselves on the boys' heads. Lee was tugging at his as it was already down to his nose, and Fred was using his wand as a pry-bar to keep the metallic pail from further progress.

George was grinning as his dorm-mates shrieked for her to "Please stop!" and "We didn't see a thing!" Live was scrambling up to cover herself in the driest part of the wet sheets as the buckets lost their verve and the two boys quickly dislodged them, flinging them away. Fred turned his into a rat that quickly scurried away. Lee's bucket decided life was no longer worth living and collapsed upon itself until it was smaller than a thimble.

Fred and Lee regarded Live with wary caution. She was powerful, even without a wand, and she was pissed off. She was now standing with George on the other side of the bed, a sheet wrapped fully around her, her cheeks flaming. George was grinning as he retrieved a small vial from near the bed and handed it to her as she shot death-glares behind at the two Gryffindors. She kept her back to them as she popped the cork on the inhibiting liquid and quickly downed it, unable to face them. George kissed her shoulder through the sheet and gave his twin and friend an amused grin.

"And she _likes_ the two of you."

"Remind me never to get on your bad side, Live," Lee muttered. She shot him a glare over her shoulder and he retreated two steps.

"Um…yeah, so…it's snowing," Fred said as if re-stating his business once more. "So…we'll be going, then," he said cautiously, slowly backing away. He _had_ once been on Live's bad side, or at least, her agitated-side. He didn't want to stick around if she decided they deserved proper comeuppance for the snow, let alone seeing her lady-bits. "_Lee_," Fred ground, urging his compatriot to flee. The both of them quickly exited the dorm for safer grounds.

George snickered. Live squeezed her eyes together in discomfort. They'd seen her in her underwear _and_ seen what was under it…She had a right mind to not even bother with clothes anymore out of frustration.

"Don't worry," George said with amusement, his mind off the melting slush-mess of his bed. "They won't say anything…And if they do, I'll trounce them."

"It would be better if it was only a one-time occurrence…And by my count this is Fred's second offense…No thanks to _you_." She shot a frown his way.

He shot her an equal frown, but then he remembered, and laughed. "Oh come on now, not everything about the summer was bad, eh, sweetness?"

"I'm sick of everyone catching peeks at me…All men are bloody pervs…" She huffed with embarrassed annoyance. He kissed her shoulder with a snicker this time and she sighed. She guessed there was nothing to do about it. Hopefully Fred and Lee wouldn't tease her about it, if not out of fear for what she might do to them, then out of respect for George at least. It wasn't friendly to go about telling tales of another's fiancée's breasts.

"If I'd've had my wand, I would've cursed their eyes shut," she woefully lamented. He snickered and wrapped his arms around her. She turned to face him. "I guess I'm glad you left me in this much, at least."

"Mm?"

"You know I don't usually like to sleep in my bra."

George's eyes brightened and he snickered. "Yes. That I do. But you just looked so cute, I didn't want to risk waking you."

"You took my skirt off," she pointed out with a raised brow.

"Yes, but getting your _pants _off is my specialty, so to speak. You hardly moved."

She smiled and sighed. "I was hoping we could stay in bed all day," she told him mournfully. They both gave his bed a cursory look.

"We still could."

She snorted at that idea, seeing the slushy mess. After being froze-awake, what she wanted now was a nice warm shower. Perhaps some breakfast.

George kissed both her cheeks and then her nose, and she hugged him around the waist pleasantly, appreciating the warmth of his body from the cold of the sheet. "Well, this wasn't the way I _wanted_ to wake up."

George snickered a bit as he held her against his body. "But since we're already up…"

"_You_ are," she said with a giggle as she wiggled against him. He chuckled and slid his hands down her back to cup her bottom. She smirked and placed her hands on either side of his face, pressing her lips against his. He kissed her back, but a hiss stopped her progress. She delicately traced a finger over his bruised jaw. He gave her a cocky grin, not discouraged.

"Hey George…" Live started reticently.

He fixed her with a very-interested look. "Huh?"

"_How_ did you get that bruise?"

His look of interest turned to mild surprise. "Oh, Fred and Lee--"

"Asked you how you got it," she interrupted guiltily for the accusation in her voice, looking at him with concern.

He regarded her fretful look with lament. Her green eyes were deep with concern, thoughtful and worried. He knew what she must be thinking. She knew he'd lied to her, and that she was having a lot of trouble saying as much. He knew she didn't want to accuse him. Her face was an open book. And now she was wondering _why_ he'd lied, and what he was covering up. Though her lack of anger rather bothered him.

"Putterly," he uttered on a deep sigh, not meeting her eyes.

She made a noise of scoffing disbelief. And not that he and Putterly had fought. Frankly, she wasn't surprised. But she _was_ surprised that Putterly had gotten in such a good hit and left such a bruise. Truthfully, she fancied George as the stronger fighter. "What?"

"He said that I couldn't protect you good. That anyone could just off and take you if they got half a mind to do so with _me_ about. So I socked him one, and he socked me back." He didn't mention that the bruise on his chin was the result of Putterly getting the one-up and cursing him. Nor did he mention that he had lost that specific encounter. Woefully lost. He fully planned to resettle the matter with Putterly personally. Blow for blow.

George thought on the moment of his shameful loss. Putterly had been a bit too fast, gotten lucky. Putting that curse on him had been the worst of it. Facedown on the ground, he'd been paralyzed, unable even to grasp his wand. The Slytherin had grabbed him by the hair to look him in the face. And George had been helpless to do anything but stare at him with ire.

"Your time playing cock of the walk won't last forever, Weasley. You might talk the talk, but you can't walk the walk. I'm actually surprised by just how weak you really are," he'd said, his voice not without a tone of actual surprise.

George couldn't yell at him. Couldn't move. The only indication that he processed what Putterly was saying was that his face had turned a shade of furious red.

"You forget your place, Weasley," Putterly had said, forcefully dropping George's head. The Gryffindor could only listen, fuming and trying to fight the curse he was under while his nose was in the cold dirt. He had once wondered what a Slytherin like Putterly would ever do if he got a Gryffindor completely defenseless. And he was quick to find out.

He heard Putterly cast a spell and a moment later George was on his feet, though just as limp and paralyzed as he'd been on the ground. Putterly was before him rolling up his sleeves with a look of grim determination. He'd held his wand in one hand, and the other he firmly ploughed into George's stomach. The blow hadn't hurt as much as it had taken his breath away, and George couldn't even cough or double over to catch it.

"Remember this when you try to stand up to your betters," Putterly had started as he wound up for another blow, this time punching George square in the jaw. The blow had knocked George to his feet, and once again, he was lying on his belly on the ground, this time his jaw in acute pain. Putterly had put his foot under George's stomach and turned him so the Gryffindor's face was looking up at him. Putterly smirked down at him. "You'll only end up at my feet, Weasley. You might want to get used to the view, and keep that in mind. You and the rest of your Gryffindor rabble."

It had been clear that he wasn't finished with whatever he had planned to do with George, but the sound of voices in the corridor flanking the dark courtyard had prompted him to leave. But not without giving George a smirk and something to think about. His foot to George's side had caused the Gryffindor more fury than pain, and he'd left with a smarmy tone of aggravation, no doubt because his fun was being cut short.

"_Don't forget your place, Weasley_."

"George?" Live asked, touching his arm. His succinctness bothered her.

He blinked and looked at her, brought back from his thoughts. She was lightly frowning in concern, eyes looking him over in worry and speculation. He forced a smile to his no doubt haunted features. "I'm alright, of course," he told her.

A light, unconvinced smile tugged at her lips, but she was worried for him. He looked quite worn. It occurred to her that he hadn't gotten much sleep, which would explain why their bed curtains had been drawn when she had woken, and why he had left her in her bra. Usually he would close them and settle in next to her and thusly ensuring a good morning 'activities'. But knowing how much he hated Putterly, and the fact that the git had apparently gotten in quite a good punch…Well, he must not have been able to sleep very well at all.

"Are you really?" she asked after a moment.

His eyes looked dark, but he smiled at her and kissed her. "I'm fine, I swear."

"Don't fight anymore, please George?"

The frown he wore turned to a smile. "It's nothing, sweetness. I promise."

"If something happened to you that I was somehow the cause of--"

"My pride is hurt more than I am," he said with a somewhat-forced smile, stroking her cheek with his thumb to convince her. "Don't you worry about it, alright?"

She gently ran her finger over his jaw before she kissed his chin. "Alright…"

He gave her a half-amused look and let her out of his arms. He wondered if she suspected more to his story. He hoped she didn't. He felt like he was lying, though technically he wasn't. And he didn't want her to think any less of him for any of it. He felt as if losing to that Slytherin prick was somehow letting her down. And that was something he never wanted to do.

"I'm freezing…" Live muttered as she trailed into the bathroom for a nice hot shower. The water was warm and the bathroom steamy when she peered back into the dorm room with a quirked look. Her face peeking out caught George's attention, and she looked at him expectantly. "Are you coming?"

He gave her a delightedly wolfish grin and quickly joined her.

sSs

"And that's when I told him _not_ to stick it there."

"That's disgusting."

"Because it's all a matter of training them. And even _if_ I do happen to enjoy it-"

"I will not be able to keep my food down if you don't stop."

"-it's all about being the one in charge. Even if he _does_ think it's him. It's all about mind games and getting what you want…"

Live grimaced into her bowl of thick soup. She regretted listening in to the brunettes eating dinner to her right at the Slytherin table in the Great Hall. She wouldn't be able to finish dinner, not that she'd really started anyway.

She was beginning to get bored waiting for Vivian and Rebecca. The time she had decided to divide among her final moments with her friends was somewhat of an importance to her, being that she had reserved the night for the Slytherins specifically, and tomorrow would be spent imparting a few wisdoms and whatnot to Kara, and maybe setting Kelena straight on a few rather _interesting_ rumors she'd been hearing about the Metamorphmagus and one of the girls on the Hufflepuff quidditch team…If they turned out to be true.

Live sighed and stirred the soup she was no longer interesting in eating. She swore she'd begin wicked wicked things if Becca at least didn't hurry her ass up. _That_ girl usually kept her appointments if she could help it. She looked up to peer at the entrance to the Great Hall. No Vivian either. Well, that was no surprise. Pucey was nowhere to be found either. Hmph. No doubt in cahoots. She swirled the spoon in her soup with boredom. At least she wasn't being bothered or harassed. Putterly wasn't at the dinner table. Malfoy was though. Prat. There was a distraction she could do without. She looked up again to almost shriek at the grinning blonde face in her own.

"Hey Live!"

"Holy shit, Kara, are you crazy?"

"Sometimes I wonder the same thing about you," she said with an honest smile. Live rolled her eyes and looked around. Still no sign of her friends…namely to save her from her little sister. And Kara's Gryffindor appearance was causing a bit of interest, even if it was just her sister. "You know the room actually gets like ten degrees colder when you cross to the Slytherin side?" Kara asked with observation.

"Did _you_ know that the room gets ten points dumber when _you_ cross it?" Live snarked right back.

Kara gave an absentminded smile and a fling of her hair in brushing off her sister's statement. Live rolled her eyes.

"What is it?"

"Why aren't you eating with George? You didn't have a fight, did you? Because me and Ginny _will_ be official sisters even if we have to march the two of you down the aisle at wand point."

Live groaned. "As much as your concern for mine and George's affairs do touch me _so_ deeply," she said with extra sarcasm, "it might do you good to know that he's just hanging out with the guys, you nosy prat."

Kara looked thoughtfully pensive for a moment, then gave a little shake of her brilliantly-blonde head. "Are you gonna contribute to our jokery sooner rather than later?"

Live was at least grateful for a distraction from her boredom, even if it was under Kara's interrogative eyes. "Hm? Your candy bombs and tarts not flying fast enough off the shelves?"

Kara ignored her. "You were _supposed_ to be regularly contributing to this nonsense. I haven't gotten anything useful out of you since that portable bondage set."

Live's eyes widened. "Kara I swear to god if you've been going through my things again…" Kara only grinned. "For the last damn time, _MY_ stuff is not free for merchandising! And I don't _own_ bondage stuff!!"

"Own, rent, borrow…Frankly I don't care…or want to know." She gave her older sister a disturbed look. Live narrowed her eyes at the fifth year but it didn't deter Kara. "Well, will you help me out then?"

Live felt a headache coming on. "I'll see you late tonight or sometime early tomorrow, alright?"

"Promise?"

"Sure. Just…Regardless of the time of day, _knock _before you enter the dorm."

Kara snorted. "Please. With all that Ron swears he's seen the two of you doing in the hallways, I'll send a footman ahead with a notice of my pending arrival."

Live grinned as her sister took her leave with satisfaction and sat back nonchalantly at the Gryffindor table between two Gryffindors Live didn't know. The Slytherin poked at her food, fast losing interest in the meal. She looked back at the hall entrance. Nope. Becca wasn't present anywhere. And there was only so long she could sit and feign interest in the things around her. Live sighed. She looked up at the professor's table. Snape wasn't present either. Well, that was conducive to staving off her boredom, at least…

She readied her wand under the large table and glanced down, mentally prepping the spells that would locate and lock-on to her target of choice without hitting those close by. She concentrated hard and grinned, knowing the magic of the inhibiting potion she took that morning would be severely lessened at this time of day, and that her magic would be in top-condition. With a grin, she cast the spell of choice by repeating it softly in her mind: _Mortuua Gran_.

At the end of the Slytherin table she watched and waited. Nothing happened. She wondered if she had cast it wrong, or if her magic maybe lost its way, when Malfoy started to twitch in his seat. A grin tugged at her lips as she watched, and immediately sought out the faces of those in the near vicinity who would be at ground zero.

The platinum-haired ferret doubled over. Crabbe and Goyle looked at him with concern, when the sixth-year Slytherin grabbed each of them with a hand and moaned loudly.

The noise, which he had tried to stifle, had garnered little attention, but then he moaned again, louder, and it gathered many eyes. Some of those eyes showed concern at the moans, but as it became apparent that they weren't exactly moans of _pain_, the looks on the faces of the dining patrons quickly turned to horrified, shocked disgust. And Malfoy only got louder and louder.

Crabbe and Goyle tried desperately to disentangle themselves from Malfoy as he moaned obscenely and writhed in the spot he sat. Spoons and forks fell from the table with delicate clangs, and the table itself was bumped hard enough in their tussle that glasses fell over. Some students were catcalling with minor confusion, others making quite obscene observations, and yet more just looking green over their dinner with abject horror.

After about two minutes of Malfoy's moans and shouts of "Oh God!", McGonagall appeared like some saintly being to take the spectacle away from the dining room and out of their sights- though no doubt it was a sight they wouldn't be forgetting for a very long time. Getting him up from the table was an ordeal in itself. There were gasps and snickering over the quite unimpressive, though still noticeable, lump presenting itself from the front of his trousers, as well as the fact that- to the eyes of the younger, more innocent years- he had pissed himself.

McGonagall refused to touch him outright as he merely grabbed out and groped at anyone near him (causing shrieks from some younger year Slytherins) and the Head of Gryffindor commanded Crabbe and Goyle to each take an arm and haul their friend after her. She informed them that they were to follow her quickly while she, _quite necessarily_, cleared the way for them (and thus keeping herself away from Malfoy's _unusual_ predicament).

Crabbe and Goyle had both outright refused several times over, but for the sake of their dignity and for the fact that Malfoy was apparently aware of what was happening and ordered them to get him the hell out of there, they quickly removed him from the hall. It was a long while before the echoes of his moans and exaltations were dead from the ears of those brave souls who remained.

The Great Hall was a flurry of movement. Students were rushing to spread the gossip, some penning letters, others clamping hands over their mouths to keep their dinner where it belonged. And the whole time Live only sat with a smug, wicked grin on her face and self-satisfaction that he had been duly embarrassed and in front of far too many eyes. Now she was certain: that spell had propensity to be dangerous…But if properly utilized, it could successfully ruin one's reputation in less than a minute.

She pushed her dinner away from her and flounced up from her seat. Becca wouldn't be _this_ late, and no doubt she'd find her in their dorm. Besides, within the Slytherin commons there were a few things she needed to get in order. And with Malfoy and his lackeys _completely _out of the way, she traversed the castle halls and dungeons without nary a worry in her head.

sSs

Tap.

Tap tap.

Tap tap _Knock_.

"George? Oi, is it safe to come in?"

"Lee?"

Lee slowly cracked the dorm room door and poked his head into the room, a bit at first, and then enough to peer in. George grinned at him from the center of his bed, papers strewn about and a purple fluff ball happily hopping about on the spread. His grin grew wider when Fred's face appeared above Lee's, scanning the room before forcing Lee out of the way and entering the dorm.

"Safe, eh?" Fred asked, still a bit wary of Live since that morning. They'd been avoiding her like the plague.

"She's not here," George told them with an amused grin. He caught Henry mid-bounce and stopped the little puffskein's progress over his item sheets. He deposited the fluffball on a pillow.

"Where's your lovey-dovey lovey?" Fred asked, peering in the bathroom door to really make sure she wasn't lurking about.

"Visiting her Slytherin girlfriends," George replied with a smirk.

Lee raised a brow before plopping down on his bed. "Sexy."

George coughed heavily into his robes sleeve with a laugh.

"Oi mate, that sounds nasty," Fred told his twin with a wrinkle of his nose. He sat on Lee's bed with the other boy, still looking over his shoulder just in case. "Angelina'll have a fit if you keel over during practice tomorrow."

"Yeah…Sniff up a pixie or something?" Lee jibed with a grin. "Because I'm not qualified to fix _that_."

George gave them both grins. "Guess I'm getting a bit sick…of your two ugly mugs," he said with an offhanded laugh, earning pillows aimed at his face. "Oi watch it! You almost nailed Henry! Live would _kill_ me!!"

"Eh, they're tough," Fred said resiliently. "A lot more hardy than _you_," he added with a grin, launching another pillow towards his twin's face.

"Speaking of which," Lee started, "Hagrid's ready for us to come pick up the next litter."

"When does he want us to get them?" George asked, chucking the pillow back at Fred.

"Whenever. He said no hurry. He enjoys having them all," Lee reported with a grin. "I think we ought to make him the official Wheezes breeder. The colors of _these _pygmy puffs are even more brilliant than the last litter. We could easily charge double."

"Great! Because we have got one _hell _of a waiting list for these critters, you know," George told them, holding up a rather long piece of parchment. "And there's still the regular other joke-items orders. Kara's been bringing us almost too much business!" he laughed.

"I'm telling you, we need to think expansion!" Fred said emphatically, pounding his fist into his hand with verve. "And I've still got to put my duties as wedding magistrate first! I've become an overnight sensation!"

Lee snickered and looked to George. "Have you seen the getup he wears for those ceremonies? Pink pointy hat, magenta and gold robes…that sparkly thing he took from Kelena…Not to mention all those accessories…you git." They snickered.

"Fred," George began, a great grin fighting to break through his somber expression, "is there something you want to tell us? Something that runs deeper than just procuring business and performing these ceremonies?" He started to smirk, though he held his tone steady, grinning as Fred gave him a look. "We could talk about it someplace more comfortable if you want….Namely the closet."

Lee started guffawing loudly, earning a pillow in the face from Fred.

"Bugger off you wank. I'm bringing you along as my assistant next time…And _I_ decide the official ceremonial robes you'll be wearing. I'm thinking something with a frill."

Lee fought his way out of the pillow Fred was holding over his face, and informed with laughter, "He just pilfered a bunch more stuff from Kelena's room today!"

George was snickering at his twin and Fred gave him a look daring him to say something on the matter. George only grinned. "Too easy."

Fred's stomach growled, and he let Lee up from being smothered. "Hmph. I'm hungry. Let's get some eats."

sSs

Live was riffling through her items in her dorm room. She was pulling things from drawers and placing them into a bag she planned to shrink later, leaving odds and ends in her trunk for storage.

In her bureau drawer she came across her notes and the perfume bottle that the original formula for anti-apparating spray had been contained in. A sort of dismal smile graced her face. This was a branch of her work she'd have to put on indefinite hold if she ran away with George. She couldn't safely be experimenting with potions while they were on the run, and she very well couldn't present her findings to any potions boards while in hiding. She had a lot of hope for this project. She bit her lip and threw it in her 'taking with' pile with consideration to maybe leave it for Kara, teach her the recipe, and let her have it at her disposal.

She was going through a stock of potions ingredients when the door to the dorm came open with full enthusiasm.

"Hey Live! Here you are! I've been looking all over for you!" Becca rushed into the room. She looked a bit unkempt, a testament to the fact that she had indeed been looking for her friend. And Live supposed why.

"You never met me at dinner," the blonde pointed out. "You or Viv. Though at least Viv was probably off shagging Pucey somewhere…_That's_ redeemable at least…"

Becca's face reddened a bit. "Sorry. I got a bit tied up. But have you heard? What happened to Malfoy?"

"Oh?" Live asked, a smile threatening to form on her lips. "What is that?" she said with complete nonchalance.

"Hello my loves!" Vivian announced as she strolled in through the open door. "Are we open for business then?"

"Ha Ha. For the last time, Viv, the three of us are not setting up our own brothel."

"Oh you're no fun," Vivian said as she stuck a tongue out at them. She toed the door closed and then flopped down on one of their beds. "So, did you hear about what happened to Malfoy?"

"I was just telling her about it, actually," Becca said.

"Oh! Were you there?" Vivian said with peaked interest.

"Thankfully, no."

"Hm. I wasn't either. Too busy with fun of my own," she said giving them both a wink.

"Fun is just another word for Pucey."

"Deliciously so," Vivian agreed.

Becca rolled her eyes. "As I was saying, I heard the nastiest rumors about Malfoy…And I mean in the dirty way…He will _never_ live this down."

Vivian was giggling. "_I_ was leaving the hospital wing when they brought him in…"

Live raised a brow. "What were you doing there? Are you alright? You ill or something?"

"No, just picking up a Non-Incipere potion." She gave the other two Slytherins a wicked leer.

"I thought Pucey made them for you two," Rebecca recalled.

"Well he can only make so much! And it was absolutely _necessary_ for me to have it!! We got things going and well-- I _needed _it! Quick giving me that look."

Rebecca and Live gave her blank, silent stares. Live was the first to speak. "Don't those last twenty-four hours?"

Her response was Vivian's wicked smile.

"You are positively a sex-fiend, Vivvie," Becca reported.

"Don't be jealous," she said with a smirk, causing Becca's cheeks to redden. The other girl turned her attention from her over-sexed friend.

"As I was saying," Becca began, "Apparently Malfoy was having a go at himself in the Great Hall! Right in the middle of dinner under the table!"

"And he, oh no, it's too gross…" Vivian said with disgusted snickers.

Becca looked gleeful for Malfoy's disgrace. "Apparently he was all over his mates, moaning through the halls…And he even tried to accost McGonagall! Can you imagine? The Head of Gryffindor!" She giggled before gagging herself with disgust.

"And Madam Pomfrey, too!" Vivian put in through giggles. "When I went in the hospital wing, it was so…wrong! He was squirming around--"

"Okay, we do not need descriptive verbs, Vivian," Becca said.

"--and he was making all these noises and you shoulda seen his pants!"

"Alright, Vivian, really. I'm gonna throw up what little dinner I was able to have," Becca said.

"And he couldn't stop orgasming for half an hour--!"

"Vivian!!" the other two girls squealed with horrific disgust.

"He couldn't! And he was totally dehydrated by the end of it all," Vivian informed with a dutiful nod. "Madam Pomfrey had to practically force the water down his mouth just to get him through it! I never thought about it before, but you could probably die from that," she said with giggles. "Not the worst way to go, though."

Live was rolling in disgusted laughter. She gave her friends a very obvious, credit-taking look covering one of very-real malice. "Guess that'll teach him not to use sex as a weapon, eh?"

The other two girls stopped and blinked. Their faces held something akin to awe and disbelief.

"No way, Live. Just, no way. _You _were responsible for it?! That's…well, one, it's gross because, I mean, you _were_ the one responsible for making him c--"

"Vivian for fuck's sake!"

Said witch snickered. "Alright alright, let's get away from that subject…_But_, and this is a big 'but' considering the nasty circumstances, it's also hilarious. As well as ironic retribution." She gave Live an inclined bow of the head in approval. "_And_ you should hear the things they're already calling him…Absolutely revolting, even _I_ won't repeat it…Is it a curse?"

"Experimental…" Live said with a shrug. "It seemed a bit dangerous compared to the lesser spell…I thought, of all the people, of all the places to test it…everything was just too perfect, and I was freaking bored waiting for you two."

"Where'd you learn something like _that_?" Becca asked with surprise, ignoring her chastisement. "Let alone cast it in a room full of people."

Live grinned to herself in wickedness. "I can do anything I put my mind to…You know that Becca." She gave them an innocent smile. "I found that little spell in that really old book by Madam Honeycut. The one that's in the secret library here in the dungeons."

"You mean that hollowed-out stone alcove with all the smutty books? The one the older girls showed us when we were sorted?"

Live gave them a snarky grin. "You should see it. The book's definitely seen better days."

"Are you talking about that dirty fetish book?" Vivian inquired. Both other girls gave her a look of surprise. "Yes yes, I read fetish books. Though why you're surprised I don't know."

"Well…yeah, it was from that fetish book."

"Well be careful with that book, Live," Vivian advised, settling herself with a serious air on the bed. "I mean if you're going to use it for you and George…" she added with a quick smirk before giving her another serious look. "Some of the spells in there are for more…_interesting_ tastes…BDSM spells and all that. Dangerous if you don't know what you're doing, or if you cast it wrong."

"What, did you memorize the bloody book?" Rebecca asked with somewhat serious tone.

"Oh please," Vivian started with a dismissing look. "I memorized that thing back in third year. And some of those spells are really addictive."

"You _would _know," Becca teased as she stuck out her tongue with mock distaste. "Havin' a go at yourself all the time and all." She and Live laughed, though Vivian was quick to backlash.

"Oi you bints, I have Pucey to take care of any needs and urges that strike _me_!" she declared. She gave Live a lesser judgmental look. "Well, you've got George at least…." She turned her attention back to Becca, ready for full-spurred teasing. "Becca, _you _must be _well_-versed in the skills of self-_refinement_."

"Go bugger a troll!" Rebecca spouted back with a slight blush. "Oh wait, I forgot, you're _already_ sleeping with Pucey." Vivian let out a shriek of indignation as Becca and Live raucously laughed, Live separating the two of them as it appeared that Vivian decided to turn matters physical.

"Hey, you deserved it, Viv," Live said with a wide grin and a laugh. Then she turned to Becca. "And I think _you're _just jealous."

They giggled at one another, not really peeved. It had been a while since they had last been together in their dorm. Vivian spent far too much time in Pucey's dorm (even if it _was_ time well-spent), and Live was always with George, leaving the dorm to Becca and her own machinations. They'd been out of touch for too long.

"Well, regardless of any of that," Rebecca said with a slight sniff of indignation, "I must congratulate you on the legendary-quality of a curse well-spent, Live. Bravo."

Live smirked and took a little bow of gratitude. "That asshole deserves way worse, but I don't think _anything_ could have ruined his reputation worse than that…In front of teachers, too. When I think of anything better, I'll do that next."

Vivian giggled. "It _was_ pretty brutal. I think the people who use that spell in the bedroom must have a _really_ hard time of it otherwise. I mean, I think it's safe to say Malfoy would be a raisin without Pomfrey having force-fed him water. Good thing you didn't experiment with it on your self…" She gave Live a teasing look, and then raised an eyebrow. "You _didn't_, right?"

"Oh shut up, Viv," Live said with a smirk, dropping a bottle into her pile on her bed.

"What're you doing? Cleaning?" Vivian asked.

"She's packing," Becca noticed.

"Packing?" Vivian questioned. Live felt a thrill of alarm go up her spine. "What're you packing for?"

"You're not _really_ gonna move into the Gryffindor tower, are you?" Becca asked in a self-informed tone. "I know you're engaged and all, but really, it _is_ Gryffindor Tower."

Live inwardly sighed with relief. Becca assumed she was 'moving in' with George. That was fine. As long as she didn't draw the real conclusion, it was utterly fine.

"I spend enough time there already, Becca, without worrying if you bints are nicking my nicer clothes or not," she teased. "Or sabotaging my panties. This is just safer."

"That was only once back in fifth year, and we apologized," Becca noted with a grin.

"And otherwise, you don't have anything _fun_ to nick…" Vivian pointed out. "Kara's already been through here once."

"God I hope you're kidding," Live said, firmly planting palm to face.

"I caught her in here one night…Not sure what she was doing at first…But then Parkinson's hair was pink the next day, so I never complained. That slag has been riding my last nerve, I swear," Becca informed.

Live let out a sigh. She was right to tell Kara to stay out of her things…That girl could get into anywhere if she really put her mind to it. Sorting through superfluous potions items, Live huffed. "Fuck. I'm out of ingredients. Either of you got any scarab beetles I could borrow? Ground flower petals? Shit, I'm completely out of everything. I'll pay ya back, I promise."

"Sorry," Becca said. "I don't have as wide as variety as you, Live. Actually, I don't think many people do." She grinned.

"I might have some dried rose petals," Vivian volunteered with a self-satisfied smirk. "Pucey really delivers."

Live looked at her stuff, ignoring Vivian's sass. "Damn, no, I don't need rose petals. Orange flowers and hibiscus."

"Maybe you could put in an order at Hogsmede? It _is_ a weekend."

"No, I can't wait for that."

"What're you making that can't wait?"

Live's eyes widened a bit. Were her friends always so inquisitive? She sighed. Knowing an answer of 'nothing' would only get more questions, she decided to tell them what they probably wanted to hear, instead of the truth that she was stocking up for her and George's exodus from Hogwarts. "Sex-things."

"Oooh, that's understandable," Vivian said solemnly.

"It's hard for me to wonder what kind of sex-potions you and George would really need…You aren't even doing it yet, are you?"

"Oh really now, Becca, you know I like to be prepared," Live said with a slight smirk.

Vivian gave Live a contemplative look, eyeing her heavy outer robes and the light sweater she was wearing beneath them. "You're not pregnant, are you?"

Live shrugged with a sigh, not bothering looking at them from her business in her bureau. Honestly, if she wasn't shagging George crazy already, surely she must be carrying his child. Did her friends have nothing better to think about? "Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. I'm two months along. We're even working on transfiguring Lee's bed into a crib and Fred's into a pram. And we're making McGonagall the godmother and, why the hell not, Snape can be the godfather." She turned her head to look over her shoulder at her two Slytherin dorm mates. Their faces were blanched and their eyes were wide. Live rolled her eyes to the sky, wondering what had happened to her friends' brains.

"Are…You _are_ kidding, right?"

"Oh for fuck's sake, Vivian," Live said, turning and putting her hands on her hips.

"Yeah," Rebecca said seriously, turning to Vivian. "She wouldn't _really _make _McGonagall_ godmother without considering us first. And I don't even want to know your reasoning for Snape…"

Live closed her eyes, praying for inner peace. She could feel a throbbing in her temple. "For the last damn time, I am _not_ pregnant." She fixed them both with glares. "Are you calling me fat or something?"

Vivian and Rebecca both looked minorly relieved. "No no! We just, well…What's the deal with all the bulky sweaters?"

Live frowned. "I don't know if you've looked outside lately, genius, but it _is_ freezing. Some people don't grow a furry coat like you for the winter."

Vivian let loose a squawk of indignation at that.

"Well, you _can_ get considerably hairy when you don't have a boyfriend to impress…" Becca pointed out. "I've seen your gorilla legs, Viv."

"Alright that's it! I'm subscribing to get that formula advertised in Witch Weekly! And if you bints say anything about that one time _any_more…"

Rebecca giggled.

Live sighed. Well, at least they were at one-another's throats…It warmed her heart. She'd missed this. Unless she'd actually pissed Vivian off…She hoped she didn't.

"Dammit…I really need scarab beetles…And those take weeks to clear."

"Oh! You know who has a wide stock of ingredients?" Vivian piped up with a smile. Well, at least she wasn't _really_ mad.

"There is no way I'm stealing from our head of house, Viv."

The other sixth-year rolled her eyes. "No, not Snape…And he _would _know what you were making if you asked _him_ for stuff. And whatever sex-things you're making…Well, yeah, think about it."

"Oh god," Live muttered at the horror of the idea.

"Putterly!" Vivian spouted brightly. Live gave her a withering look. "What? He has a shitload of stuff. Even though he's not that good at potions, he's got all the best. Probably has extra stuff too since he doesn't brew much outside of class. Comes from those smarmy relatives of his. McVaken's always saying that they could brew anything with Putterly's supply."

Live raised a brow. "Just what have you been doing with McVaken, Vivvie?"

Said girl rolled her eyes. "Oh shove a broomstick in it."

Becca smirked. "Hm, she's got a point though," Becca intoned. "He _does_ have a big stock. And I wouldn't count on trying to get stuff from Snape, anyway. _He _left the castle earlier today. Saw him this morning."

That struck a note in Live. She worried if Snape had a spy mission to go on, and if so, if she would be part of anything they might discuss….She worried over Voldemort's actions. But Snape wouldn't allow anything necessary to come without her knowledge. She believed that much. He'd said as much that Voldemort wouldn't give her _too _much thought if she was just smart. She tried to put it from her mind. She sighed.

"I can't ask Putterly for stuff."

"Why not? I know he's an arse, but he seems to like _you_ enough," Vivian pointed out. "Probably give you anything you'd ever want."

Live sighed again. "He and George have been fighting again."

"Oh drat," Becca said.

"And it would be too awkward, not to mention, I feel like it'd be betraying George, asking _him_. Putterly's just been too much of a prick lately. I can't ask him." She grimaced at the thought of George's chin. She didn't know what Putterly looked like. She thought better of it to keep it that way as he was no-doubt far more bruised up than George.

"Let's just go nick some," Vivian said with a smile.

"You couldn't _pay_ me to steal from Snape," Live said point blank.

"I didn't mean him, I meant Putterly. I know where he keeps his supplies. Let's just go take some."

"Vivian, again, I think we'd like to know how you know so much about--"

"I've done some things I'm not too proud of," she said with a sort of grin. She laughed. "Alright, alright, McVaken's always had a crush on me…I've exploited it to get notes and quills and sometimes the sweetmeats his mother sends him. And I know which trunk is _Putterly's _'cause McVaken's 'borrowed' me some of his ingredients before." Live was frowning. "Do you know how expensive Graphorn fluid is? And all the forms you have to fill out to get it? Really, it was just _easier_ at the time. Come on. It'll be just as easy now. It's not _really_ stealing. It's just extended borrowing."

Live rolled her eyes, but she supposed there wasn't much other choice. She did rather need those ingredients quite badly. There were just some things you couldn't get within a weekend's notice from the Apothecary in Hogsmede, and some of the things were especially expensive outside of season. And she needed things like deus berries and arborvitae leaves for powerful healing potions that would be smart to bring along with them. She just hoped Putterly's stash would have them.

Live looked at Vivian and Rebecca with determination. "Alright…Do you know if they're at their dorm or not?"

"One way to find out!" Vivian said, hopping up from her bed. She grabbed Becca with one arm, and reached for Live with the other. The blonde quickly ducked out of her reach.

"Vivian! I can't just go with to see."

"Alright you ninny, I'll go check," she said, releasing Becca as the other sixth year was threatening to bite if she didn't let go. "Be right back." She gave a flick of her hair and flounced out the door, leaving Live and Becca to look at one another.

"She didn't _really_ do anything dirty with McVaken, did she?" Live asked with raised brow.

Rebecca shrugged. "Anything's possible since before Pucey came along…Though I'd rather hope she was just joking," she said with a smirk.

"Alriiiight," Vivian called before she stuck her head back in their dorm several moments later. She was wearing a self-satisfied smirk. "McVaken couldn't open the door fast enough….but Putterly's not home, so it should be fine."

Live sighed, and with a look to Becca, they both got up and followed Vivian down the hall to the boy's dorm, their footsteps echoing slightly off the stone. Vivian was chattering quietly about how easy it was to charm the boy into letting them take whatever they wanted, even if it wasn't _his_ to give, when Live suddenly felt very dizzy.

A sudden haze filled her vision as she found herself suddenly back on top of a dirt hill, sky hazed red and filled with black smoke. She looked out over the hill to find herself quite alone, but as she turned, she found the young man she had seen here before upon the ground, and he appeared to be dead. Her hands went to her mouth as she saw a bit a ways from him the odd woman who had replaced him in her most recent vision. Shock filled her as she tried to take in as much as she could from the scene, knowing this time where she was and that she was being warned by someone or something _about_ something she still didn't quite get. And she had every inkling that it had everything to do with the prophecy.

She ran down the hill away from the bodies, towards the smoldering ruins of wood and stone buildings, through them to see what she could.

As soon as she reached the flat terrain, the vision ended as abruptly as it had started. She blinked a few times to find herself still in the Slytherin hallway, stopped where she had paused in progression. Vivian and Rebecca were both looking at her expectantly, and Becca was waving her hand in front of Live's face.

"-to Live, you there Live?"

"What?" Live asked, blinking.

Vivian shook her head. "I told you she's just being a ninny." She looked at Live. "I promise it's nothing to worry about, Live. Just a few 'borrowed' potions ingredients between friends, yes? Nothing to get your knickers in a twist over. Now come _on_."

Live nodded as her friends still gave her minorly concerned looks. Had she momentarily blanked out? Apparently it wasn't as bad or noticeable as most times when it happened. She shook it off and they went on to enter the open door on their left. She filed the information she had seen away, reminding herself to tell George, if not relate it to Dumbledore as the scene she had seen had changed again. Whatever was going on, she was certain it couldn't be good.

Live took a few calming breaths before she entered the room after Vivian and Becca. There was an acrid smell and a light, wafting sort of smoke in the room. Either McVaken was brewing something, or he was smoking one hell of a nasty cigar. Either way, she couldn't spot either within immediate sight.

"So, what can I do for you?" McVaken asked Vivian eagerly.

"Oh, we just need to borrow a few things for potions class. And I know your pal Putterly has more than enough overstock…"

"Yeah, where _is_ he?" Becca asked, fishing to see how much time they had to nick things.

"He's in the hospital wing. Been there all day," McVaken said nonchalantly.

Shit, Live thought. George _must_ have done a serious number on Putterly then. 

"Oh dear, anything serious?" Vivian asked. She hadn't seen the seventh year when she'd been there earlier. Then again, Malfoy's little problem did tend to take one's eyes off of the immediate surroundings.

"I don't think so. He just got cursed in the back. He'll be alright, but he won't be up and about for another day, at least. Really nasty one, too."

"Who did it?" Live asked with a bit of relief, knowing George wasn't one to curse a guy in the back, regardless of how much he might hate him.

"How should I know? It was in the _back_, remember? Anyways, what can I do for ya?" he asked eagerly of Vivian.

Live felt a bit guilty that they were stealing from Putterly's stores now, but Vivian seemed all the more confident. "Well, we need some rather hard-to-find things…I know Putterly's got 'em."

"Oh go right ahead!" McVaken volunteered with a grin, going to Putterly's trunk to open it. "He won't mind!"

Live gave a wry grin at his easiness. Vivian just had that affect on some men. And with the charming smile she was giving him, Live was more than certain they could make off with the entire contents of the room should the feeling take them.

McVaken was all smiles at Vivian while the other girls looked around. He asked Vivian what she needed, and Vivian in turn asked Live.

"Oh, well, it's a rather odd assortment…" she replied. "Some of it's expensive."

Vivian lifted her brows in encouragement while a crafty, closed-lipped smile graced her face. "_Anything_," she whispered.

Encouraged, Live listed off the items she needed, and Vivian parroted them back to McVaken. The seventh year Slytherin got to his knees beside the bed they assumed to be Putterly's and pulled a small trunk out from under it. He unlatched it and sifted through packets, bottles, vials, and sachets as he tried to locate the best and freshest of each item.

Overall, their dormitory was one of eclectic order. One side of the room was messy, the other a bit too neat, though everything seemed to be in order, it was still chaotic. It was a typical boys room, perhaps in many ways similar to George's dorm in that there were haphazard things lying about everywhere with lack of consideration.

There was a jar of leeches on one of the bureaus aside what looked like nasty old mottled paper. Clothes were in a general pile on the floor. A mess, but still an 'orderly' pile. It didn't appear as if they shared the dorm with anyone else. The other bed in the room was obscenely clean, though there were books and papers littering the spread, and small boxes aside that. Live supposed that the house elves kept everything clean aside from regular use or not.

The 'clink-clink's of bottles as McVaken was sorting through the trunk was the only noise in the room as the girls stood around. Becca was making a sort of amused, yet sickened face, and motioned with her head to a pair of boxers laying on the floor a bit aways. Live nearly bust out laughing, and Vivian was quietly hushing them both up with a series of waves and sour looks from behind McVaken.

Live snickered and had to turn away. Rebecca was grinning, and also busied herself at further taking in the atmosphere. Live took her own time examining the room, trying to get the image of the more-than-likely-_used_ boxer shorts on the floor out of her mind. She found a picture on the bureau with the jar of leeches, and picked it up to have a look. It disturbed some dead flies she thought the house elves should really get rid of.

Live had to wipe a film of dust off the picture to see it better. It was a man and woman in each other's arms, smiling and laughing back from the frame. She found they looked vaguely familiar, though she didn't know where she'd ever seen them before.

"Here you are," McVaken's voice broke through the room as he handed Vivian a glass jar of brightly-colored dead bugs and several small packets and tinier vials.

Vivian grinned and looked back at Live. "Hey, think you could give me a hand with this?"

The blonde sixth-year grinned and took a few of the things from Vivian's arms, lightening the load. "Are these your parents?" she asked McVaken with a smile.

"Naw," he said with a pleased grin at Vivian. "They're Putterly's."

"They look happy," Vivian observed, trying to take McVaken's attention off of herself now that they'd gotten what they came for. The brown-haired woman in the picture looked lovely in her green dress, and the man next to her had his hand at her waist, sometimes pulling her to him with a wolfish grin as he winked at the camera.

"They were drunk at a party, way he tells it," McVaken informed through a smirking grin, pleased as punch with himself that the girls were gracing _him _with their presence. "They don't much like each other otherwise."

Live set the picture back down with a light sniff at such information. Well, if Putterly's parents didn't like each other, she wasn't surprised why he was such an ass sometimes. Not a very good example to get by.

"Pity. Well, thanks a lot McVaken…We've got a lot of brewing to do…You know, _girly_ things and all," Vivian said airily with a smile. "Can't be put on hold much longer…"

McVaken smiled back dazedly and followed them to the door. "Can I help with anything? I've gotten better at potions, you know. Why, you could ask Putterly--"

"Thanks but this is kind of private," Vivian said with a feigned look of sheepishness. She leaned in covertly to McVaken and whispered loudly behind her hand, "Rebecca's really sensitive about us brewing that hair-dye she uses…Really shy…You understand…"

Rebecca was shooting Vivian an acidic glare while Live was holding back a grin under tightly-closed lips. McVaken gave the glaring girl a moment's consideration before he let them on their way.

"Alright then. Let me know if you need anything else! Anything!"

"Oh, always!" Vivian gushed saccharinely. She finished her grand act with blowing him a kiss while they made their way down the corridor. It was a while later before he had re-gathered his wits and went back into his dorm.

"Okay Vivian, that was a bit much…And Pucey'll be pissed if he gets wind of your 'flirting'," Live told her once back inside their dorm. "George would probably beat the snot out of anyone I did that to."

Vivian rolled her eyes. "You're forgetting the key differences between my boyfriend and yours," she pointed out. "George is _Gryffindor_. Pucey is like us, he's Slytherin. _He _understands doing what is necessary to get what you want…As long as I don't actually do the guy or anything," Vivian said with a cheeky grin. Live frowned.

"I'm not certain, but I think she just insulted your lover, Live," Becca said with a smirk in Vivian's direction, ready to cause trouble for the 'hair dye' mention.

"Shut up Becca, she doesn't need your help on this," Vivian snapped, looking at Live with a slight smile.

"When I decide if it was an insult or not, you'll know," Live promised her friend with a lightly menacingly tone, deciding to abandon the matter in favor of finishing up her packing.

sSs

"Hey Kara, check this out," Live told her younger sister late that night within George's dorm. The boys were all out running errands, filling orders, and generally campaigning for a world more filled with Wheezes products. How they were doing it all before- and coming upon- curfew, she had no idea. But they must have been stealthy. Live and Kara had been hard at work themselves.

They had been going over project-sheets and ideas for jokery, but at the moment they were each working independently of one another. Live had written out several potion compilations for the younger blonde to try in order to further some of her ideas, and she also slipped Kara a few ingredients that were both hard to get and required permits to have. It was her way of apologizing for when she and George would slip away, though the fifth year didn't know it at the time.

Kara angled her head over her Slytherin sister's shoulder to watch the other witch. Live had her hands opened around a paper crane, concentrating, though nothing was happening.

"You gonna make it fly?" Kara asked with quirked brow. "With_out _a wand?" Live furrowed her brow and concentrated harder. Kara smiled as the folded paper creation began to slightly shake. "Oooh, you've almost levitated it!" she said excitedly. Wandless magic could be so exciting sometimes.

Live squinted, and as Kara watched, the folded paper animal burst into brilliant orange flame. Live gave a maniacal little laugh and grinned cattily at her younger sister, resting her hands in her lap with a self-satisfied smirk.

"Oh that is just _wrong_," Kara spat as Live snickered over the little pile of white and gray ash.

"You see? I did it completely without my wand!" Live said with true pride.

"_Wrong_," Kara repeated with a frown and disturbed expression. Her face then lightened with a grin. "If you wanted to cause widespread destruction, why not just use your wand? Or crumble it with your hand?"

"You know, sometimes I think you're more warped than I am," Live noted, getting to her feet.

"Or shred it into little pieces?" Kara continued chipperly. "Would've been a lot easier."

"Hey, it took me a long time to figure out how to do that!" Live defended. Kara smirked. "I'd like to see _you _do wordless magic, let _alone_ wandless. _And_ be able to make it do what you want! It's bloody hard!"

"Waste of time," Kara said with a flippant wave of her hand and a snub of her nose. "Anyone bugs me, I'd rather sock 'em!" she emphasized with a pound of her fist into her other hand.

Live grinned. "Well that's fun too…but if someone's…too…_fast for you--!!_" Live laughed as she gave her little sister a quick smack with her hand, dodging as the Gryffindor immediately retaliated with a fist. Live shrieked with giggles and dodged her until she got in a good punch and tackled Live to the ground. They both tussled with laughter and shrieks, playfully beating each other until they heard someone clear their throat.

"I suppose I'm not surprised…"

They both stopped to look at the feet, then upper body, then face, of George. Live only grinned. Kara gave a sort of grimace.

"And that is _my_ cue to exit," the fifth year said with a look at her sister. "I'm not sticking around to see the both of you get all pervy."

George gave Kara a humoring grin and flung off his school robes in a show of flamboyance. "Live my sweetness, ready to shake the foundations?"

Kara made gagging sounds as she nearly flew from the room. It made Live snicker.

George grinned and made sure the door was warded after Kara was gone. He gave Live a pleasant look. "How were your lady loves?" he asked with a smirk.

Live sighed and shoved all the papers she and Kara had been mulling over under his bed. She then plopped down on the mattress and pulled off her stockings. "Exhausting. Kara was actually a nice reprieve…I swear, the questions never end with Viv and Becca. And they think I'm officially moving in here, by the way," she said in reference to the bag that was sitting idly next to George's bed. It moved slightly, and Henry popped up, foraging for only god knew what. "And they still think we're doing it. Or that I'm pregnant. I'm getting really sick of people assuming that. Do I look fatter to you?"

George grinned and sat down across from her, pulling her to him across the bed as she squealed and tried to get away. He had no intention of ensnaring himself in the woman's 'does this make me look fat?' trap. "You know, I think it's about time we make rumor into truth so they can bloody well shut up and quit wondering about how often we shag or not," he said as he began to smother her with kisses.

She was batting him away and pushing at him, giggling as he kept kissing her. He had her half on his lap, half leaning over her with a grin. She rolled her eyes at him and grabbed his chin in her hand, stopping him as his lips were pursed to kiss her again. He made a silly face and smacked his lips together like a fish, causing her to laugh.

"Alright, quit it," she told him, kissing him properly like he was angling for. She hugged him around the waist, and he grinned to himself, running a hand through her hair and thrumming his fingers on the back of her neck.

"You know, we have the dorm all to ourselves…" George implied impishly. "Lee and Fred are gonna be working late on some things we just invented…"

She grinned, but had to brush him off. "We can't."

"Why not?" he asked with wonder.

She rolled her eyes. "Because we _can't_, George?" she said, expecting him to read between the lines as she put particular emphasis on the word.

"Since when?" he said playfully, snaking his hand up her thigh as she kept batting him away.

"It's not exactly the best _time_…You know?"

He still blinked absently at her. Her cheeks with brushed with a light blush, and then he smirked as if a light suddenly went on in his head. "Ah…well, bollocks."

"It's not like it's something I can help," she said with slight flush.

He pulled her close against him anyway, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling her neck with his lips. "I guess I'll just have to deal the best I can…And by then I'll be more than ready to impregnate you properly."

"_George_!" Live shrieked at his bluntness, batting at him. She only received his snickers in response. She shoved him off her with a smirk, and he raised a brow at her. "What?"

"Just thinking…" he told her with an open air and a devilish grin.

"About?" she said, not liking the decisive look on his face. It looked both naughty and calculating. She was going to tell him that there was no way around her little problem, and that regardless of whatever he was working through in his mind, he was _not_ going to touch her, but he made the words fall from her mouth with his statement.

"I've just decided that we're not leaving Hogwarts until you're good and knocked-up…And since we can't proceed with that plan yet, we'll have to push things back a week…I'll be counting the hours until we can began," he said with a widely lecherous, toothy grin, steepling his fingers together for emphasis.

His grand evaluation of the situation only earned him a pillow smack-dab in the face.

Live was sitting with her arms crossed over her chest, a tight-lipped smirk on her face. She knew he was only distracting her from her current _discomfort_, as well as offering her an extension to the time they had planned to leave Hogwarts. Though she didn't think it was necessary to wait another week to leave just because of her biological functions, she appreciated his offer (and wondered at the level of seriousness behind his shag-plan). After all, it wasn't like they would only be away for a month and then she could go about things like usual. She would simply have to adapt. While they hadn't yet settled on a destination (some hidden cave in a remote mountain range, or an all-muggle commune, for instance) it was smart to be prepared at least. Maybe it _would_ be a good idea to pop into Hogsmeade for a few extra things.

"George, we hardly need to push things back a week," she said haughtily. "And for all we know," she decided to tease him, "you're sterile. We might _never _be able to leave Hogwarts."

An offended cry came from his lips while she giggled, and he decided to maul her on the bed. "Let me assure you," he said as his lips kissed down her throat and his fingers deftly removed the shirt she was in, "of just how man I am." He was kissing her neck in the spot he knew that undid her, and in a matter of moments she was writhing beneath him and helping him remove his own shirt.

"Now, regardless of everything else," he whispered gruffly in her ear, "we happen to be magic-folk, darling…and we have ways around these types of things…" She whispered his name and he smiled. "And we happen to have these magic little pieces of wood--" he stopped suddenly with a great intake of breath as her hand cupped his crotch, emphasizing his words. Though it had not been what he'd meant, he wasn't one to argue of her interpretation. He whispered, "_Ooh, Live_," and she kissed him quite thoroughly, stopping his little speech.

She was writhing beneath him, frustrated with herself. "George…it isn't fair…"

He grinned to himself, and nuzzled her neck before kissing her ear. "I have two words for you, Live." He smirked to himself, wand in hand.

She opened her eyes, waiting though more focused on the sound of his heavy breathing in her ear.

"_Mortuua Petite."_

Instantaneous electrical explosion. That was how she described it to herself later in her mind. George's lips on her neck, his hands on her convulsing body, she wasn't able to speak for several moments after such sweet merciful release. And he was still nuzzling her neck, even as she calmed, though she was nowhere near done with him.

"How's that for a taste of your own medicine?" he whispered with a husky tone and grin, happy to have pleased her, as well as self-amused. He knew how lovely that spell felt.

"You give that wand here and I'll show you," she promised with a wicked grin and sated eyes.

It wasn't until several moments had passed that he fully realized she had no intention of borrowing the wand he had once received from Mr. Ollivander.

sSs

Live stirred the next morning upon feeling George's lips on her forehead. The room was coldly dark. It was very early in the morning.

"…George?" she asked sleepily, looking at him with slight confusion as he was standing beside the bed next to her, fully dressed in his quidditch gear. The red of his uniform contrasted starkly with the pallor of his face, the light bare in the room.

"Morning, love," he whispered.

She propped herself up on her elbow, blinking sleepily. "Where're you going? Let me get dressed real fast…" she said tiredly.

He stopped her from getting up, sitting on the edge of the bed with a smile. "Sleep, Live. I've got quidditch practice. I didn't want to wake you," he told her softly.

She breathed heavily, trying to wake herself up. She heard other, smaller noises in the room, and realized that Lee and Fred were sneaking around quietly so as not to rouse her. "Quidditch practice?"

George kissed her cheek. "Sleep in, love. It'll be the first time in a while that that chest pain won't kill you to sleep in." She sighed sleepily and laid back down, though she still looked at him. He smiled. "I'll be up in a few hours. Gotta stop at Hagrid's to pick up the pygmy puffs after practice." He took her hand in his and kissed the back of it.

She gave his hand a squeeze before stretching. "I'll get them, George," she said a bit more awake. He gave her a very much in-love gaze. She looked so lovely all tussled in the morning. "Just be careful at practice."

He bent forward and kissed her once before standing up. "Lounge around a bit, Live," he told her softly. "It's the weekend."

"Sure," she said tiredly, turning over in the bed.

It made him grin to watch her. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she said as she gave him a sleepy little wave. "Bye."

"Bye Live," he said with a grin, leaving out the door Lee was holding open for him.

The three boys left the dorms, warding the door, to meet the rest of the quidditch team in the common room below. Ginny was rubbing her eyes, and Harry looked about to keel-over next to Ron. Angelina was the only one truly awake. And she had one hell of a practice planned for them as she wanted to beat Slytherin to a pulp next house match.

sSs

After a warm shower in which Live had decided to bathe the purple pygmy puff in her care, she was bundling herself and the lavender-scented pet up in warm clothes, readying for the chill air that would no doubt be awaiting them outside the castle, let alone George's dorm room. And she was starving to boot, her stomach growling in protest to the 'breakfast' it had received of inhibiting potion. Nasty stuff, that.

The light pouring through the windows was brighter now, though still more-or-less gray in hue, signaling that the winter wonderland was still there, and not about to budge just for her comfort. Live was indeed grateful for the extra time to sleep in, and was surprised that her chest did not hurt her for George's absence.

She gave the purple fluffball a grin. "How about it, Henry? Want to meet some family today?" The miniature puffskein only ruffled its fur in response, though it made Live grin. She'd be glad to take him along for company when she picked up his brothers and sisters from Hagrid.

Skipping her way down to the Great Hall for some breakfast, Live had Henry safely ensconced in a pocket under her robes. She could feel his purrs against her breast, and it made her smile that the little pygmy puff was indeed enjoying this little excursion. She'd been worried she might smother him, but as George had told her numerous times, they were hardy little critters.

"Hi!" Live greeted Vivian and Rebecca at the Slytherin table.

"Sweet Merlin's ghost, what are you doing up this early?" Vivian asked with surprise. "We _never_ see you at breakfast on weekends. And this is _early_. Even for us."

"Oh shut up and be glad I'm gracing you with my presence," Live told them with a smirk as she sat down, a plate appearing before her. "George had quidditch practice." She looked around the room. It was pretty bare of students. Perhaps twenty at best, and no professors in the room. Damn, it _was_ early.

"Want some marmalade for your toast?" Rebecca offered, biting into a piece of her own.

"Sounds sweet," Live said, gladly taking the proffered fruitstuffs. They ate in silence for a long time, the sounds of Becca's toast-munching mingling with the crinkling of The Daily Prophet Live had picked up and was skimming lazily through as she ate.

Vivian gave a sudden minor shriek, and Live threw down the paper in a start. What she saw was Henry's little orange tongue snaking out from within her robes and searching the table for tidbits.

Live bust out laughing and retrieved Henry from her inner pocket. She snickered as she presented him to Vivian and Becca for their examination. "This, ladies, is the one and only, Henry."

"Oh Live that's so cute!" Vivian squealed.

"Why didn't you ever show it to us before?" Becca whined as they gushed over the little fluff creature. "They're all the craze!"

Live just shrugged. "George gave him to me. I usually keep him in Gryffindor Tower, but he's going along with me on an excursion today." She pet Henry with one finger. "He's my baby," she said with a grin, nuzzling the purple ball of fluff as Vivian and Rebecca giggled with glee. He was just so adorable!

Henry stuck out his tongue to lick Live's nose, causing her to laugh. Vivian offered the puffball a bit of sausage. "Oh Live, let us play with him a bit, please?" Vivian asked.

Live snickered as Henry's tongue wrapped around the bit of meat and pulled it into the recesses of his hidden mouth. "Nah, I'm taking him to meet some brothers and sisters," the blonde informed. "Which means, by the way, that I can maybe hook you girls up with Pygmy Puffs of your own…" Vivian and Becca both squealed with delight. "And you _know_ how backordered these critters are."

"Would you really?!" Becca pleaded.

"Which reminds me," Live said with a confident grin, "that I've gotta get going." She got up from the bench and left the table.

"Will you really get us one?!" Becca called after as Live smirked to herself walking away. Well, at least she'd gathered their attention. And she was more than certain she could get two puffs for her friends.

The frigid air bit into Live even before she was officially outside the castle. The sun hadn't been up for very long at all, and what little light it afforded didn't warm the air a bit.

She bundled her scarf almost around her head, glad for all the layers she'd put on. She figured Henry would be plenty warm as he was closer to her body and had that warmth aside from the layers of clothing. She wondered mildly how puffskeins did in the cold, but figured it probably wasn't a good idea to try and find out herself.

Into the courtyard and outside the castle, Live smirked at the white, snowy field before her. Fresh powder must have fallen during the night, as there were few tracks she could make out. There was a trail leading off towards the quidditch pitch that suddenly let-off where they must have taken flight, and smaller tracks in the snow that looked like they belonged to a cat, most likely being Mrs. Norris as Mr. Filch had opened the castle gates that morning.

Crunching into the snow in the direction of Hagrid's, Live relished the distinctive noise and the crisp cleanliness about her. She was considering charming and freezing buckets of her own to hover above Lee and Fred's beds when they came back from practice. It would be suitable payback, not to mention she would get a kick out of it.

Henry's tongue found its way out of Live's robes and licked her face. She shook her head and grinned, moving it with her gloved hand. She stopped and peeked inside her own robes to see the purple fluff ball (assumingly) looking up at her.

"You want to be a puff-sicle? Keep your tongue to yourself," she chastised with a grin, petting what she assumed was his head. That only served to encourage him, and that little tongue snaked its way back out, no doubt sensing some bacon grease or jelly remnants from breakfast on her face…She wouldn't put it past herself to have crumbs on her person.

She snickered and began walking again, digging her hand inside her robe to grab him and make him a new place within where he'd be less-encouraged to taste her skin.

A sudden pressing, almost sickening feeling suddenly took her gut as she held her purple pet. She put an arm against her middle, wondering if she'd eaten too much, only to have a feeling vaguely similar to that of a portkey tug against her middle.

She looked back towards the castle, wondering if someone was perhaps playing a prank on her. But no one was out yet aside from herself, and from what she could tell, she was alone on the grounds.

She began walking again towards Hagrid's, that feeling getting stronger and stronger, almost making her sick with urgency. That was when she noticed dark movements against the trees bordering the castle. And she noticed far too late the spell that was hurtling towards her to make contact and drag her back towards the dark forest.

sSs

Damn it took me ages to get through this part. And I've got quite a lot for next chap ;) Okay guys, there is this thing someone I watch over at dA had found, and I posted a link to it in my bio for you all to get. Basically, you watch the first Harry Potter movie with the sound turned off, and you play this soundtrack that they have downloadable for you to listen to while watching (one of the two or both you can download…I don't know if they're different or not yet), and OMFG…I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. It syncs up like friggin perfectly XD It's so hilarious…Go download it and try it if you get a chance…I almost broke something laughing so hard, like, seriously. Epic win.

The usual stuff here: got the mailing list for this fic (such as if you're not a member of or whatever); got my little shop over at Etsy (all these links are in my bio, btw); my deviantArt (I put up more fanart) and whatnot. Don't forget to review if ya read ;D Go surf my links…It'll be hot. XD

My lovey loves….Thank you for waiting :D

Chinawrites: heh heh heh, alone time is the BEST XD hahah ooh very close guess with that lovely little spell of Live's :D It sure would seem like something she'd learned from the Sexpert Guild, eh? Haha except she _does_ like to undergo a bit of independent study :D tee hee hee. I think it's safe to assume that there's a ban on people doing it at Hogwarts…Haha. I mean, after all, the boys going up to the girls dorms in Gryffindor Tower turns the stairs into a slide, so I assume hanky-panky would be a no-no XD heh heh heh…That's not to say the students don't get away with it :D

Karma-k2: heh heh heh I've officially decided that the chances of my sister or my friend getting this far in the fan fiction is extremely thin, so I'm slowly letting my inner smut goddess out :D WOO!! Pervyness is the best…And can only get better!

Dckveg: Hee hee, thank you so very much :D Your love fills me with…er…love :D hee hee hee And thanks for the get well-ery :D Turns out what I had was the Noro(sp?) virus that went around. Great. Ha, well, it's gone now at least!

redheadlover: Hahah man, the sexual frustration, oh dear!! Gah, sux. Heh heh. Man, _I _could use some of those parchments…dirty pictures and all XD bwaha oh dear…heh heh, hope some of your questions as to Putterly and George were answered this chap!

Ponytail Goddess: HAHAH Snape tweaking…man, I will never get tired of that image XD heh heh, Oh dear, yes, Snape is the voice of reason. At least he bears some weight with Live as head of house…makes her think a bit about this thing with George she's planning…dun-dun-dun! Oh man. Hopefully they'll all come to their sense O.O

Smashley007: SNAPE!! Reason! Bwah, I have succeeded in getting more people on Snape's side than Live and Georges :D tee hee hee…Oh man, yes, there's a lot more at stake than their little minds really fear…you know, being young and invincible and all :D I've decided to let the lemon tree grow and start up a stand…We gotta keep George and Live in lemons, after all XD haha man, good times. _bloody Bah. At least I;m still writing! _

TeAroha: HAHAH interrupted when they're about to have sex…what a friggin bummer! I'd be hella pissed off, maaaan. Tee hee. You remain the über trickster. :D

ScarletFaerie: hahaha man there is nothing worse than being interrupted while you're going at it…ugh…haha. Tee hee hee…What can I say, I am the queen of smutty random-assed-ness :D heh heh, I think if I ever find a secret portal to Hogwarts and stumble into the magical world, the first thing I'll do (aside from majorly FLIP) will be to make those smutty parchments :D They're just too useful to not exist! Bwaha! Heh heh heh…Yeah, well, aside from that, you gotta love all the lovey-doveyness…It heps keep me sane and believe it's out there somewhere in the world XD bwaha…hopefully XD tee hee. LAHVES x1million:D


	52. Thicker than Water

_Happy birthday Gred and Forge!! And happy April Fool's to you all! I have no tricks for you here, sadly, as it is too late of notice for me HAHAH! Have some splendiferous new fanart for you to look at by the lovely Weasley-Detectives on deviantArt of George and Live!! :D Go check it out, link in my bio, I absolutely ADORE it!! :D thankies for the fanart my darling!! :D UBER-LOVE 4 EVAR!!_

_I've also expanded my tattoo-ery skills into the line of sticker-making (and then I do hemp and a bunch of tother crap…__This useless plugging brought to you by the people that help support me not getting a proper job that would eat up my time by buying from my shop XD woot :D_

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers  
_by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 52: Thicker than Water

"What the bloody hell, George! You nearly flew right into me!" Ron complained as he hovered above a ringed post on the quidditch pitch. He continued to grumble as George ignored him and Fred was having a good laugh about it.

"Even if George was on top of his game, thfere's nothing we could do for you," Fred laughed at his younger brother. "You're rubbish."

"Fred don't you start in on him!" Angelina shouted. "We don't need discouragement from inside the team!"

"Ron can take it," George said, leveling his broom off with his twin's. Fred gave him a smirk as Harry was trying to rebuild what little confidence Ron had in his quidditch abilities.

"You _aren't_ getting sick, are ya? Because I want to win the next match, and Teddy is rubbish to play aside," Fred said to his mirror-image. "Not that you're all that great," he added with a grin, "but at least you know what you're doing. He's more a caveman the way he swings that bat around. No finesse."

George grinned and exhaled with a roll of his eyes. "I'm not sick. Quit being a wank."

Fred grinned right back and swung his bat without warning towards his twin for confirmation of his statement. George dodged it and gave Fred a very meaningful gesture in appreciation.

"What?" Fred grinned. "Just wanted to make sure you're on top of your game." He smirked.

"It's so nice to be loved," George muttered with an exaggerated frown at his brother.

"Oi you two! Quit goofing around and pay attention!" Angelina shouted as she flew by them. Fred rolled his eyes and zipped off to position as George grimaced. The pain was really starting to affect his game.

oOo

Live was jolted across the snowy expanse of Hogwarts grounds with uncertain terror. She collided with something firm and wide but not hard.

Three masked figures cloaked in black robes looked upon her, one bulky and wide, two slender and tall; the one a bit shorter than the other. If there were others about, she did not know, and was not about to stick around to find out. In the heartbeat in which she took it in and attempted her flight, two large hands gripped her arms forcefully.

An instinctual knee to her attacker's groin, and Live was released long enough to stumble away in the snow. Catching her feet and acting on impulse, her hand immediately went within her robes, her wand out within seconds to protect herself, and oh! Henry. She didn't have him anymore. Where was he?

"_Esclicier!_" The words were out of her mouth before she had time to cognitively choose the spell, but her aim was true and her timing was right. The only problem was, no spell light emitted from the point of her wand. No curse had lacerated the masked figures before her. They were completely unscathed.

"Magic failing you?" fa familiar, self-assured aristocratic voice asked from behind the mask of the taller, slender figure.

Live felt her heart beating wildly somewhere within the pit of her stomach at the sound of that voice, the blood draining from her face as she realized that the inhibition potion from that morning was in full-effect, and somehow, he was aware of it. She was completely magic-less.

The same figure tsk-ed as she turned tail to run full-force back to the castle through the snow, a scream about to erupt from her throat as that same yanking feeling engulfed her, pulling her again away from safety and into the arms of danger.

Her back collided with a firmer wall this time, though she wasn't restrained so much as thrown to the icy ground upon reception. She looked up for less than a moment to scream for help, her heart thundering so hard in her chest she thought it would explode. The wand in the hand of her captor swished quickly in a minute circle.

"Ah-ah, we won't be having any of that," he spoke again, the smirk in his pleased tone more than apparent. A moment later, she found she couldn't scream. She had been silenced. The masked figure took a step towards her as she moved to jump up and run, magic-useless, but another flick of that wand flattened her to the snow. It felt as if a two-hundred pound weight was upon her chest, pressing her into the crisp whiteness that blanketed the area even beneath the trees. She could hear the groans and sharps noises of the wider, bulkier cloaked figure, cursing as he was getting to his feet. There was a coldness growing inside her which had nothing to do with the snow. It was pure fear, one of the most basic of natural feelings. And it was churning her from within.

The one who had cast the restraining spells looked to his comrades. "I told you it would be prudent to lie in wait once winter hit…There's just something about snow that can't keep the children within the _safety_ of the castle grounds."

Live was furious with fear, fighting whatever curse was upon her. She fought it with all her might, still able to move, but having a difficult time of so much as sitting up with the increased gravity upon her. She groped in the snow, tried to lever herself and willed whatever physical strength she possessed to do her bidding and move her body. Her efforts did not go unnoticed.

"My my, she _is_ tenacious," that voice observed with a sort of pleasure that made her panic. "Or very foolish." He stood before her and gave another wave of his wand, and the pressure upon her increased so that her arms and legs immediately sank into the harder snow below her, her head pressing into the coldness so that she could feel the powder aside her cheeks.

Her hand still gripped her wand, heavy like a tree branch instead of the lightweight wood of black palm. Yet she still managed to angle it at him, concentrating with everything she had. But as the cloaked figure walked beside her almost leisurely, nothing happened, and her wand was plucked from her hand and handed to the shorter one without effort.

She gritted her teeth and didn't give up, wishing, hoping, that someone would wander out of the castle, look this way, see what was going on amongst the trees….Call for help. She just had to hold her own, put up enough of a fight until someone came. He was right. A nice snow couldn't keep the students inside for very long. But it was rather early, and on a weekend. She wasn't that far from Hagrid's; somewhere between his house and the castle gates. Someone would come. Someone _had _to come.

The bulkier man wearing death's mask came into her sight, and her heart rate further sped up as he looked down upon her, the menace evident in his voice behind the blank countenance. "I oughta crucio the bint for--"

"No no, we need her in perfect health for this."

That one sentence made Live's blood run cold, a hundred conversations she'd had with Dumbledore coming to nightmarish life within her mind and nearly drowning her with realized fear.

She had had no forewarning. No choice to be wary. No inclination that this would happen. And she was completely alone and defenseless. She prayed someone would come. It was still early, but someone _must_ come. The Gryffindor quidditch team was out here somewhere. Hagrid was probably less than two-hundred yards away. There were _people _about, but she was alone. She fought hard, tears coming to her eyes out of fear, frustration, and anger.

The aristocratic man she had been told to avoid, taught to fear for reasonable cause, stood above her with no doubt a wicked, superior expression behind that white mask. He turned to the bulky figure and handed out orders with an almost leisurely tone. "Prepare the vials." The white mask turned to face the slightly shorter slender figure. His tone was one of slight amusement. "_You _may remove her vestments."

Live's chest was heaving with fear as her heart was trying to escape from her throat. The bulkier entity paused in removing vials from his robes to watch as the smaller, slender figure approached her. She felt her cheeks growing hot as her mind screamed against it all with shamed outrage. Her mouth silently echoed her fear. No. _No_. Whatever they were planning, she would not allow it. It couldn't happen. She would _not_ be a victim or a participate in any way.

The light crunch of snow reached her ears as he kneeled down next to her, reaching out hands to first clumsily grope her over her many sweaters and heavy robes layers, only to slowly peel them open and up her body to her neck. An icy hand slipped under her bottommost layer and made contact with her warm skin. She shrieked mutely at the shameful indignity of it, still trying to fight under the great weight upon her, as that hand slid up her belly to force the layers to bunch over her breasts.

A hearty, amused laugh left the tall, slender man watching the scene. "There's no need to spare that shoddy material. Freeing her to the air would be wise….Tightens up the skin. Get rid of it, son. It's a hindrance."

Shock hit Live with realization. It was evident upon her face as she looked from the man she loathed to the younger masked-figure currently touching her body. The realization was plain, and the one before her stopped in progress to stare down at her. Her eyes were filled with shock and fear, silent horror at the realization as she knew who he was, and furthermore, _he _knew that she knew and what he was doing.

An audible breath was released from behind the mask of her assailant and he continued in what he had been about to do. A moment later via wand on cloth, her top layers were cut right down the middle to her waist and opened aside, sparing her bra for some reason, to expose her skin to the chill air and their lecherous stares. Her breath was coming in quick gasps, foggy in the air as her heart worked itself into a frenzy.

"Hmph. Her skin is certainly a loss," the self-important leader said with a tone indicating his distaste. "Though that hardly matters in the end."

Live felt a deep shame rise within her as he commented on the scars that mottled her. Tears were in her eyes, a sudden desire burning hot within her for killer vengeance for this disgrace. She struggled as the same hands touched her still, but only for a moment as he backed off. Goosebumps rose on her flesh from a shudder of minor relief that was to be short-lived.

Wand still held at the ready, the aristocratic attacker flicked two long arcs over her body in fluid silence, and she cried out as she felt the spell penetrate her skin, sinking in on her forearms and on each breast. She could feel the cuts creating themselves as her skin opened in four places like some sadistic, bloody flower. Over her chilled skin, she could feel warm liquid drip. It made her heart rate rise with panic.

"Bring the vials forth," he commanded, and the bulkier individual did as he was told, though his mask was trained upon her body, bleeding and barely clad. He could feel his own excitement in the situation rise, but he had to keep his own wants in check for the moment. "Gather up her blood," the self-assured voice further commanded.

Live swallowed as this face of masked death looked upon her, waves of excited malice coming off him that caused her panic to spike. She managed to raise a hand from the snow to no result but nearly knocking the vials from him. It earned her a smack in the face, none too gentle, as he garnered that nothing had been brought to waste.

"Chit," he said in response as if it was nothing.

"She is fiery for a half-breed…She'll certainly be fun to bring over. The Dark Lord will be much pleased." Arrogance swelling with enthusiasm in that distinctive voice. From the blinding light in her brain as she regained her sight from being hit, she saw the malignant man looking her over.

"Hn," the bulky one beside her nodded. He held his wand over each of her wounds, his hand assisting in gathering the blood from the tops of her breasts. She cried out upon a world deaf to her pain as she saw her blood being siphoned to come together over her being. It was then transferred to two bottles of mauve and gray liquid.

She had no idea what lay within those bottles, nor what they were going to do with her blood, or why they had taken it from such odd places in the first place. She knew blood was a very magical substance in potions, but what they wanted with hers was unclear, though obviously not good.

The moments in which it was completed were silent ones, the masked faces focused on the vials as opposed to her. She took the opportunity to fight, to will her magic, to call forth whatever she could. But she could muster nothing. It had occurred to her to transform into her animagus to get away and damn the consequences of them knowing about it. But even that she couldn't manage, and she didn't know why or how, or if the inhibiting potion was the source of blame. Her panic levels increasingly spiked.

"What're the colors we're lookin' for, Malfoy?"

Live's stomach sank as the tall masked figure regarded her a moment, but didn't seem to care that his name had been spoken. How could she _not_ know their identities? His indifferent temper brought all the more panic into her system. Did they think they would get away with-- well, whatever they were planning to do to her? Did they think she wouldn't tell? He didn't even care that she knew who he was, regardless of the fact that she would know that cold, haughty voice anywhere.

"They'll both be green. Green and she is fertile _and_ not pregnant," he informed.

The man swirled the vial in his hand as Live felt part of her mind go numb. A pregnancy test? They were giving her a pregnancy test? She could have laughed at the situation with half-mad decency. Three Death Eaters with nothing better to do than force some sort of sadistic pregnancy test on her in the snow. She remembered saying something sarcastically to Snape in Dumbledore's office about the ways in which they could even monitor the state of her person, let alone know if she was doing it with George or not.

And now, here they were, in the middle of the snow, her supposition being answered quite vividly: forcible pregnancy test.

She was giddy with terror, her chest heaving with shaky breaths. This was ridiculous and terrific. She had to get away. There had to be someone up! When was quidditch over? _George, George_. His name repeated in her mind like a mantra. He was all she wanted. Surely he would _know _something was wrong?

One of the three huffed with annoyance. "This one's yellow-green…What that mean, Malfoy?"

The one addressed was silent a moment, his attention turned back to her. He made a noise of slighted disappointment. "Well, she's fertile and in good physical state. But it wouldn't take at the moment if that was our objective."

Live's eyes went wide, her cheeks reddening at the thought of what he meant. _It_ wouldn't take? Like if they meant to have their way with…Apparently it was less tempting since her body was already ridding itself of opportunity of pregnancy, and they wouldn't be able to guarantee she _would_ get pregnant, besides. It was distasteful to impregnate her in this…_state_.

Live was more than overjoyed to be a woman right at that moment, promising she would never complain of cramps or PMS ever again. If anything, she would be the epitome of merry sunshine once a week for every month of her life.

"This'n's pink, Lucius," the bulkier man informed of the vial that had contained gray liquid. "What's that mean?" He shot a glance at Live. "She ain't pregnant, is she? Couldn't be, right?"

Lucius lightly snorted in astonishment. "_Virgin_?" His tone was one of utter shock as he stood looking down at her. "Still? That's…_pleasantly surprising_."

The tone in his voice sent a shock of wild panic through Live, her momentary relief shattered. She fought hard against the magic holding her down, her hands clawing at the icy snow below her as the need of self-preservation hit her. She managed to lever herself up just barely, the sight nearly sending her right back to the ground with dizziness as she saw her body was covered in her own blood, the wounds still seeping out. Seeing her life spill from her body, she fought all the harder.

"_Stop it at once_," Lucius' voice pervaded her mind, his wand pointed at her.

Her eyes were widened in realizing the seriousness of what he was doing, and thanked her lucky stars that it didn't work for reasons that still eluded her. It was obvious that her continued movements perplexed the one standing before her.

"_Lie still. You will enjoy this honor_," his voice commanded again stronger, this time notably within her head.

She did not lie still, nor would she be their puppet. She mouthed a very foul curse word she'd learned from George up at the man before her as she fought for her self. She managed to angle an elbow as a lever, pushing herself up, straining against the invisible weight that was crushing her. Frankly, her resistance surprised those among her.

"Hold her, Grunmire," the aristocratic voice demanded with a tone of minor upset. She hadn't obeyed his imperius. No one was _immune _to the imperius curse. And they had heard nothing of such things where this little Slytherin toy was involved. Perhaps the Dark Lord _was_ on to something with this half-blood blonde. She didn't look too impressive, but if rumor was correct, a union with a pureblooded Slytherin would result in their means to a powerful end. And while it might not currently take, he didn't want to blow the chance to be the first to lay claim to fertile, though currently bleeding, soil. He didn't care. He was ravenous for the idea.

"Sure," the man called Grunmire responded, his grubby hand pushing her lasciviously by her breasts back down into the snow.

He kept his hand splayed on her chest, fingers twitching indecently, and she could feel the wetness of her blood on her skin now, chilled against the cold. A well of fear sprang and spread within her chest to settle in her stomach, horrid anticipation building as she was held in place. Live was fighting with all she could, trying to summon her magic though it was utterly useless.

"…pretty in an ugly sort of way," Lucius Malfoy was remarking of her skin as the larger man Grunmire was flexing his fingers between her breasts. She flinched and tried to jerk away from him, but it didn't help much. He just pressed down harder upon her chest, making it difficult for her to breath with all the pressure upon her body.

The tall man standing above her moved to remove his cloak as Live's eyes widened with anticipatory fear, her breathing becoming labored as the man in the snow took his liberty in holding her down. The white-blond hair indicative of the Malfoy line was tied neatly back, fitting right in with the snow covering lower tree branches. Even keeping his mask on, there was no confusing the identity of the man before her. He waited until the shorter one was at his side, and gave the cloak to him with a fluid motion.

"You said the Dark Lord said just to be certain," the aristocrat's son spoke for the first time, the tone of his voice unmistaken in the horrid quiet of the woods.

"We don't know how much time opportunity will afford us to take this first blood," Lucius' voice reasoned with increasing excitement. He muttered with still-surprise. "A virgin Slytherin…My how the times have indeed changed…"

Live's cheeks were heating furiously in shamed embarrassment, fear, and dread. He couldn't. He _couldn't_. It wasn't right. He'd said so himself. Now wouldn't be a good time for him to even attempt this. Why? _Why?_

"But you just had to make sure," the younger one repeated again, the discomfort in his voice apparent. "Just that she was still good."

"No one has yet laid a claim to this soil," his father spoke not without a modicum of annoyance. "It would be most prudent to ensure our suit now…even if the chance of it taking root is slim," he added with a tone of relish that made Live's skin crawl, her cheeks heating furiously, her blood boiling. "The better to ensure things go our way."

"Why do _you _get t'do it?" the bulkier Death Eater pressed in his slower tones, ready to fight for the right. It wasn't every day that one had the chance to father the next destroyer, let alone relish in a virgin Slytherin.

A sound between a hiss and a growl came from Lucius, his tone one of full authority and threat, daring the other man to challenge him. "Because I carry the most favor with the Dark Lord…and your family tree is littered with blood traitors."

The other Death Eater gruffly growled and backed down as he held Live firmly to the snowy ground. She screamed silently, fighting, every thrash and movement causing her to bleed out furthermore. This couldn't be allowed. It couldn't happen. She'd been saving herself for George, only for George. The idea of this man taking her, touching her in such a way, let alone any way at all, made her nauseous with terror. God, why wasn't anyone about the grounds yet??

"But…but…" the young one spoke again, trying to argue his point weakly.

"_Silence_," Lucius commanded, his tone quivering with excitement. He looked down upon her. "…she really would be quite pretty without that ugly skin…"

"She's gonna remember! She'll _know,_" the boy pointed out with frightened tones of concern. Concern for what, was unapparent. That he didn't want to watch his father do such a thing, that he wanted to do it himself, or that he didn't want it to happen deep-down --none of these questions were asked, and none of them went answered. He was the inferior in this situation, in all senses, and he wasn't about to have his matters seriously considered.

"Have you so little faith in your father?" the man spat as he gave a nod of his head for Grunmire to position her.

The bulky man took both Live's wrists and moved her arms to a T position from their struggling. Live could feel her breath burning through her lungs, rasping against her throat with hard fear. Her heart felt like it would burst as her stomach churned and dropped, sick from the fear. She felt the man's hand grip her left wrist and bring it up with inspection. She immediately balled her fist as he held it up.

"She's got a ring," he announced with surprise to his standing leader. "Whaddya think? A wedding ring?" His body language screamed one of confusion. He wasn't the brightest one in the bunch. "I thought you took care of the wedding licenses."

The tall man looked down upon Live's balled up fist. He raised his lip inside his mask in offense at the shining white band upon her ring finger. "This is hardly a wedding ring," he declared, though his voice was lacking in confidence. While he didn't hear anything specific on the matter aside from an idiot Gryffindor trying to troth her, there was no mistaking what it symbolized. No doubt that idiot Weasley child was trying to bond them together in the ancient sense. Though apparently his idea of bonding them was something of a farce. After all, blood didn't lie. "And besides, she's still a _virgin_." The way he said it caused a tremor of disgust to go up Live's spine. "Good thing we acted now, while we still have the chance…Position her immediately."

"But…" again came the weak argument, a weak-willed hand on his father's arm.

"You think I wouldn't make her forget this incident?" Lucius went on to his son with a tone of annoyance, shaking him off. "How else would we ensure we have our egg in the cuckoo's nest? She could bring it all to term without ever knowing, if fortune favors us," he lectured with aggravation. "How do you turn away when opportunity knocks at your door?"

Grunmire slipped his hand beneath her bra, and she launched up out of fear-driven power and bit him savagely, drawing blood. The man cried out and withdrew his hands from her person as Lucius laughed. The blond man stopped him from smacking her with amusement.

"Quit being an arse. There will be plenty of time to test her later. We'll attend to the business at hand first and foremost, dolt." His voice was full of amusement and excitement, and she ground her teeth angrily.

Grunmire kept his hands a good distance away from her as he moved to position her once more. As he reared away from Live's upper torso and she felt his hands on her thighs, parting them, a pain seized in her temple. Everything was suddenly very loud in her ears, her vision gone crimson haze. The thumping of blood was like a kettle drum in her head. She could hear the crunch of snow as the malignant man standing before her neared, readying himself to complete plans of his own, let alone the plans of the Dark Lord. She saw him pause in his movements, hand still at his middle as she stared down at her.

"What in the name of Salazar Slytherin is wrong with her eyes?" he said with caution, pausing in coming towards her.

As the man Grunmire parted her thighs too closely to her body, she screamed. She screamed hard, and she screamed wildly, her anger and fear unheard to human ears as she was utterly utterly silenced. Suddenly there was no weight upon her chest, and all she saw was red. The one known as Grunmire was looking down at her through his mask, reaching out his hand to _really_ touch her as opposed to readying her for the other. He didn't seem to care about anything other than putting his stake on this claim, regardless if the other man had claimed it for himself or not.

She felt something inside her snap, breaking through her soul like cracking through layers of ice. She'd been attacked, pinned, slapped, cut open, humiliated, and touched beyond dignity. And it broke her sanity. She wished it all back upon them, right back at them, could almost see it in her mind as her eyes teared and Grunmire reached for her.

She screamed. She screamed out in pain and in fear and the sound of it rang all through the forest, the spell upon her broken.

The man before her never laid a hand on her, but was holding his face, shrieking as he jumped up, blood going everywhere as he jerked off his mask and almost ran smack into a tree with his shrieks of bodily pain.

The weight upon her was gone, the power of her attackers was broken. She could breath freely again.

In a flurry of white hair and black robes, Lucius made a move for her, and she flung her hand out in protective recoil. He never touched her, however, but shrieked out himself. She looked to see him gripping his chest a moment, saw the blood spray onto the snow, and it was all she needed to wake from her paralyzed fear-state and jump up.

In a flurry of snow she was up and running, nearly falling in the process as her clothes tried to tangle her. She heard curses being uttered behind her, both of profane and dangerous quality. She barely glanced behind her, but like a warning beacon the crimson was vivid against the white, so very much of it; hers and theirs.

She ran on, almost hopping to get through the fresh powder that was hindering her progress. She fell, stumbling over a hidden rock. A curse went just over her head, and she looked behind in fear of being caught. She saw the smaller one she knew to be Draco helping his father up as the blood still spilled from his chest wound. He paid it no mind and even shot off spells in her direction in anger that she had blemished his person.

She screamed with wild panic as they came after her, and she struggled up in the snow, pushing herself upward with sheer will, running blindly. She could hear them behind her, the cursing and bellowing, and pushed on till her lungs burned and her muscles ached with soreness and loss of blood. She pushed herself till she could hear nothing but her own blood pounding in her ears, urging her to escape; to survive.

She bounded back as she collided with something, and fell onto her back in the snow with a panic. It took her a moment to realize that the massive furry wall she was looking at was actually Hagrid, the groundskeeper, and that he was reaching out a massive hand to her with a concerned, angry look on his face. Live took it and was grabbed up as if from a slingshot, and he put her behind him as she realized that there were curses being shot at him, and bouncing off his half-giant's frame with complete ineffectiveness.

"I don' know what yeh think yer doin', but ye'd best leave before I get a mind to tear yer arms limb from limb!" Hagrid bellowed to the cloaked figures near the edge of the property.

Not coming any closer, the hooded figures quickly retreated back into the woods, not risking getting closer and being unable to apparate away. After a few moments of taut quiet, a resounding pop like the backfiring of a car echoed through the woods, and then there was naught but the sound of disturbed birds and the wind reeling through the trees.

Hagrid turned around to Live, and looked at her with anxious concern. "Yeh alrigh'?"

Live was visibly shaking with cold and adrenaline. Hagrid took her by the arms and gave her what would have been a gentle shake, except that he was quite a large man. It helped to jar her from her relieved shock.

"Are yeh alrigh', then?"

Though she knew what he was asking, and she could tell that she was freaking him out, all she could hear was the blood pounding in her ears and feel Fang, Hagrid's large boarhound, by her side, licking her hand and the bloody warmth slowly dripping down it. She looked down at the dog to see him look back up at her, cocking his head to one side in that concerned way that dogs did. She looked back at Hagrid while the man was pushing up her sleeves and turning her arms in his hand to see her wounds. She released a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. It made her lungs slightly burn.

Live could only hear the blood rushing in her ears, but shfe nodded shakily to the gamekeeper before she started crying. She was shaking with tears, holding herself as coughs racked from her body with how hard she was sobbing. She could feel the tears, first warm on her cheeks, then cooled by the winter breeze, raising goosebumps on her flesh. A moment later and she nearly collapsed under the weight of Hagrid's large furry coat which he wrapped around her. It took her a moment to realize how warm it was and how very cold she had been, as well as the matter that her clothes were practically half-off, and that she was still bleeding profusely.

Not even a moment later and she found herself being gently swept up into his massive arms as he hurried her towards his hut to staunch her bleeding. She was still a crying, bloody mess as he handed her a large-sized cup of tea beside the fire in his house, shutting the window in which he'd just released a note-laden owl.

oOo

George coughed into his sleeve and wiped the side of his mouth. He frowned and took a few moments to breathe before gathering himself up. He took the blue vial that he'd been carrying around out of his pocket. It was the same one Madam Pomfrey had given him for Live, just in case she got severe headaches or other health-related problems since they'd been back. He opened it and downed the contents, knowing Live would forgive him the extra vitamins if it kept him going. The pain in his chest was excruciating, and he didn't know why, but he hoped the potion would help.

They hadn't had this type of pain in their own experiments to see how well healed they were or not from their bond of shared magic. And he hated to think he'd made some stupid error somehow. The pain had just peaked and with the wind whipping past his head and the cold and his lingering thoughts on other things, he wasn't quite at the top of his game.

"Oi! George! Pay attention!" Angelina shouted as a bludger flew by George's broom.

He gave her a salute and readied his bat to smack the flying ball as it made its way back for him. It went flying toward Ginny, who dodged it, and gave her brother a very special fingered salute herself. He only grinned, playing through the pain as best he could, as he positioned his broom to Angelina's new orders.

"Alright now, on my mark!" Angelina ordered. Their chasers flanked her and flew their brooms in opposite circles about her, making for a good defense should any other players attempt to take the quaffle from her. It was also a good strategic move to trap a player of the opposite team from passing to mates, considering the Gryffindor beaters kept the rest of them busy. But it was still a difficult move to master as they had to make sure not to fly into each other.

"George watch out!" Harry shouted just in time for George to dodge a bludger coming right for him. It flew right past his head, the sound of air whooshing past his ear. He could already hear Angelina's berating before it started.

"Alright…I need to stop," George said distractedly, holding his chest in pain. He brought his broom down, dropping to the earth to stand on the pitch.

"What's wrong?" Angelina asked as she hovered some ten feet from the ground. "It's not that thing again, is it?" She referred to the bond he and Live had from numerous sharings of magic. From what he'd told her, he was good to play without the Slytherin's presence as of late, which meant they were both healing. Angelina had found that a somewhat relief as she wanted their new strategies kept completely secret, without worrying that the information would fall into the wrong hands. Not that Live would betray them, but one never knew where Slytherins were concerned.

George's left hand was over his heart, breathing deeply in trying to control the thunderous beating in his ribcage. He thought they were past such pain of separation. They'd tested it themselves. He didn't remember the pain of their bond ever feeling like this, or his heart rate being so sped up. Why it should hurt him so much more suddenly…Regardless of what he already suspected of himself. He knew something of this pain, but never felt it so hard before. And it filled him with an uneasy anxiety that he didn't like.

The rest of the team, consisting namely of his siblings, settled down on the pitch as well. Everyone dismounted in concern.

"You alright?" Fred said, putting a hand on his twin's shoulder as he looked him over.

George shook his head, trying to control his labored breathing. He coughed once and settled down into the fresh snow below his feet.

"It _is_ that thing, isn't it?" Angelina spoke, looking at him with worry. "Should we go get Live?" She threw a glance back towards the castle. "You'd think if it was bothering you this much that she would have searched you out herself…Right? You both feel it, don't you?"

"They do," Ginny remarked, looking at her elder brother with anxiety.

George shook his head in disagreement as Lee made his way towards them from the stands, crunching through the icy fluff. "No…this is different, but it feels…odd. The same and bad."

"What's wrong?" Lee called as he got nearer.

"George's gone and buggered himself up again like a total knob," Fred noted, though his tone was one of apprehension.

Lee kneeled down in the snow next to the ailing seventh year and looked him in the face. "You're awfully pale, mate. More than usual, I mean," he added with a half-smirk.

George let out a pained laugh, and forced himself to his feet. "I think maybe I ought to go back to the castle," he told them.

Angelina huffed, but she made no negative remark about it except to agree, and that they all should go with him. She might be a slave driver when it came to working her team to their best, but first and foremost she cared about their health. _And_ it wasn't exactly prudent to have George practice through the pain and have to end up using Teddy for his replacement in a game. That boy was really rubbish.

As they trudged through the icy white back to the castle, they talked of memorizing the new plays Angelina had come up with, and that Harry should get the snitch only after they'd scored a good hundred points that would give them the lead in the House Cup. Lee kept asking George every five minutes if he was going to keel over, and Ginny kept shrieking at him that that wasn't funny, regardless of the way he, Fred, and George laughed.

Truth was, the pain had very much toned down since they'd left the pitch, and George was feeling a whole lot better than he had. They noticed tons of upchurned snow as they came to the castle, nothing much to notice in of itself, except that there seemed to be a flurry of motion about the front gates. McGonagall was there, having a time of keeping the students indoors when they wanted to go out and play, and Filch was threatening them to keep back, though they ignored his barely-heard remarks about croquet mallets and cactuses.

"What's all the hubbub?" Ginny asked as they approached.

McGonagall turned around and let out an audible sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness, I was just headed out to fetch you. Inside, all of you!" she commanded at large now that her Gryffindor brood was no longer missing any chicks. She had succeeded thus far in blocking the view of the woods from those still _in_side the castle, but now she had this little gaggle of her students within full view should they look the right way. She gave them all a hurrying scowl.

"What's going on, professor?" Harry asked as they made no move to go inside, the scene far too interesting to just blindly obey.

McGonagall subconsciously threw a look towards the forest along the castle walls as she commanded them all inside at once. It garnered the attention of the captivated Gryffindor quidditch team, bemused by whatever was causing such a fuss. George was smirking along with his twin to see what the big deal was about, the thundering of his heart having since stopped and only the familiar weak pain returning to his chest.

His smile quickly left his face as his eyes caught the pathway of churned-up snow, and bright against the clean white field several splatterings of crimson leading all the way into the edge of the forest and possibly beyond, though even that was hard to see. His gut fell before the thought that a creature had found its way onto the grounds left his mind, replaced with a far more frightening idea.

He remembered that Live was going to Hagrid's, that she had volunteered to pick up the new litter of pygmy puffs. And all the pain he had felt was not a coincidence.

George shook free of Lee's hand that had been on his shoulder since they'd left the pitch, and he addressed McGonagall with a pit of fear growing in his stomach. "What happened here, professor?" he said slowly, his voice low with trepidation. He prayed that she would relay how the thestrals had caught some creature trying to sneak upon the castle, and that they had to clean up. Or that wild wolves had slaughtered their breakfast a bit closer than usual to grounds and they were just waiting to clean things up for the students. But in the moment that she paused in looking at him to answer, he felt a veritable shock to his system, all pieces falling into place. "Where is she?" he asked quickly on a whisper.

McGonagall opened her mouth to speak with surprise at his knowledge, then shut it and ordered everyone inside before she started handing out detentions. She turned to George with a serious look and uttered the name of the groundskeeper so silently that no one else heard her voice.

In the blink of an eye he was standing amongst his compatriots, and a moment later he was sprinting across the frozen expanse as fast as he could, his broom forgotten with his mates, his footfalls flinging up flurries of powder as he ran.

The rest of the Gryffindor quidditch team made to follow, but McGonagall stopped them before they could move, and ushered them within the gates with the swear that it was none of their business before putting the castle on temporary lockdown.

As he ran, George saw more clearly the path of blood, how it led from somewhere in the forest and across the field to Hagrid's doorstep. His hand shook and he reached for the knob, seeing quite clearly the origination of the crimson that was splattered upon everything at the edge of the woods. The snow there was the worst, most of it red, even the trees were splattered. Even here they were little spots upon the snow. It made his heart beat rapidly and his stomach drop with horrid dread.

As he bust into the door, Live flinched with fear, and Snape and Dumbledore stood with wands raised. Hagrid was standing in front of Live, blocking her view of the intruder. But when she saw George standing there, rasping for breath, her eyes teared and she jumped from her seat and went into his arms.

He was shaking, visibly paled as he held her and she cried into his chest. Dumbledore kindly ushered him in and once again closed the little building to the outside world. Hagrid went back to clearing away the bandaging materials and blood-soaked cotton laying on his table. Snape sniffed in disdain at the Gryffindor's unnecessary intrusion, but they were all politely silent on George's less-than-courteous entrance. The tension in the room was thick enough that they didn't bother breaking it for new arguments.

"Live…what in the bloody _hell_?" George muttered.He was confused. She was covered in bloodied bandages, and her clothes were sliced right open to her skirt. _That_ alarmed him immediately for several reasons, and instantaneously he shrugged out of his quidditch robes, maneuvering so that he never let go of her, until he had taken them off and sufficiently wrapped her up. He grumbled about her state of dress, then held her, his mind concocting the worst. "What happened to you?"

"Please, have a seat," Dumbledore interjected in his infinitely patient voice.

Live moved a bit away from George, but he didn't let her go, merely allowed her to lead him back to where she had been sitting by the fire. Though she was wearing his quidditch robes now, she pulled Hagrid's large furry coat back over herself where it had fallen when she had jumped up. George took notice of that little offering, and mentally noted to thank Hagrid for that. He took a seat next to Live, placing an arm around her protectively as she still silently sobbed, trying to get a hold of her wits, when he became suddenly alarmed. "Live, your eyes…"

She sniffed and sort of shook her head as if she didn't want to discuss the matter. She took a few deep breaths, ignoring them all, as she tried to recompose herself.

"What's happened?" George aimed at Dumbledore, his nerves on end. His heart was beating sickening fast in his chest yet again, the thought occurring to him that the pain he felt earlier was somehow connected to whatever had happened to her. He felt a horrific guilty weight hanging upon him as he held her trembling next to him.

"There was an incident," Dumbledore began heavily, his deep gaze upon George.

"Ruddy cruel…Shoulda shown 'em a thing or two," Hagrid muttered under his breath. "Make 'em think twice."

George looked from the giant groundskeeper back to Dumbledore, becoming increasingly aware of the seriousness of the situation. He prayed no one would say the horrible thing he was thinking. He glanced at Live next to him. She was massaging her eyes with the heels of her hands, little hitched breaths leaving her.

"Early this morning three Death Eaters stole onto the castle grounds and accosted Miss Hunter," Dumbledore continued in soft, even tones so as not to upset her. It didn't work, of course, and fresh tears sprang to her eyes.

George turned quickly to Live, wanting to ask her the question, but the words could not find their way out of his mouth. She could feel his gaze on her, but she wouldn't look at him. She felt if she looked at him and saw that question in his eyes, it would make everything that much more horrible and so much more real. She hadn't told them much at all since Dumbledore had shown up quickly after Hagrid had sent his owl. He in turn called Snape to them, and she had further went into tears and sobbing before much had been garnered.

Her wounds had been bandaged upon entering Hagrid's house by the groundskeeper's gentle experience of healing wounded animals, and while they had garnered that she was alright, there had been nothing immediate to do about her eyes until Snape had been called, and then they were still having trouble getting her to take the potion he'd brought and tell them what had happened to her.

The tension thick in the air, her sobs and half-coherent sentences about Death Eaters had set Dumbledore to have McGonagall lockdown the castle at once. With Live's half-uttered phrases of "they tried to-" and the precise locale of the cuts on her body, it was more than obvious to the ancient wizard and the potions master of what they had attempted to do to her.

"Live…are you alright?" George asked very quietly next to him.

"I'm fine," she said on an exhaled breath, trying to stop herself from crying anew. "I'm a little dizzy is all," she informed from behind the hands that were still massaging her eyes.

George looked back slowly at Dumbledore for confirmation that she was actually alright. The old man was looking sadly down upon them with concern for them both. George wasn't satisfied with these cryptic answers while his heart was thundering with desire to protect her and revenge her for the obvious violence that had been done to her. "What else?" he pushed himself to say.

Dumbledore gave Live a once-over, considered all inside the little house, and decided that though it was sensitive information, none there would betray her the fright she'd gone through. "It would appear that they attempted a very old praegnas ritual to check her fertility, mainly to see if she was with child or not…"

Live's head shot up at his words, her eyes momentary stars from her rubbing before the old man came into focus. The shock on her face was evident, her gaze quickly darting to her head of house and back to the ancient Headmaster with shock as he spoke words she did not tell him. She wouldn't have been surprised if it had been Snape who'd said it, for more than one reason- mainly being that he knew more about potions than anyone she'd ever heard of. But Dumbledore…Those words coming from _his _wise old mouth thoroughly upset and bothered her.

She was shaking slightly, enough for George to feel it, as she looked at the Headmaster. "How did you know that?"

"There was no forewarning of this attack, Miss Hunter. I apologize," Dumbledore told her immediately; something he'd been wanting to tell her since he had spirited out of the castle to Hagrid's hut.

"The idiots are acting of their own accords," Snape spoke up acidly. "I have heard nothing of this. There were no immediate plans for such a thing within the inner circle. Not even conjecture by half." Looking down at Live and taking a vial from his pocket, he said, "Drink this, it will help." She shook her head in immediate response.

"I don't want potions!" she declared with a sudden panic, thinking back to her restricted magic. Her tone was firm on the matter. "I will not be subdued anymore."

Snape shook his head, swallowing the biting remarks of usual demeanor in favor or humoring the frightened girl before him. "All that aside, you _need_ to drink. I hardly believe you would like your eyes to remain as they are, let alone _hope_ they'll just return to normal."

Live looked down, away from him. She'd seen her eyes staring back at her in Hagrid's mirror for the first time; the red that frightened them all, but scared her far worse. It was as if the eyes of some creature were staring back at her from within her own face, and she didn't like the way it made her look. She had heard a few comments about her eyes before, but never seen it firsthand. It was far more shocking than she could deal with.

George's arm tightened around her, and she looked up in response.

"Are you alright?" he asked for what seemed like the millionth time, his voice not lacking in concern for his repetition. His mind was turning, wondering how she had gotten away. He knew she could be tougher than nails but if she'd taken her potion that morning and was without magic…"How did you get away?" he posed gently.

She put her face in her hands, trying to get a hold of herself, shaking ever so slightly. "He tried to use the imperius on me and I just…I snapped. That's it. I just snapped."

"He _tried_ to use it? You can throw it off? Since when?" he asked with pridefully-amazed interest. He had heard nothing of such news, and she had certainly never told him this.

She shook her head slightly. "I can't throw it off…It just doesn't work." She felt more tears spring to her eyes, and she blinked them away piteously. Fang came over and set his head on her lap. She pet the dog and sniffed, trying not to look at anything except the droopy eyes that peered comfortingly into hers.

"There will be time for that later," Dumbledore offered George, who was having trouble keeping himself in check for his wild curiosity in such news. "For now, my dear, we are more concerned about your health and well-being," Dumbledore aimed at Live.

She was about to once again state her complete defiance for potions when she sat bolt upright in sudden start. It caused George a great deal of anxiety and startled the dog as she burst into tears.

"What's wrong?! What's wrong?!"

"_Henry_…" she sobbed heavingly into her hands, nearly wailing with grief. "Oh m-my pygmy puff!" she whimpered with elaboration. "Oh god….I don't know-- what ha-happened to him!…if they did something with him…he's gone," she sobbed morosely.

Fang was whining and whimpering as Live cried, shoving his face into her lap and licking her arms as she sobbed. George tried to push the dog away as he gathered her close to him and she further sobbed. "You had Henry with you?" he asked.

"H-h-he's gone somewhere…when they took me he--" she started sobbing uncontrollably, mind pondering how cold it was outside, if puffskeins did proper in the winter or not, or if something terrible had happened to him when they'd seized her.

"If you would please to remove this animal?" Snape said acidly of the large boarhound now trying to climb up into Live's lap in what he no-doubt thought was a comforting gesture. It would have been comical but for the mood of the room, and frankly, where George was sitting next to Live was hardly big enough to further accommodate a large dog.

"I'll just let 'im outside a bit, eh Dumbledore?" Hagrid proposed, grabbing Fang by the scruff of his neck and hauling him off the two students. "Come on yeh ruddy dog…"

As Hagrid left the hut with the dog in tow, Live's sobs were the only noise within. And as she continued to calm from the shock of the initial attack, further grievances came to the forefront of her mind. She was in no better state than she had been when Hagrid had stepped in.

"…and my wand is gone…H-he took my wand…It's gone…"

"_He_?" George asked, mimicking her tone as it was quite apparent she knew the identity of her attacker. For George, this was news. For Snape, it was complication.

"You _must _take this potion," he pressed again, the bottle still waiting in his unusually-patient hand. Live shook her head, but George surprised him.

"What will it do?" he asked in a non-judgmental way, his sight jumping to Dumbledore and then back to the potions master.

Snape gave him the usual condescending look, but his voice was civil. Or at least, as civil as it could get. "It will return her eyes to their normal state. Possibly help with the bleeding, if given the chance."

While George wasn't sure if that last bit was part of manipulation or true hope, he didn't know, but he _did_ know that it was probably not good for her eyes to stay blood red and dark. Not for them, and definitely not for her.

She was still sobbing into his shoulder ever so slightly, her eyes hurting from all the tears, dizzy from hard sobs, and she felt his hand give her a little pat, and his voice gently whisper for her to take the potion.

Dumbledore, who had been silent in deep thought, spoke up and garnered Live's attention. "Initially we believed that those red eyes were a result of magical-energy turned physical, and that you were suffering from some sort of local capillary burst…But I am afraid, Miss Hunter, that we know too little about why this happens, and what it might do to you in the long run if allowed to stay as such. We can get rid of it, but we don't know the exact cause or how to cure it. There has been too much variable where it has been concerned. For your safety, I must ask that you take this potion. Until we know more, we don't want to further risk your health."

His statement, while said with the best of intentions, actually incensed her. She and _only_ she would decide what was risky to her health or not, and she'd be damned if anyone was going to do anything to her in _their _interest of her 'safety'.

"Please Live, take it," George asked very gently, softly. Anyone but him, and she wouldn't have done it, but as Snape held the vial out once again, she reluctantly took it and slowly drained the contents. It brought Snape closer in inspection, instructing her to lift her face to him and open her eyes wide. Seeing the unnatural redness dissipate and only the red of tear-blurred eyes left behind, he was satisfied and took the empty vial from her hands.

George took her arm in asking if she was alright, only to remove his hand as it came in contact with wet. "It's soaking through the bandage…" he muttered with a look at her blood on his palm. He wiped it on his quidditch pants without a thought and started to unroll the bandage on her. "…why in such weird places…new bandage…" he muttered in looking around. He saw Dumbledore retrieve the bandages which Hagrid has set aside, and the ancient wizard offered them to the seventh year Gryffindor in a show of faith.

"I need to see about this, Headmaster," Snape said obscurely, the two of them watching the Gryffindor change the bandage on the Slytherin's forearm. It was a little slice, but it was slightly deep enough to be of worry, and it wouldn't stop bleeding. George was very careful in cleaning the area around the wound.

"Be cautious, as always," Dumbledore remarked. Snape nodded, wondering what in the hell the idiot aristocrat thought he was doing in attacking the sixth year Slytherin, and in broad daylight. He wasn't sure what would happen if the Dark Lord got wind of this, though he had a few ideas, none of which were all good. He only hoped that perhaps this would buy the pair some time in Lucius' mucking about in the Dark lords affairs.

"It just keeps--" George stopped and grinned with sudden realization. He could have smacked himself for overlooking his wand. He'd been spending far too much time around Live, picking up on all the little muggle things she had a habit of doing in absence of magic. He gave her a smile and told her to hold still, ready to close her wound with a very simple spell Lee had taught him for small cuts and nicks.

His forearm was quickly grabbed by Snape.

"Oi! What do you--"

"This isn't the kind of wound you can simply fix with magic, Weasley. Do you think we wouldn't have done it already?"

"Well why haven't you done something then?" he spat with a frown, wondering why she'd been allowed to lose so much blood.

Snape gave him a most venomous gaze. "The spell used to make these wounds only inflicts greater damage and pain upon the victim if you try to heal it. Any sort of spell would open the wounds further." He ignored Live's gasp, instead concentrating on George, hoping it was information the Gryffindor might actually retain for more than a day. "This spell is the reason you cannot mix magics in the art of healing…Surely Jordan has imparted that much upon you?"

"It is being taken care of as we speak," Dumbledore interjected. George took his glare off the potions master and focused his look on the ancient wizard. "I understand your distress young man. But please do not believe we would allow her to suffer unduly. An owl will be coming soon with a potion which should help matters."

Live leaned on George as he continued to dutifully re-wrap her arm, and wondered on what else they'd try to make her drink. This entire experience with prophecies and zealous Death Eater nutjobs had warped her love of potions and potion-making. It wasn't fair. And she hated them for perverting her passion. Above all the humiliation and harassment, she was angry. Wildly so. She didn't know what happened to Henry, if he had been tossed aside during the abduction or worse, but she did know that the first chance she got, she would get vengeance for herself and more so for him.

"If you wouldn't mind, I would like a word alone," Dumbledore requested of Live. She looked up from George's ministrations to see the Gryffindor looking at Dumbledore speculatively, and then at Snape as well. Dumbledore gave him a look instead of her. "If you wouldn't mind."

"Alright," she said. Snape was the first to vacate the hut, and only then did George look to Live with a comforting squeeze of her hand. "Go," she said, but was immediately sorry at the loss of his warmth next to her.

His stance was protective and reluctant as he got up, but he left her with the old wizard trustingly and stepped outside to wait with Snape on the doorstep.

The wintry atmosphere of the free air was deceptively calm and fresh. Almost mocking in its cleanliness to the sordid activities of the morning. An owl flew overhead with a small bag and swooped behind the house. No doubt it was delivering whatever Dumbledore had called for. That man was certainly quick on the uptake.

George stood with Snape but didn't look at the potions master. They were both quiet, and there was a chill in the air not altogether being the fault of the climate. The jaunty barks of Fang could be heard amongst the trees, and the snow about the area was still crimson with blood. George sighed after a few moments of maddening thoughts. He gave a sideways glance to Snape, then back towards the red snow outlining the woods. It made his stomach churn.

"Why did they cut her up like that?" he asked with trepidation, not looking at the head of Slytherin.

"Not that it's any of your business, but dark magic like that is second-nature to those in service to the Dark lord," Snape informed with immediate dryness. "Their intention was to weaken her. Spells like that keep a person weak until they either bleed out or have their wounds closed from the inside by potions."

George huffed, blinking in thought. "I didn't mean the spell…Why was she sliced in…random places," he finished.

"The location of her injuries were not chosen at random," the potions master informed academically, feeling the weight of the incident heavily upon his knowledgeable shoulders. "Ancient praegnas rituals are highly potion-driven having to do with basic mothering instinct, and location of the wounds coincide with both aspects as such. Arms which protect, bosom which nourishes. Blood from each place, although it is essentially the same source. It is necessary for the potion to determine aspects of the woman, however, and so she was duly cut…."

The way he trailed off made George not want to inquire any further. Snape seemed to know a lot about this. Maybe too much. But frankly, the delicate matter of the subject left George with a bad taste in his mouth. It made him very afraid for Live. All he wanted to do was protect her, and he didn't feel that Hogwarts was the right place to do it, especially with the morning's events. He would take her away as soon as possible, if not that very night.

George coughed into his quidditch shirtsleeves and tapped his foot impatiently in the snow. His robes were on Live, but his body was warm in the chill as he was slowly simmering in fury over what she had been put through. That was her blood on the snow, splattered everywhere amongst the trees. He was amazed by the sheer quantity. It was a miracle that she was still conscious. He wondered if it had something to do with being a _multiforme. _

Hagrid came tromping through the snow out of the woods to them without Fang, looking at Snape with a very serious expression. "There's a dead one out there, not too far from the forest edge," he said quietly.

"Did you see his face?" Snape asked promptly.

Hagrid frowned. "No one I recognize…Not that I could've if I'd wanted to. He's all sliced up."

George looked between the half-giant and the potions master. So the blood didn't all belong to Live. He thanked his lucky stars. "She doesn't need to know," he spoke up, surprising both of them.

"Self-defense is not murder, Weasley," Snape immediately spoke in reading the young man.

George stood straight at his proper height, wanting to be taken quite seriously on the subject. "_That _doesn't matter to me. She doesn't _need _to know," he repeated. He wouldn't allow her to blame herself or feel pity for any of them when they would have done Godric only knows what to her. And knowing her, he knew she would feel _some_ shame for what had transpired.

Moments later with a rattling of the knob, Live came out of the hut door with Dumbledore beside her. She had her arm linked with his, the old man supporting the young Slytherin in Gryffindor robes, as the three men discussing sordid matters outside broke apart and looked to the two of them.

She was wearing George's robes closed about her person so that George couldn't even tell that she had ever been wounded, but her slowness and the dull look in her eyes attested to the dizzy tiredness she felt. It even looked like she had made herself a bit more neat in appearance for appearances sake. She seemed calm and collected, and a bit more relaxed than she had been previously, though her eyes mostly stayed trained on the edge of the woods, and for good reason.

George stepped up and took her hand, drawing her to him and then wrapping his arms around her. "You alright?"

"I'm fine," she said stiffly. Dumbledore walked past them towards Hagrid, who stood off to one side, but she didn't pay it any mind. Her thoughts were preoccupied with the wide variety of subjects she and the ancient wizard had broached in so short a time. "Free to go," she murmured to George, moving to urge him to walk her back to the castle.

He held her close to him, not wanting her anywhere but with him at all times. "You're not walking back."

"I can walk, George….just slowly," she said tiredly. She hadn't made herself look presentable only to attract more gossip with being carried inside. She wasn't able to deal with that right now.

"No, you can't," he corrected with steely reserve. This was something he wouldn't be giving in on.

"I just took a blood replenishing elixir, I'm only a little dizzy…I'll be perfectly fine by tomorrow…"

"The hell you will," he further said with nothing but concern for her in ignoring her words. "I insist."

"I do, too," Dumbledore said in backing up George. The ancient wizard, the potions master, and the half-giant were looking at the pair with expressions similar only in that they seemed cautious. Live frowned but decided this was a battle she was ill-equipped to win.

"Fine," she huffed to George, looking away towards the forest with a cold glint in her eye. "…men always stick together…" she further muttered under her breath towards the Gryffindor smiling encouragingly at her. It got a chuckle out of Dumbledore, and a smirk from George.

"At least you still have your humor," George told her with a half-smirk. She only snorted at that in response and put her face into his chest because it was cold, she _was_ tired, and regardless of her complaints, she wanted him as close to her as possible.

A rustling came from the trees and wands were drawn instantaneously on false-alarm. Hagrid's large boarhound lumbered out of the forest and trotted through the snow, his tail wagging back and forth as he moved.

"Yeh troublemaker, where've you bin?" Hagrid asked.

Snape released a noise between a sigh and annoyance. "If everything here is taken care of, Headmaster, I would like to return to my lab and start upon the elixir for the spell-damage."

"Please," Dumbledore allowed with a kind inclination of his head.

Snape didn't wait a moment longer to take his leave, but fixed Live with a look as he came to pass the two students, pausing momentarily to issue a command of warning and caution. "Do not go anywhere without an escort." Live nodded at the dour man and he swept off, a black spot upon the snowy expanse.

"I'd be likin' to go with yeh up to the gates, Dumbledore," Hagrid proposed. "Me an' Fang, 'ere."

The dog was sitting next to Live in the snow, bumping his head against her leg to be pet. She reached out a scarred hand to scratch the top of the dog's head as Dumbledore gratefully accepted Hagrid's offer of accompaniment.

"I want a bath," Live whispered to George resignedly as he nodded and moved to heft her into his arms.

Fang wasn't happy with the loss of being pet, and bumped Live's leg with his head again, nearly toppling both the Slytherin and the Gryffindor with his massive dog-frame. George shot a look down at the dog which went completely wasted. "Go on," he said to deaf ears as the dog stuck his nose into Live's hand in further encouragement.

She huffed but scratched the dog quickly, petting him under the jowls only to have something dropped into her palms. She nearly dropped to her knees with shock as she realized that what she was holding was a wet mass of purple fur; Henry, her Pygmy Puff. And it wasn't a dead puff, but alive and well. He was a bit wet and smelled of dog, but he shook himself and began to purr as she cuddled him close to her chest and burst into tears.

"Alright, you two?" Hagrid asked the pair, shooting his large dog a look.

George turned with a grin to Hagrid. "Fang found Henry."

The dog looked incredibly pleased with itself as it sat in the snow next to the crying blonde. How he had even found the miniature puffskein in all that snow and mess was amazing for one. _Where_ he had found the puff was a question in its own. Live dropped down to her knees and hugged the large dog, petting him and lavishing affection upon him while holding Henry close.

"No doubt he's just as pleased as you are," Hagrid noted with a grin at the dog being pet quite zealously. As George helped Live up from the snow and hefted her into his arms, Hagrid had to grab the large boarhound by the scruff to keep him from jumping up and knocking the couple over.

oOo

"I swear to _god_, Kara, put that on me and you'll be eating out of a tube," Kelena threatened as Kara neared the witch with a jar of pink sparkly paste.

"Oh shut up and quit being a ninny. It's not like you can't fix your face if something goes wrong," the fifth year blonde retorted.

"Bite me."

Kara delivered a toothy smile in response.

"Just try it, Kel," Lee remarked. "Don't be a wuss."

"A wuss? _Me_? _You're_ the one who sicced her on me!"

"Better you than me," Lee responded with a grin. "Kara, try the blue stuff next."

Kara gave Lee one of the largest, toothiest grins she could muster. It was positively frightening to Kelena. "I'll curse you good, Kara. Don't put it on me," Kelena ground as she was squirming away from the blonde's reach.

"No you won't," Kara said with an encouraged grin. "Live would curse you back if you did anything nasty, and she don't mess around. Blood is thicker than water and all."

"Bull she would," Kelena said a bit weakly in belief as she dodged a spattering of Kara's sparkly pink goo. It landed on a statue in the common room, the entire thing turning pink with sparkles. It was every gargoyle's nightmare.

Or Kara's own dream-come-true.

"See? It's pretty!" Kara noted. Lee was smirking, incredibly glad to not be on the receiving end for once.

"I do _not _want to be pink and sparkly. And that's stone, not flesh! Go try it on one of the first years!!"

"_Come on, Kel_," Kara said with a beseeching grin. "Pink and sparkly…All the girls will want to be you…or just want you, if those rumors are true…Angelina says to stay out of her bed, by the way."

Kelena frowned as Lee let loose laughter he'd been holding back. She was about to turn her attention on him when she quickly dodged Kara's sneak-attack from behind. The blonde landed on Lee, spilling the blue jar on his head. A moment later his hair was a shade of royal blue and iridescent with sparkles.

"OOH! It works!!" Kara declared with pride. "You look great, Lee!"

Lee touched his hair and looked at his hands, and though nothing came off, he knew he was probably sporting a new hairdo of some sort. At least it wasn't wet. "Oh, bollocks."

Kara was half-on, half-off Lee, and scrambled with some minor 'oofs!' of unappreciation from Lee for her bag and a tiny compact mirror. She promptly sat back on him and opened the mirror as Kelena took the chance to sneak away and hide somewhere in the girls dorms from both Kara _and_ Hermione, whom she was still avoiding for reasons of sanity.

Lee looked at himself in Kara's mirror as the blonde grinned toothily, as proud of herself as she always was where Lee's person and her experiments were concerned. "Don't you look great?" Kara said with enthusiasm.

"Hm…I do look sort of spruce, eh?" he said, turning his head to look better into her mirror. Kara burst into ecstatic little squeaks of delight as Lee preened himself like a peacock delighting in his new garb.

"What the bloody hell is in your hair, mate?" Fred asked with an amused tone as he came down the stairs. "And why are there sparkly-pink footprints leading up the dorm steps?"

"Kel must have tracked it up…I'll get her later," Kara noted to Fred offhandedly. "Doesn't Lee look great?"

"You look a great _sod_," Fred said through a toothy grin.

"Oi, I actually kind of like it," Lee said truthfully of the royal blue of his hair. "Shine a light on me, I want to see if I can disco up a room."

Kara pouted. "You're just supposed to be pretty, not a disco ball, Lee."

Fred was poorly stifling snickers as he didn't want to garner the rest of Kara's jar of blue paste sitting on the floor. He didn't know what it was about Hunter girls and dying other people's hair, but he wasn't about to go through another hair crisis for her amusement.

"Now quit moving around so much, Lee. I've got to dye your eyebrows to match, otherwise no one will think it's natural." Both seventh years gave her a look of disbelief. "Oh shove a broomstick in it…Obviously you aren't aware of how gullible the first years are or just how much of our profit is comprised of their sales."

Both boys were silent a shared moment of thought. "You know, her moments of lucidity are quite terrifying," Fred pointed out to the seventh year filling in as Kara's seat.

"What's worse is that she's usually right about those things…And I don't want to know what you're planning to do to the first years, by the way," Lee added to Kara.

Kara grinned, back to her sunshiny self. "Now hold still…I don't know what will happen if it gets in your eyes…"

Lee let out a minor yelp at that prospect, but was saved as the portrait hole opened and grabbed Kara's attention.

"Hey George, how would you like to be the first guy to sport House-color sparkles in their hair?" Kara proposed in a tone that implied this was an honor to be had. "Lee loves his."

George smirked as he helped Live through the portrait hole behind him. "Maybe later, Kara."

She sighed as if it was his great loss, and turned her attention on her sister with speculation. There was something off about her, but she couldn't place it. Something about her eyes. "What're you doing wearing George's quidditch robes?" Kara posed, then made a sour face in response. "Eww…I bet it was pervy…"

Live looked at Lee stuck under her sister, and then to Fred who was standing looking at his twin skeptically. So they didn't know? Maybe the morning's events were kept a better secret by the head of Gryffindor than the Slytherin had thought.

Live gave Kara a turn-up of her lip in minor teasing threat. "Pervy to the max. Keep your nose out of other people's business."

Kara snorted in complete disregard to her sister. "Speaking of business, I'm gonna buy you out if you don't contribute to our stocks more often. Lee can only take so much," Kara motioned to the seventh year with blue sparkly hair. He looked surprised that Kara was actually aware of the craziness she subjected him to on a daily basis. "He's gonna be useless in no time flat."

"Oi! I'm not useless!" Lee spat with indignation.

"Pfft. Any day now, Lee," Kara said with the certainty of a seer.

Lee stood up, Kara rolling off him to the floor in an undignified heap. "I haven't spent most of my life around these two-" he motioned to Fred and George "-and _lived_ only to be done in by _you_."

Live smirked to herself. She knew what Kara was doing. Too bad Lee didn't see it for what it was. It made her smirk.

"I don't know, Lee," Kara said looking at him with disillusioned appraisal. "I've already had to schedule Teddy Logan to test out the new ankle-biting socks because you're…well…"

"Hey, I'll have you know-- _wait_. He actually _scheduled_ testing out ankle-biting socks with you?"

"Well, he doesn't know he has yet," Kara said with a sly smile. "And anyways Lee, you're just too--"

"Oh shut the bloody hell up, Kara. _Where are those damn socks_?!" Lee demanded, grabbing the fifth year by the wrist and dragging her towards the dorms to prove his worth and strength.

Live smirked to herself while Fred and George were amazed at Kara's ability to get exactly what she wanted. "We've got to pay her more," Fred announced.

"At least double," George agreed. Live smiled. Kara had a very sweet thing going for her. She'd been taught quite well.

"So, everything alright?" Fred broached carefully.

George couldn't help but look at Live before answering his twin, but the blonde only smiled. "Fine," she said with a chipper tone.

Fred released a breath and grinned, looking again to his twin who had run off in such a frenzy when they'd parted that morning. "So, what was the big deal, then? McGonagall's got everyone going stir-crazy stuck in the castle all day."

"Uh--"

"There was one of those creatures again, got too close to the castle grounds…" Live relayed with unusual chattiness. "The ones that attacked my sister and Lee and Neville. It's just better to remain indoors."

"Hmph," Fred said with a nod, but looking at his twin, he knew there was a different story behind things. And in the way that things pass easily between twins, Fred grinned and let George know that he knew it was obviously difficult and sensitive to relay, and he dismissed himself and let them about their business.

oOo

Hours later Hogwarts saw a wave of students whose hair had been dyed bright, sparkly colors out of boredom and winter-induced cabin fever. Most of this was Kara's doing out of having fashioned her sparkly-paste into capsules which she could launch quite proficiently with a slingshot, and she had targeted the whole of Hogwarts as her victims in hair-prankery.

Lee, walking beside her with bandaged ankles, grinned as he held the bag which contained the multiple varieties of colored capsules. Kara ran cackling after students with glee, having found a good substitute for snowball fighting, as Lee was just glad to be an ally and not a target. He was also quite fond of his royal-blue sparkly hair as he believed it distinguished him amongst his compatriots (or he had finally cracked and joined the dark side of Kara's mentality).

Ginny didn't appreciate having her fiery hair turned a most Slytherin color of sparkly green, and the girls were having an all-out war in the atrium where no students were safe, and many stone gargoyles lost their dignity. Hogwarts was a far more festive place by the time dinner actually rolled around, and the fourth and fifth year Gryffindor girls were too tired to throw anything more than empty paste-capsules at one another (they'd given up on spells long before as they found they were too evenly matched).

Suffice it to say, the professors were more than surprised (and a bit relieved they'd avoided whatever had transpired) at the brightly colored student body that ate warily and irritatedly in the Great hall that night. No one was safe, and everyone suspected everyone else of having paste capsules hidden in robes pockets.

Kara made a subsequent killing off paranoia-induced capsule buying that evening.

oOo

Hi loveys, this was actually gonna be part of the last chap, but I split it up to two (even kinda three, as I'm already started on the next chap) with good reason XD There's been some lovely new fanart for this fic, all links in my bio, and I am in love with my loveys who fanart this story!! WOOO!! :D Check them out, awesome-sauce with a side of sweetness!! Links in bio :D

I wrote the beginning with the intention in mind to use Draco and Lucius' names as sparingly as possible as I was trying a writing device to distance them as people from the situation. Referring to them less by name makes them more as objects, as is what i was going for. After all, there are two worlds in the sense of the wizarding society anyway. Lots of people are aware that Lucius is a Death eater, but so many pretend it doesn't exist, or just turn their heads the other way. I wanted to distance these two characters in a way that there are two-sides to each, and almost four different characters for their differences. Anywho, sorry if there was any sort of confusion in the beginning. That's what i was goin' for, so hopefully you're not too confused ;D

I won't bore you with my reasons for late updatery (or how much I laughed at the threats and guilt-trips laid on me for not updating)- so just review and have fun. Haha frankly I was surprised by how many of you are still reading it. Made me feel a bit more guilty for it wasn't just the few who review I was agitating with not updating XD Ha.

To my lovelies, for whom I write:

Redheadlover: Heh heh heh, payback's a bitch, and so am I XD lol Bwaha talk about never living an incident down. Heh heh. I tried not to leave this bit on a cliffy just for you ;D lol because, you know, my whole love for you and all XD haha oh man…good times.

Scarlet Faerie: Hey darlin' yeah sorry I take forever I know!! XD Heh heh….I use 'lady bits' all the time XD It's nicer than it's counterpart: man-meat XD heh heh, poor Crabbe and Goyle having to deal with Malfoy's nastiness….ugh. Don't even think about the aftermath of it XD BWAHAHAHA!! Oooh, and yes, something is up with George ;D I'm glad you picked up on it…hope I don't end up depressing you too badly!! O.O haha! And you know Slytherins are naturally kinky…I mean, it's the dungeon XD haha!! Oh dear. Lol George's comment about getting Live knocked up was just an excuse to give her time to lounge around the castle without having to deal with 'lady issues' while they made their escape. Bwah. Good luck with that plan, eh? XD HAHAHA oh no…Liiiiiive!! Noooooo!! XD hee hee, you make me laugh, I love it XD hahaha thanks!!

Skrye: Woot!! Thank you a lots!! XD I'm whippin' out the poor grammar for my love of the review, haha!! Next update should come faster. I have a lot in mind, I should be able to get it out :D

Smashley007: haha yeah, I didn't mean on his _side_ per se, but yeah, we get each other XD heh heh Yeah I try to write Snape from an asshole's do-gooding side XD haha. But I can relate so it's not too hard heh heh. And yes, Putterly is a huge ass. And it's not gonna get much better here in out, let me tell you O.O heh heh, man, you think reading about what happened to Malfoy was painful…Haha it was awful to write! XD I think that woul officially drive someone off the deep end, personally XD hee hee. Thanks!

Karma-k2: Heh heh, e-mail, my love of technology XD ha! I should hope that the spell Live used on Malfoy never _ever_ comes into being for any reason ever. It's just too horrid, oh man. XD Fred and SnowMEN are the sex, you know;D All for educational purposes, o'course! And we're not done with george and Putterly. Not by a long shot! I'm just so damned long-winded it seems like we never get to anything! HA!

Ivy Darklight: Oh man, I love you too XD hee hee he thank you for the awesomeness boost to my ego, supa-sweet!! XD hee hee hee :D WOO!! I'm gonna try to be more frequent with updates, really I am. XD heh heh. And woo! Thanks for recommending me! Ha, I truly survive off word of mouth, you have no idea!! XD

Nomanslandvicki: Hahaha oh god, Snape as Live and George's babies' godfather….I'm not sure he's someone you'd want to watch your kids XD heh heh oh dear…Poor Snapey-poo :D heh heh Hope I wasn't too anticlimactic!!

Kman01: Wow, you've been here since the beginning? Ha, well, I certainly wouldn't know it XD You know me, all over the freaking place XD heh heh :D yeah I let things go for a while with transitioning through a lot of stuff in life XD heh, while I don't update as frequently as I used to way back in the day, I do, however, write a crapload more than I should! HAHA! So I always try to keep plenty of stuff to read, but I am gonna try to get chaps out more frequently. Ha, I'm always worried that if I go back to making chaps less than twenty pages (or, le gasp, 15!) that we'd end up with well over a hundred chapters, and I don't think I want that o.o Ha, maybe, if in the end it's popular enough, I'll do a sequel or catch up or something o.O ha. Oh well, we'll see! And thanks a bunch! I'm glad you like the way it's turned out! From someone who's been here since the early-on, it means a lot! :D haha I'm glad for your enthusiasm! :D

Dckveg: I'm hopefully done with sicknesses if I get my way XD Spring break is, er, givin' me a break! HAHA!! Thanks a lot! And hope your spring break is goin' corking too!!

Why: Oh why do I let you lovelies suffer so? Haha I gotta say that that little review you left made me laugh and get off my ass to hurry up and finish things. Sometimes guilt works with me, sometimes it doesn't. You got me on a good day. Well done XD hee hee :D Thanks for taking the time to leave me something anyway!! :D


	53. Self Doubt

_I swear, getting the writing from my brain to paper is like pulling teeth. Bah. Enjoy, sorry for lateness. At least it's long. And I had a crapload more I wanted to add, but I figured you guys had waited long enough, so I'll save it for next chap. Finals at 18units and online shop work and all have kept me busy. Lahve from me. _

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers_  
by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 53: Self Doubt

Live sat in George's bed clean and bathed, wrapped in not much else than sparse bandages and her undergarments. Hair that had been put up clean and wet in a bun was currently dry, wispy tendrils hanging about her face. An unopened library book on prophecies sat in her lap, a barely touched dinner to her right. In one hand she held the presumably sleeping Henry, the little fluff ball calm and sedentary for once as she slowly stroked the purple fur in slow metronomic time.

George was on the floor messing with some spells and other devices, shoving things into bags for shrinking and whatnot as he had declared stoutheartedly to Live that they would be leaving Hogwarts as soon as her wounds closed, if not sooner. He was already prepared in most respects- _completely _where survival was necessary- but now he was packing for certain comforts of home and whatever he thought they might make some use of. You never knew when a dented shoehorn might come in handy.

He glanced up at Live every now and again, seeing that her attention was on him, but her eyes were distant and distracted, like she wasn't really seeing _him_ or anything around them. Her hand would momentarily stop stroking her pygmy puff in thought, then she would blink and start back up again.

He'd spent the past few hours next to her in mostly silence, and they hadn't much spoken over what had transpired as it caused her to cry. And he hated to see her cry, and was frustrated and angry that he couldn't do anything to get vengeance for her-- for _everything_ she had gone through. She had bandages over her chest, her forearms completely wrapped up in currently-white gauze, and with her hair swept up almost neatly, he could make out the scars that started at her neck and dripped heavily down her skin to trickle off the rest of her body, some parts untouched from the poisonous potion that had burned her.

The scars weren't as bad now as they had first been, thanks to the cream he had developed for her which she used religiously, and she had had some time to heal from initial potion exposure. But every scar, every cut, every burn was a screaming testament to him that he hadn't done well by her or protected her properly as a husband ought. Even if he wasn't officially her husband yet, it was still no different. It made the sting of his own disgraces hurt even more, badly acidic with the painful need to protect and keep her safe from all harm and hurt.

A tear fell down Live's cheek that she wasn't aware of, so deep within her thoughts she was. Her face was calm and eyes distant in unawareness. It upset George.

"Live…"

She instinctively turned her head at the noise of his voice, and blinked with an inquisitive look at him as her eyes focused. "What?" she asked as she wiped the wetness at her cheek away as if it were nothing.

"Are you alright, darling?"

She managed a smile. "I'm fine. Just thinking."

"About what?" he asked on impulse, then felt immediately stupid and wished he could suck his stupid words back into his idiot head.

She gave him a little humoring look and slightly turned away with a slight shake of her head. "Nothing," she said flatly. She looked back at him as he moved from the floor to sit next to her on the bed. She gave him an almost exasperated look and a slight roll of her eyes. "Really George, sometimes I let my mind go blank. You _know _that. Leave me alone."

"Live," he said her name very gently, and his voice was so full of unspoken concern and love that she might have cried for the hundredth time that day.

"I'm fine, really," she promised as she choked down the threatening sob in her throat. "They didn't get to…_do_ anything to me…So I'm okay, don't bug me."

But he wasn't buying her words. She was too uncharacteristically calm for _his _well being. She obviously wasn't quite herself, with very good reason. He wanted her to be okay. "Live…they cut you up…You shouldn't be so still."

"I'm fucking pissed as all hell," she muttered with a vent of sudden heat. They were the first words of anger George had heard her speak since she had come out of Hagrid's hut that morning. He counted it as a blessing. "And I'm frustrated. I know who they are, but the law can't touch them. Or won't."

George frowned. She hadn't yet told him who had dared to touch her, or what exactly had been done to her, though she _had _more than spoken what they _hadn't_ done, both for his piece of mind and especially for hers. Saying what they _hadn't_ accomplished out loud really helped her to build a basis for her anger and convince herself that she was really okay, just very ill-handled, but that she would live and get over it.

And George knew that out of anger she became strong, and he was more than grateful for her ire showing its nasty head. "Let me do it, Live," he asked almost pleadingly. He'd be doing more damage than he'd ever wrought in his life on whomever had hurt her, regardless of her permission or not. It made his blood boil even thinking about it. "No one touches my wife and gets away with it."

He had her free hand in his, and she smiled at his words and warmth. His tone was one of helpless desperation. He wanted to help her so badly, to do something useful. He loved her more than anything in the world. It would have killed him if they'd done anything to her in _that_ sense. Not for _his_ sensibilities, of course. He couldn't care a lick about the state of her person; he loved her regardless. But for her…He could not deal with knowing the emotional scars he would be unable to touch and soothe, those that would haunt her and stay with her, and he couldn't stand being helpless to do anything about it. He hated feeling helpless where the one he loved was concerned.

"…I'm not sure _what _I want to do…" she muttered at length.

"…Live…?" His voice was very gentle teetering on antsy frustration.

"One I think I want castrated…and pour lemon juice in the wounds," she said with a spiteful tone. "…The other I want dead," she said finitely, a deadly calm to her voice. Her mind was made up completely on that matter and not about to change as long as the fire of rage and humiliation burned inside her. The calm she displayed as she said the words somewhat irked George, but not for the obvious reasons. "Definitely dead for all this."

"Live…Who--"

"Please George, no," she interrupted just as calmly, her eyes tearing up somewhat for feeling a coward that she didn't want to tell him.

George was getting a bit frustrated. "Why can't--"

"I can't. And I can't afford to think like that right now anyways, George…"

"Live, if anyone has any right to think such things, it's you. You know _who_ did this," he asked as more of a statement than a question, wildly wanting to get to action and know the identity of her assailants. Sitting around he felt useless. He wanted to get together a posse and go after them.

"No George, please. It _could _backfire…My magic is utterly free right now…Completely. Dumbledore said so when…when we spoke at Hagrid's," she confided, opening up a bit to him. "I don't even have a wand to channel the misfires anymore. Or to hold reign over my magic like other witches and wizards."

"We can get you a new wand, Live," George told her.

"It's not just that," she continued, not revealing to him Dumbledore's stated own opposing opinion on _that_ matter. "If I'm not careful with my thoughts and feelings.…I-I don't want to kill indiscriminately…"

"I'd prefer if _you_ didn't have to kill anything," George told her at the openness of her statement.

"Hm," she said in agreement, not meeting his eyes. They were silent a moment as the statement hung in the air. George brushed his fingertips over her hand, and she pursed her lips. "I never want to hurt _you_, George. By accident or any other way. It scares me to death that I might hurt you."

He gave her an indulgent smile. "Even if your magic _did_ go haywire, there's not much me and Fred haven't already done to ourselves that could possibly be much worse."

She frowned at him. "It's not funny, George. My magic is dangerous in ways I can't even imagine, let alone control."

"Oh bollocks. You blew up our kitchen, remember? And in a state that Fred and I have only ever dreamed."

"My point exactly."

He quirked a smile. "What I mean is that I was right at the center of _that_, and your magic never touched me. I'm still alright, love, so don't even worry about that."

She sighed heavily in pensive thought and he gave her hand a squeeze. "Just please be wary around me, George."

He grinned at her. "Never. It'd take all the fun out of life." Her eyes filled with tears and his grin immediately vanished, feeling an idiot for his words. He put his hands upon her gently and closed the distance between them. "It's all right, really. Ah please Live, I'm sorry. Don't worry. Please."

She sniffed and blinked back the tears swimming in her eyes as she shook her head at him. "I'm always worried now, George. And I'm scared of myself, and it's not right."

"Don't worry. I'll _always _be here to protect you," he vowed. He quirked a smile. "Even from yourself. And I'm never letting you alone again, I promise. Don't be scared," he soothed. "And never be scared of yourself, Live. I'm going to do everything in my power to keep you safe."

His words and confident tone deeply soothed her. He was so confident in them that she felt she really believed him, too. Her troublesome thoughts about herself were being quieted by his gentle reassurances that he would take care of her. His love calmed her mind beyond measure. Convinced he wouldn't leave her and he'd be there to check her should things get out of control…well it gave her peace of mind, which in turn keep her mind at peace.

She sighed and hung her head, more clear-minded and calm. She was upset about all the events that had turned her from Snake Queen of Slytherin to the coward composed of self-fear and loathing. She was self-disgusted. "It isn't fair, George. I don't even think Dumbledore's going to do much about them," she noted as she wiped her eyes.

George's eyes narrowed a bit at that thought. "Does he know? Who exactly attacked you?"

Live looked at him guiltily and quickly avoided his eyes and the hunger for information that rested there barely restrained. She wanted to tell him, she did. But she couldn't. Not right to his face. Not in the light of day. She was far too ashamed and humiliated that it had even taken place, let alone to recount it. She couldn't bear the expressions that might take him. She hated it when his eyes got too serious and all he could dwell on was righting the wrongs done to her. It was very noble of him, but she'd rather he joke and stay by her side than go off fighting dragons and risking his neck for her.

"He made me tell him," she admitted quietly. "Lot of bloody good it's going to do anyway. I mean, I understand it's a conflict of interests. For Dumbledore. I understand that and I can see all the logic behind it and appreciate his position in the matter and almost accept it, but it's not fair and I hate him for it even if it's not his fault."

George sat closer to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, drawing her head to his chest where she pressed her face against the soft fabric of his shirt. He kissed the top of her head and held her a moment. His scent and warmth brought an amount of comfort to her she could not describe. "You _should_ be angry, Live. It's not bad at all. And if Dumbledore _doesn't_ do anything about it, you have even more right. Especially if he knows…"

She sighed with confusion for her morals, her head a tumult of contradictions. "You know what's worse, George?" she murmured as she turned her cheek to lay against his chest, watching his throat as he swallowed. "Out in the forest, when my magic was stuck and they had me…And the second the inhibiting potion failed and it broke itself free.…I _must _have killed that other man-- I mean, the amount of blood alone, he couldn't have….And I-I wanted it. It doesn't feel half as good now as I thought it did. I wanted it with every ounce of my being. I wanted to slice him good like they were doing to me. I wanted him to suffer. And I'm certain he must have."

She felt like a monster for admitting that. But it wasn't the worst. She had _enjoyed_ giving them their due, on some hidden yet distinct level. She had truly enjoyed the feeling that he would likely die for daring to touch her. And that enjoyment scared her and disgusted her, especially with her magic and its apparent growing power. She was scared what she might make happen without conscious thought. She had to quell those feelings deep down, but she was in fear of herself now and as Dumbledore had tried to make clear, she needed to trust in her abilities. And that was something she was at a complete loss to do.

"Dammit Live, self defense isn't murder," George told her with calm but heated tones, repeating Snape's own words. "They were gonna do horrible things to you. Anything they got they deserved, and more."

She was silent a moment, listening to the beating of his heart, the rhythm a bit faster than normal with raw emotion. She inhaled his scent and then breathed it back out. George. Her George. God she loved him so. "…would you care? If they had succeeded?" she asked quietly a moment later.

He pulled away from her and gave her a thinking frown. She looked up at him with minorly apprehensive eyes as he frowned down at her. He gave her a deep-wrought look. What was she thinking that for? "You are the only thing that matters to me in this entire bloody world, Live. Of _course _I would care! I care _now_! I'm not going to let them get away with manhandling you or any of it! Not at all." To close his point he brought her back into his arms and held her tightly against his chest.

She blinked away moisture in her eyes at his words and embrace. They couldn't help but bring a minor lift to her smile. "I didn't mean in the sense of hurting me…" she broached quietly, her cheeks blushing very slightly. "If they had….I mean, if I wasn't.…I'm saving myself for _you_, George. I only want it to be you…"

George couldn't bring himself to look back at her. Emotions were running too high between them; he felt like a ninny. Godric, he loved her so much it actually hurt his heart. "…Honestly Live, I'm glad. Very very glad. I want it to be me…" He had to stop a moment and breathe, holding her close and just savoring her, keeping her. He would never leave her alone again. He inhaled her clean smell and the scent of the soap she had used when they had brought her back. It helped clear his thoughts a bit, the fragrance clearing out his mind. "If they _had_ succeeded, I wouldn't love you any less now than the first time I realized I loved you. You're the world to me, love."

She started softly crying again and he felt like a great prat. He pushed tendrils of hair away from her face and kissed her cheeks on both sides- cracking jokes about all this girly nonsense and how it was surely turning him into one- causing her to smile at him through tears. She weakly laughed when he promised that no matter how girly she eventually made him with all this feelings-talk, he would never wear that sparkly pink tube top that had a penchant for popping up, and he proceeded to crack jokes and lightly tease her until she was breathing normally again and her eyes were dry.

There came a noise at the door, followed by muffled swearing and the sounds of someone trying to break through the wards George had put on the dorm. Live reacted in withdrawal, shrinking back against his arms and into the pillows at the noise as her heart rate sped up. She had to tell herself to calm down and not to overreact. George shouted to whoever it was outside, asking what they wanted and telling them to bugger off. When the noises didn't cease and he only heard more muffled cursing, he retrieved his wand and stood from the bed, ready to hex the hell out of whatever ill-advised prankster was trying to get into his room. Lee and Fred were at dinner and keeping their intuitive distance. Whoever was trying to get in was obviously not supposed to be there.

oOo

"Well there's talks of attacks from the creatures in the forest. I heard that they're not respecting the castle bounds anymore. Not sure if it's worth it to watch the quidditch teams practice anymore in my opinion, though the Gryffindor team isn't saying much on the matter."

"Where did you hear that?"

"Jaime told me. He said some of the older boys saw the mess."

"Do you think old McGonagall will let everyone out tomorrow? I didn't even get to make a snowman yet."

"I sure hope so, mate. But from the rumors I've heard, you wouldn't want to go out even if she'd let us. I heard there were Doppelgangers in the forest. Puts a damper on my snow fun."

"My older sister used to tell me scary stories about those. Still freaks me out."

"Your sister's a right job of it, i'n't she?"

"Go climb up Goyle's trousers!"

A biscuit flew across the table and landed in a soup bowl. Chaos ensued at the Ravenclaw table.

"Oh dear…I don't think the students are very happy about being put on lockdown, Minerva," Tonks noted from the teachers' table in the Great Hall. "I didn't think they'd go so stir-crazy in just a few hours."

McGonagall sighed. "I alerted Poppy that she might be filling a few extra beds before the night is out…And as for all the dyed hair…I'm just happy they haven't been cursing one another to injury yet. The first few weeks of winter are always the craziest."

"Hm, yeah I guess so. But if we don't at least let them onto the courtyards for fresh air, no doubt we'll be dealing with more frazzled younger years. And I think the Hufflepuffs have made me somewhat their mascot." Tonks continued to grumble about always being pestered by the young Hufflepuffs who seemed to get so riled up about minor tiffs that she even considered taking advantage of her Metamorphmagus heritage and hiding out in the plain open. They had their head of house to go to. Why the bugger were they always bothering her?

McGonagall laughed. "I am afraid it is because you are the youngest of the staff. They relate to you more. It happened with me when I first became a teacher."

"You know, I'd almost believe you if it were other houses, too."

McGonagall only smirked. "You could always take a leaf from Severus' book."

Tonks wrinkled her nose as she drank from her goblet. Setting it down, she gave the Head of Gryffindor a look. "I don't want _that_ kind of a fan club….I'd just prefer if they were a little less enthusiastic."

McGonagall only laughed. "Good luck."

oOo

The door was reverberating with the force of someone pounding on it from the outside, relentless in their desire to get in.

George didn't get it. He'd warded the room with their usual tricks, and put on a few more heavy wards in order to ensure he and Live had some pure and quite-necessary alone-time. He didn't understand how they were breaking through his wards. No one but Lee or Fred might have, but with the rattling of the doorknob and the frequency of the cursing, it was obvious that _someone _was getting through. And with dinner having started some time ago, there shouldn't be many people left inside their commons.

Live was breathing hard, getting a bit nervous on the bed while George told her that it was okay and probably some idiot fourth-year with a mind to get him back for trading out their mouthwash with stink sap. Live could feel a panic rising as no one spent such time and vital energy in trying to get in so harshly. Unless they were after one of the people inside.

"George, tell them off," she told him with worry should her magic decide to react in some way and maybe injure them both.

"I'm trying but either they're not bloody listening or they don't bloody care," he said as he approached the door. "Oi!" he shouted through it. "Quit it or I'll turn you into a ferret and shove you down Vincent Crabbe's pants!"

The noise stopped momentarily, and George grinned and looked back to Live. He gave her a one-sided smirk and a thumbs up. It was in turning back to the door as he heard the knob that it bust open, and like embodiment of sunshiny apocalypse, Kara came boldly through with a deep-set frown on her face.

"Oi you buggering knob! What the hell d'you think in locking me out?! Didn't you hear me knocking?!" Kara shrieked with entitlement as she entered and saw George standing with bewilderment, wand in position as if he had just been ready to fire off a curse.

"I think _God_ heard you knocking," George murmured.

"Oh, fuck me," Live muttered on a relieved sigh in seeing her little sister standing in the doorway. Kara's expression immediately changed as she made a beeline for her sister with a keen wail on her lips.

"Oh Live!! Are you alright?! What're all these bandages?! I didn't see those before! And I just heard the worst story at the great hall! Oh my Godric Gryffindor it's true isn't it?"

"Intrusive _and_ loud…Live, I rather think _you _got all the favorable family traits…And that's saying something."

"Piss off," Kara snapped to him without amusement as she practically sat on top of her Slytherin sister. "What the hell happened?" Kara pried. "I must've been in a great pit all day or something to have not realized it but Susan said something about blood on the snow during dinner and then I remembered you were wearing George's robes today and I know you don't like wearing Gryffindor colors and then the castle being under lockdown and it clicked and you're so damn injury-prone-- _What the hell happened?!_" Kara interrupted herself impatiently.

Live opened her mouth trying to find the right words, her mouth moving like a fish as she grasped at straws. What to tell, what to keep to herself? She noticed that George was watching her with crossed arms, no doubt wondering how much she would spill to her sister that she hadn't gotten 'round telling him yet. It made her anxiety rise for the precarious balancing act of information and her pride. She felt no less uncomfortable relaying such to her sister than she had to Dumbledore. And George…she would never be able to tell him to his face in the light of day. "I was attacked by Death Eaters," she said succinctly.

Kara blinked dumbly at her sister's flatly-spoken statement. "What?"

"Are you deaf?" George asked Kara as tears sprang to Live's eyes; the only indicator that her own statement had affected her. Her face was stoic as Kara turned with a wry frown to look at George. "Don't make her repeat it."

Kara turned back to Live in deference to George as the Slytherin offered her the most tiniest of forced smiles. Kara wouldn't make her repeat herself, but she was very confused. "Well bloody hell, Live…what the hell? Is it cuz of that stupid prophecy thing? Should I get our forces ready?" Kara said in a serious tone, pushing her robes sleeves up her arms. "I'm really serious, we _do_ have forces, you know. We could take them apart."

"Kara…Your head is up your ass if you think I'd let you after them," Live stated, her tone one of law.

"But look at your arms! And…." Kara frowned. She thought it in rather bad taste to ask if her sister had been bodily stabbed as the bandages on her chest implied, even if it was out of pure concern and love for her sister's person. Then again, she supposed her injuries couldn't be _that_ bad if she wasn't in the hospital wing. "Well, are you alright?"

Live snorted humorlessly and offered a clichéd statement. "I might look a fright, but you should see the other guy."

George's expression was one of wince at Live's offhand remark. She acted like she wasn't concerned about it at all. This didn't suit her. She never acted so coldly and detached. Especially where she had been slighted. He knew she was hurting a whole lot more than she let on. Perhaps she had finally had enough.

Kara snorted as if unimpressed. Her voice was flat and held a tone akin with Live's own to her next statement; one of true expectation and a hint of blood thirst that George had never heard before. "I hope you took them out."

George saw Live's eyes slowly move to him, meeting his own. He saw a haunted, guilty look in her eyes barely a moment before her attention was immediately back to her sister. It troubled him.

"Well there were three," Live told her sister in subdued, quiet tones. "There's at least two more."

Kara looked calculatingly worried, but not for the expected reasons where death was concerned. "Good. One each for me and George left then." She looked over her shoulder at the fiery-haired seventh year, a lackadaisical smile on her face, but her eyes were deep and not at all amused.

George looked at the two blondes occupying his bed, feeling he was privy to some sort of other side of their personalities that wasn't normally viewed by others. Most of their communication was simple nods and inclinations of their heads, a few spoken words and mumbles for elaboration, though loads were interchanged between them. He supposed it was not unlike the things he and Fred were able to communicate without words, though he did not hope to understand this odd pair of siblings. No sooner than speaking of morbid issues was Kara cuddling up to her sister in her characteristic 'peep-peep' fashion on the bed as the Slytherin shoved at her with no real intention of displacing her. Live threatened Kara not to crush Henry, the sixth year not about to let the pygmy puff out of her sight. Though the little fifth year Gryffindor was obviously crowding her Slytherin sister on the bed, it was oddly comforting in the way that sibling proximity could sometimes be. It caused George to smirk.

"Kara I swear to you if there's even the smallest granule of sugar in my bed…"

"Peep peep!" was Kara's only response.

He sniffed with exaggerated disdain as a knock on the door came; one absent of Kara's enthusiastic pounding and barging in. He walked to it as the girls watched and listened on tenterhooks. "Yes?" George asked through the door itself.

"It's Lee," came the voice.

"Alright," he responded. George threw a promising look back at Live who was being slowly smothered by her sister. She gave him a slight look of anxiety. "I'll be right outside the door."

"Okay," the blonde sixth year replied with relief. She watched him go as Kara tickled Henry's soft purple fur. They were soon left in silent reverie as George closed them to their secrets.

oOo

"But what about it then?" George asked Lee. He was sitting on the floor with his back against their dorm room door. Lee was sitting across the small corridor on the other wall. They had been talking for quite some time.

"Well Hermione says that it might not even be _necessary _now, but that you shouldn't go through with it just 'cause of necessity. That's mainly why she wanted me to tell you otherwise so you'd still go through with it _nicely_." Lee grinned.

"_You _consulted _her_?" George asked with surprise. "Well that's new."

Lee shook his head. "I didn't have to. She searched me out. I think Ron and Harry must have said something to her after your chest pains this morning because she was all up in arms about it. I swear her brain must work even while she's asleep. Or she's been thinking about it for some time. Bloody woman thinks she can save the entire planet if she puts her mind to it…"

George snorted in amusement. "Does she really think I wouldn't marry Live if I knew it _wasn't _necessary to do so?" He grinned a sideways grin. "She's barkers then, mate."

"No, I don't think it's that she believes you _wouldn't _marry Live if you knew the bond formed itself, but it's just that you wouldn't _have to_ get married so soon just to take advantage of a bond." Lee raised his brows. "If the bond is already there, then you can take your time planning a proper wedding and not have to rush it like I think she's worried you are. I think she just wants Live to be happy, and that might have something to do with _your _sister. She and Kara are nuts for being in your wedding, you know."

"Now Ginny's in on this? Bloody hell, who else has their nose in our business? Did you put an ad in The Prophet, mate?" he said with a smirk.

Lee grinned. "Ginny _really_ wants her and Kara to be related…which I'd watch out for, by the way, personally. Those two have got plans all their own and with Kara's mind on the project I wouldn't expect anything short of devious."

George put his face in his palm with a smile of weariness. "So the gist of what you're saying is that Hermione _wants _us to have a proper wedding and not rush it; Ginny and Kara want to be frilly little bridesmaids; and that me and Live already have a strong enough bond that marrying _for_ the bond would just be silly? Blimey mate, I don't know who puts more thought into our relationship- us or them."

"Well I think that's an excellent summary, yes," Lee said with a laugh. "I told her not to worry. I don't know what could make her think that you would just rush a marriage for the sake of the customary bond, but she's all affright about it for some reason. Buggers the hell out of me, mate," Lee told him.

George sighed, touched in the least that their tight knit little group cared so much about him and Live, but also slighted in that they apparently knew more about it all than he thought. Or at least Hermione did. Little witch had the foresight of a seer in certain situations. He hoped she wouldn't catch _too_ on to their plans before they had a chance to go with it. The success of eloping and leaving was dependent upon no one catching on until they were quite far gone. And even if he and Live had some sort of a bond right now, he wasn't all that sure it was enough. He wanted to be extra cautious on that matter.

"Anyway, with as flamboyant as you and Fred are, I wouldn't expect anything less than a crazy flashy wedding to celebrate you and Live," Lee told him with a grin. George grinned back a bit guiltily. "So I just told Hermione to have a pint on me and to quit worrying so much. Her head's going to explode if she thinks too much."

"Must be why you're always so calm and relaxed," George said with a smirk.

"Shove a broom in it."

George grinned and exhaled. He wondered how long it would be until Hermione fully realized their plans by the time they fled the castle. Though the information Lee had provided was helpful and gave him a bit of insight, it still irked him. At least now he had an idea of why his chest had hurt so profoundly at quidditch this morning. And it didn't make him feel any better. The guilt was eating away at him as he knew he probably could have stopped the humiliation and degradation that had been forced on Live that morning. He was bonded to her in such a way that the marriage bonds of old had intended, though hell if he knew how to properly utilize it, or if it was even strong enough to ever be able to keep a track on her should anyone get a hold of her. Obviously, he didn't know how to use it.

Not that he would ever allow her to be mishandled again. _Never _again.

oOo

George entered the dorm with Lee, enlisting the other boy's help in extricating Kara from his bed. They'd been outside talking for so long that Fred had already been by to inquire if he should find a lovely bedmate for the night or if he'd be keeping his own quarters tonight. Lee had made a few raunchy jokes, and they had decided that it would be better if they were all in the dorm that night rather than not as it made them all a bit less uneasy. With the sound of the common room becoming more full and a few younger years passing them to their dorms, George and Lee had decided they'd been talking for long enough.

Both blondes were snoozing, Kara laying half on Live and wrapped around her like some sort of blonde octopus. It was too big of a job for just George to try and unwind Kara from her sister, so as he lifted and moved them carefully not to wake them, Lee somehow managed to get a good hold of Kara and together they successfully separated them.

While George was holding open the door for Lee to put Kara back in her own dorm, the fifth year mumbled in her sleep for Lee to hold still. It unnerved the one holding her.

"I swear she even dreams of torturing me in her sleep."

"At least she's toned it down to dying you different colors," George quipped. "Personally I think your hair would look smashing in a mauve color."

"Go shove a ferret in it. I'll be in later," he told George as the fiery-haired seventh year grinned and nodded, shutting the dorm door and giving it the usual wards.

A few moments later George shoved all his workings beneath his bed and turned out the lights. He slid in bed next to Live only to have her slightly startle. Something glass in the room shattered, and he quickly soothed her and told her it was only him. She quieted and turned towards him and went back to sleep. He spent most of the night awake with his troubled thoughts.

oOo

"Now, in _my_ expert opinion-"

"Since when did guessing right make you an expert?" Hermione asked Fred in the common room the next morning.

"-I believe," he continued with a slit-eyed glare in her direction, "that the proper action here would be to eat only _half_ of that bit now, and eat the rest of the other one if you're still feeling a little slithery."

The third year he was talking to was scratching at the green scales on his arm and chewing a piece of something akin to bubblegum. He nodded and Fred ticked off boxes on his clipboard.

"Fred, what you're doing is positively shameless," Hermione pointed out. Harry was all grins as he was shoving last-minute homework into his bag. Hermione was one to talk.

"Not to mention, I don't see the use in covering anyone in scales…It's a pretty weak prank."

"And our very own dragon-lady speaks!" Fred remarked of Kelena's lacking statement. She sniffed at him in disdain, and he gave her a scoffing look. "Care for some treats, Kel?" He held out a box of deceptively delicious-looking goodies.

"I'm not that stupid," she said in taking a step back from the beguiling box.

Fred gave a smirk. "Could've fooled me. Hermione my dear, care for a snack?" he offered with a glib smile.

"I ought to write you up," she threatened.

"We _could _use a new secretary, 'Mione," Fred proposed on her idea. "Kara's been bollocks since she's been busy developing our newest line. And I think we could trust you to keep the parchment neat and sticky free."

"…Don't count on that…" Dean remarked smugly from in front of the fire. Hermione's face reddened, and Harry burst out laughing.

Fred wrinkled one side of his nose in thought at the statement as the two younger years were nothing but snickers. "You're sick. You're all sick," he remarked. Then he grinned and reached into a pocket. "Lucky for you we have Weasley's Wizard Perk-Ups! One-thousand percent the normal vitamins and minerals you'd get on a daily basis…two-hundred percent if you're Vincent Crabbe." He held out two small, pink, arrow-shaped candies that looked like chewable vitamins.

"That sounds positively unhealthy and dangerous," Hermione immediately started in.

"Nonsense," Fred stated. "Cures most woes in moments….We're still testing them of course, but for you, Hermione, I think I can part with a few." He offered her a Cheshire cat-like grin. "And you? Harry? Dean? You're both pretty sick and twisted if you ask me, quite in the need. Care to test?"

Hermione looked horrified. "You're going to kill someone!"

"Oh you're no fun," Fred said with a pout, and shoved the pink arrows back into his pocket.

Hermione looked minorly relieved, then she shot Dean a death-glare that made the boy scoot closer to Harry. The Gryffindor Seeker laughed and shoved at him as Hermione went red-faced back to the bits of parchment in her lap.

"Are you almost done, 'Mione?" Harry asked as he got up and stretched.

"You know, _your_ homework would get done a lot faster if you didn't copy off me and actually did it for yourself!"

Kelena laughed all the way out the portrait hole. "Then he'd fail school, Hermione!"

"Where you going?" she asked, her mind never far from rectifying her house-elf pamphlets with what Kelena had deemed a 'child-safe' version that she swore she would have the older year help with come hell or high water.

"Class," Kel remarked.

"You don't have class now," Hermione noted.

"Private lesson with Tonks, thanks," she remarked as she climbed through the portrait hole. Someone wolf-whistled. She shouted back rather involved, dirty profanities that got cut off as the portrait closed. Fred was all laughter on the matter as he took a seat and flipped through the many pages of notes he had on his miniature research.

"Hey," George said in greeting to his brother as he came down the stairs from the dorm, Live following in his wake.

"Hey," Fred returned without looking up. "Almost got the kinks on the Slytherin-Scales worked out…" He turned his head back to look at his brother and grinned as he saw that, indeed, Live was with George. He only grinned for their rather aptly-named product. "Sorry, Live." She gave him a sort of smirk back and only shook her head in that she took no offense. He smirked again and looked to his twin. "Speaking of which, I need to talk to _you_," he said in waggling a finger at his brother.

George grinned. He supposed he'd fallen behind in reporting his own joke findings to his twin, who was currently keeping their research together. "Fine."

He turned to Live, who only rolled her eyes and flung her hair over her shoulder at his silly smile. "I will have no part in this," she said lightly with a smile. Her mind was as far away from joke-items as it could ever get. The well-being of others (mainly those who were being experimented upon for furthering the joke items themselves) she frankly didn't want to think about.

"That's all right," George said with a light touch of her shoulder and a brush of his lips across her cheek as she decided to leave him to go and look out the window to see what she could see of the snowy grounds. He turned back to see Fred standing and giving him an expectant look. Never taking his eyes far from where Live stood, he joined his brother at the corner furthest from the few occupying the room in which to speak conspiratorially.

"What's up?" Fred asked his twin.

"Nothing," George responded to the knowing tone.

"I know something's going on," Fred said in prodding him with his notes.

"Nothing's going on, you great creep," George replied. Fred gave him a completely disbelieving look, his eyes going from Live at the far window, back to his twin, and back to Live. George sighed, his own eyes on Live. She had her back to them, honey-blonde hair halfway down her waist. "She's been through a state, alright?"

Fred's own eyes narrowed in bothered thought as he looked at the blonde at the window. It didn't take a genius to figure that out, even with the bits he already knew. She seemed withdrawn and less her self, even to him. He somewhat smirked as Harry approached her to make small talk. Fred turned back to George. "You know what I mean. You're planning something. Without me."

George looked away from his twin and allowed his eyes to settle upon Live. She was sitting in the windowsill chatting quietly with Harry. "Are not," he denied.

"I think I know when you're up to something," Fred said with a slight tone of hurt. "You _are_ my twin."

"Pfft. _You're_ MY twin," George avoided with a smirk, still unable to meet Fred's eyes, certain he would see the lie there. Live rubbed her eyes at the windowsill, and Harry had a hand on her shoulder, patting her. He wondered what in the world he'd said to her and if he'd have to thrash the Boy Who Lived for some minor indiscretion.

"I'm serious, mate," Fred stated in a tone he hardly ever used. It got his brother's attention, and George looked back to his twin with worry. "What are you planning? And why can't I help?"

George ran a slightly frustrated hand through his hair, his mouth twisting into a wry expression. Fred's expression altered slightly, then he gave his twin a look of disgust.

"Oh raunch. You're doing it, aren't you?"

George gave him a wide-eyed look, frozen in place as Fred's look became more outrageous by the moment.

"Alright, this is something I will _not_ be helping you with…" Fred said dismissively as he strode away from his twin without even asking for details. "And this does _not_ excuse you from product-testing!"

George stood there wondering how he had gotten off the hook so easily, but decided not to dwell on the matter as he took a few purposeful strides across the room to fetch Live from the windowsill. "Alright?" he asked as he put his hands to her waist and she hopped down. He gave Harry a look that made the other boy's eyes go wide in slight confusion.

"Fine…Why?" she asked in a way that meant for him to shut up.

He snorted and just nodded, taking her hand in his as he led them both towards the portrait hole.

"Hey Live, you want to come to our study-session tonight?" Hermione asked as George was helping her gently through the portrait hole. She looked back at Hermione with a quirked eyebrow.

"Study for what?" she humored, having no intention to be surrounded by so many Gryffindors gathered in one place. While Hermione usually meant their study-sessions to be just that- Kara and Ginny usually turned it into some sort of excuse for a party, and got the other girls to follow without much provocation.

"Potions, charms…and Kara mentioned you were good at ancient runes."

Live snorted at that. Kara _would_ say that. And while it catered to her ego, Hermione probably hadn't meant it to be used as flattery. She figured she'd at least be nice about it. "I'll see," she remarked.

"Great!" Hermione said a bit too enthusiastically for Live's taste. George hopped into the portrait hole himself and together they left the common room.

"You surely realize, my love, that it's probably just a trap to get info out of you," George remarked with a smirk as they held hands and walked down the corridors.

"That's generally the intent of a study-session, George," she said with a touch of smarmyness.

It made him smirk. "Hermione's been nosing about our business a little too keenly…She probably has a few questions she'd like to ask you herself to confirm, if what Lee told me is right."

Live gave him a concerned look. No way could Hermione know the details of yesterday's attack. She wasn't _that_ smart. And how much did Lee know? She felt exposed that others might know her business. "I have no intention of going to their study session tonight," she stated.

"Mm," George agreed, rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand.

He watched her as they walked towards the dungeons, bid by Professor Snape to come and receive a potion that would close the wounds on her arms and chest from the inside out. Her bandages had been pretty soaked in blood this morning. Not heinously, but enough to worry George, regardless of how many Blood Replenishing Elixirs she claimed would keep her. Her wounds would not close unless she got the potion Snape made for her, or until the spell used to make the cuts wore off, in which time a victim usually bled out without more blood. The only thing they could do was slow the bleeding, though his potion would stop it completely.

"Hey, Live," George started in carefree tone.

"Hm?"

"What did you and Harry talk about?" he posed as lightly as he could, wanting to know, but trying to make as little of a deal of it as possible.

"Nothing. Quidditch," she said offhandedly.

She didn't like the barely-imperceptible frown that creased his forehead, but what she didn't like even more was that he obviously knew she was lying to him. While he didn't press the matter, she could tell he was thinking. Personally, she didn't know why it would even matter to him, but his acceptance of her lie bothered her immensely for some reason, and she realized she wanted his trust more than anything without giving him any reason to doubt her. His silence was too much for her.

"I'll tell you when I'm ready," she added guiltily.

With a sudden yank of his hand, she was pulled to his side where he kissed the side of her face and wrapped his arm around the small of her back. Her heart was beating quickly for the sudden movement, but he just kept her close as if it were nothing.

"It's alright, love. Don't worry about it."

She sighed, a bit troubled, but tried not to dwell on what her silence was possibly doing to him. He was by no means a patient man, except perhaps where concocting new joke items was concerned, and his usually explosive personality was heavily dampened by this worried, serious persona. She knew it was probably driving him nuts with being left in the dark, but she had serious trouble with concerns over what he might do or what might become of him if she told him that one of her attackers was most likely somewhere in the castle, and that one of the school 'governors' was responsible for it all. She couldn't even begin to guess what action he might take.

She wiped the back of her hand across her eye, the movement not going unnoticed by George. "You okay, Live?"

"Just an eyelash," she lied, wiping the moisture on her robes.

He kept her close as they made their way to the dungeons, mentioning that Kara would more than likely run him and Fred out of business if she were organized enough to keep track of all the projects and merchandise she was working on. It helped to distract Live's mind as well as helped her to realize that Kara was a whole lot more resourceful and capable than she gave her credit for. She was glad for that, too, as she had left her little pygmy puff in her sister's care since she had no wand to protect herself with and it was possible Henry could get caught in crossfire again. Aside from herself in moments of sure calm, Kara was the only other person Live would entrust him to. It helped ease her nerves that he wasn't in harm's way.

"Think he'll be pissed off that we weren't in class this morning?" George remarked of Snape as they approached the potions classroom. He sighed. "Bloody lovely weekend we had, eh?"

She smiled lightly. "It's Snape. I'd think something was wrong if he wasn't."

George smirked. "Should we knock or just waltz on in with uncertain pomp and circumstance?"

"There shouldn't be a class at the moment," she said in quietly opening the door. She peeked in with trepidation to find out that she was indeed right, and growing braver, she opened it fully and they both entered the empty classroom. "Professor Snape?" she called lightly.

"In his office maybe?" George suggested, walking with all sort of purpose to the cracked office door adjacent to the class. He opened it with entitlement and an irritated voice reached Live's ears.

"Rude as always, Weasley. And cutting class as well. Twenty points from Gryffindor," Snape announced acidly as George stood with mouth gaping at the instantaneous point-taking.

Live looked around him and entered the classroom as well, a bit of a guilty look at George as she was the reason that _he _hadn't gone to class that morning. "Sorry professor, we _did_ knock outside," she excused timidly. He looked up at her with minor surprise from the cauldron he was working over. He looked tired, as if he'd been working quite hard on the healing potion that would close her wounds, and she had no idea as to the difficulty of such a concoction. She could tell he'd been up all night, and she couldn't help but respect the hell out of him for it. "I…You said yesterday that the potion would probably be ready around this time today," she offered by way of their visit. Snape gave her the usual scowl, and added what looked like the very hairy legs of a particularly nasty spider to his brew.

"It surprises me to see you up and about, Miss Hunter. Most would be resting if they knew they were upon their deathbed."

The blood drained from her face. "My…deathbed, sir?"

He spared her a glowering frown as he gave the potion a half counter-clockwise turn. "This is a _very _serious spell upon you, Miss Hunter, in case you haven't realized it. That you haven't bled out by now is nothing short of shocking."

"I-I've been taking blood replenishing potions….I had one this morning," she supplied weakly. George was gawking next to her. He knew the spell on her was serious, but they had managed it fine by now. He frowned at Snape. If it was so unmanageable, he didn't doubt that Madam Pomfrey would have kept her in the hospital wing. Obviously, it was a serious spell, but it was nothing as horrid as Snape was making it out to be as long as they kept her blood supply high. He was certain the git was just trying to scare her. It made him fume.

"Regardless, you shouldn't be up walking about. You're of no use to anyone in your current state," Snape finished with an acidic tone of biting coldness.

"Oi, there's no need for that," George spoke up strongly, finally having gotten his mouth to work.

Live, on the other hand, was struck by the words of her head of house. He had a point, but it didn't make her feel any better about it. Maybe she should have remained in bed all day like George had insisted.

"And you, Mr. Weasley, to allow her walking the castle as if she was not already seriously wounded. Five points from Gryffindor for general stupidity."

Live was somewhere between tears and self-loathing as his words held a ring of logical truth, but George was offended by the implication that he wasn't capable of protecting her or having her best interests at heart. He had a quite creative set of words on the edge of his tongue, but Live cut him off.

"We…I can send someone later if it's not ready yet," Live said in pathetic apology to get them out of there.

"Be quiet and take a seat you silly girl, before you wear yourself out," Snape ordered as he gathered an empty quartz bottle from his stores.

Live did as she was told, never meeting his eyes as she felt quite stupid and rightly-chastised, wondering now if it were such a smart idea to have come at all. And she did feel a bit tired, but that was to be expected with all the crying she had been doing since yesterday. He had a point, she had to give him that.

George followed her to the chair sitting in wait for her, and stood alert and watchful. He put a hand on her shoulder to lend her some form of strength, but really it was to calm himself down. The git was trying his nerves, and after he knew what Live had been through, too, all this extra snarkiness was completely unnecessary. George was trying to restrain himself as he knew if not for Snape, Live might be in a very bad state.

"Weasley, come here."

"Why?" George asked, not moving.

Snape's eyes were piercing through him. "I am in no mood to tolerate your sass today, Weasley," he threatened, leaving the sentence open for further interpretation.

George reluctantly left Live's side and stood before the potions master with a frown. "Yes, _sir?_"

The Head of Slytherin ignored his tone in favor of setting him to work. "I don't think I need to impress upon you the delicacy of brewing this potion, Weasley, so you will do exactly as I say with no question. Understood?"

"One-hundred percent," he said with a bit too cheery a tone for the dour man before him.

Snape handed George a bowl of a very fine powder and another with what looked like coarsely-chopped lemon. He himself took up a vile of viscous amber fluid and a root that looked like shriveled garlic. George stood awaiting instruction, knowing the potion was for Live and putting that much more care into what he was doing. Snape bade him to add the powder very slowly on one side of the cauldron, the bits of chopped yellow substance ninety-degrees from it as he himself added the amber fluid and shriveled root to the remaining corners of the bubbling pot.

"As they meet in the center, do not inhale the smoke," Snape instructed as the last remnants of George's powder fell into the stew. With an audible 'whoosh' the contents met and mixed, a greenish smoke protruding from the cauldron's surface.

George had his robes sleeve over his mouth while Snape took a step back. The green smoke turned crystal clear until they could no longer see it, no evidence of it even left behind in scent of the room. George took down his sleeve and the potions master approached the brew.

"It is ready," he announced, taking up the quartz-crystal bottle he had set out and ladling a goodly amount into the bottle. The liquid was a violet hue as it went in, but turned crystal in color once it touched the glass. George thought it was quite interesting, and gladly accepted it for further inspection when Snape offered it to him. "It is necessary to be imbibed from a quartz instrument when properly brewed, otherwise its effects are useless. Give it to her," he said with no lack of relief that the potion was finished. It was not an easy task to complete in one night, nor was it an easy potion, but now they had enough in stock for quite a long time, should anything happen further necessitating it.

George swirled the potion, cool in the glass, as he turned to give it to Live, grateful to the Bat King of Slytherin regardless of anything else. He was alarmed, to say the least, to see Live so relaxed in the chair she'd sat in, and thought she'd taken to a nap, only that one arm was hanging off the rest, and a steady drip-drip of blood was puddling off her finger on the stone of the floor.

"Live, Live oi!"

She immediately opened her eyes and straightened in the chair, blinking a moment in alarm as she looked at him. Her cheeks flushed at his worried face, and she felt immediately foolish. "Oh god…did I fall asleep?" she asked quietly, wondering at the look of panic in his eyes. She noticed Snape also standing over her, though how she could have missed him from the start blew her very mind. She felt stupid. "I'm so embarrassed," she muttered.

George let out an audible sigh of relief, resting his head on the top of hers. Snape, however, wasn't so passive.

"I did not hand you that potion for my health, Weasley. Give it to her at once."

She felt a wetness on her hand that hadn't been there before, and noticed it was quite bloody. Feeling her sleeve, she noticed that it, too, was quite saturated. A quick look at the floor and she realized their cause for alarm. She looked at Snape with growing embarrassment for catching a snooze in his office and subsequently bleeding all over his floor, but when his attention was upon her face, she couldn't meet his eyes. "I'm sorry sir."

"Here, Live, drink this," George said in handing her the open bottle.

"Let me see your arm, Miss Hunter."

Live's minor confusion of what to do first was evident upon her face, so Snape waited until she had thrown back the potion to inspect her wound. Her reluctance to be touched, however, didn't go quite as quietly or unnoticed by George as it did Snape.

"I think I can do that," he spoke up with hands on his hips, staring the potions master down.

"Don't be an idiot, Weasley. You can't heal anything with a spell."

"I think I've managed to wrap it up just fine till now," he stated strongly as Live held out her arm obediently to her head of house, though reluctantly. It wasn't that she didn't trust him on the matter. It was just that especially with her potion-burn scars, and rough handling the day before, she _really_ would have rather not been touched at all and dealt with it on her own. She hadn't even allowed Madam Pomfrey to do too much to her the day before. George and Kara, however, were different matters where her personal space was concerned. "I _am_ going to be her husband. I'm perfectly suited to it!" George declared, not willing to further argue his point as he took up Live's own arm gently in his hand and shoo-ed the head of Slytherin away like his mum often did to he and Fred. He would have thought the turned tables quite funny if his hands weren't covered in his wife-to-be's blood.

He vehemently got to his knee and slid up her robes sleeve to see that the gauze and bandaging that they had wrapped her in that morning had indeed been bled right through, and in quite a short time. They had to be removed and cleaned, of course, but he didn't think he was likely to have an extra roll of gauze lying about in his robes pocket.

"Take it," Snape ordered as clean finishings were being shoved under George's nose. He looked up at the potions master who was regarding him with a distasteful, yet somehow civil, look.

"Thank you," he said gruffly, turning back to Live's arm. She held the sleeve of her robes up, dying a bit inside at the thought that, what if the cuts on her breasts bled through all their bandages, and George decided to take care of that right along with it as well? If she didn't die of blood loss, surely she'd die of humiliation.

"Thank you, sir," Live added to George's own, not meeting the eyes of her head of house. The three of them were quiet a long moment as George fully cleaned up her arm, noticing that the cut didn't bleed quite so profusely when he went to re-bandage it. The potion was indeed working, from the inside out.

"I assure you, Miss Hunter, that the perpetrators of this harm will be dealt with," Snape spoke up as George wrapped her arm. His words garnered both of their attention.

George's face was riveted to him, knowing he must certainly know more than he was letting on of the situation, and no doubt more than George himself currently knew. The look on George's face was so hopeful for information that Live felt her heart bleed with anxiety on the matter. Snape, however, was silent. She wasn't sure how much he knew, but he was definitely clever enough to gather information on his own. Even if Dumbledore hadn't told him anything, which she held no doubt he _must_ have, she was quite certain he could have ascertained exactly who had orchestrated her attack all on his own. He was, after all, a Slytherin, and no less crafty or clever than the rest of them.

"T-thank you, sir," she replied shakily, tears coming to her eyes at mention of the attack.

George sighed, getting to his feet with a look of dejection at not receiving any new information. He gave Live his hand and offered her a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. It worried her.

"Are we all set then? She need any more of that?" George asked of Snape in his usual disregarding voice.

"Come and see me if the wounds are not gone by this evening."

He spoke to Live, not to George, and the Gryffindor offered him a most put-off 'humph!', exiting the room before he lost his house even more points, Live following close behind.

"One more thing, Miss Hunter."

"Yes?" she asked, stopping, hearing George bump into a table in the other room.

"It does not suit to keep those we revere in the dark."

Her eyes widened, mouth open to say something but nothing coming out. She was stunned by his words and his perceptiveness. He must have been able to tell volumes by George's own face. It made her slightly ashamed. "I…I'll think on it, sir."

He nodded and dismissed her the same time George stuck his face back in the door, asking what the hold-up was. His house was a grand total of thirty points lighter by the time they left the dungeons.

oOo

For her safety and what he promised was utterly necessary, George followed her everywhere and stuck by her side religiously. They even ate lunch together in the Great Hall- something they had never exactly done- though to avoid conflict, George happily ensconced them at the Ravenclaw table where he acted entitled to the spot, making small talk with Luna Lovegood over the winter Nargle populations and if she had spotted any infesting his twin's hair lately.

He passed around samples of Caustic Cookies while Live nibbled her lunch and tried to make nice though she felt horridly uncomfortable usurping another house's table. At the end of their meal, George had been given quite a few insights into ingredients he could swap out for others to create even bigger reactions in their product line, and considered hiring on a team of Ravenclaw investigators for his researching purposes.

Live nearly collapsed with fatigue by the time they were done, not realizing she had exhausted herself, in which George swept her up without much complaint to bring her back to the Gryffindor Tower. When asked if she was okay when he had managed to get them through the portrait hole together, George merely relayed that he was 'practicing' for their marriage day, and swept her off to rest upstairs. While she dozed and snoozed with her sister-returned pygmy puff cuddled up next to her, George was working on a few secret items he had planned to leave with his twin for development when the time came that they would leave the castle.

From out of nowhere the door rattled quite loudly, a moment in which George was immediately on his feet from his work papers spread out on the floor. A bang issued from outside as if someone had kicked the door in frustration, and George grimaced in thought that the last noise no doubt woke Live.

"What the hell is that racket?" her aggravated voice came to him from behind.

He threw a smirk over his shoulder to her. "You wouldn't hold it against me if I happened to turn Kara into a canary for a bit, would ya?"

Live sighed heavily and rolled over on the bed, muttering something about cursing the bejeesus out of her little sister.

"Then I'll see what she wants, shall I?" he opted with a grin, wondering if Kara had heard about the bloody stain now occupying Snape's office. Anything related to her Slytherin sister could set off the little fifth year like some of their more explosive fireworks, and frankly, he figured she'd enjoy being a canary for a few hours.

Instead of George answering the door and setting Kara straight, Fred burst into the room, and he didn't look in the best of spirits.

"OI!"

Live looked up to see two Georges, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes in wondering if Kara's incessant damage to the door had somehow had an adverse effect on her brain. Then she realized she was most certainly not still asleep, and that her little sister was nowhere in the vicinity.

Fred punched George square in the jaw.

"Fred! What the fuck are you doing?" Live hollered as she flung the blankets off herself to get right in the middle of it. Henry went flying somewhere within the sheets, hopping about like it was some type of game.

"What the bloody hell do you mean by all this packing up and stocking stuff?!" Fred demanded of his twin, his conclusions fully drawn and hatched with fury. "You skipping town or something without telling your own twin?!"

Live blinked with shock, stationary by the bed where she had jumped up. How had he found out? How had he even drawn such conclusions?

George grimaced at his twin as he rubbed his jaw. "Fred, how'd you--?"

Fred brandished a stack of multi-colored parchment he produced from within his robes, shaking it at his brother with accusation. George looked at it a moment and realized it was the notes he had shoved under his bed so carelessly before. He could have smacked himself for leaving that lying around. Even writing in their shorthand hadn't done him any good as he hadn't thought to include the possibility that, while anyone else could have seen it and not made sense of it, Fred would have known what it said immediately. Damn, and he'd had the idiocy to leave around the quill that went with that paper too. His shorthand precautions had been for naught.

"It's the only way we can get married!" George declared with ire, rubbing his jaw as he no longer saw reason to hide the obvious truth from his brother.

"Whoop-dee-Bloody-doo! What's the great bloody deal with being married anyway?!" Fred pointed out. "A lot of legal hassle that doesn't _really_ change anything! And the only thing that _will_ happen is that you'll bugger everything up for the rest of us! You don't need to ditch the castle just to get married you twat!"

"This has nothing to do with the rest of you!" George pointed out just as loudly. Live irately stayed out of it and shut the door, hoping no one had heard anything outside the sound ward they kept on the room. "We're doing it for_ us_!"

"Did it ever bloody occur to you that they might come after _me _because you _look _like me?!" Fred pointed out. The look on his twin's face was sheepish. Fred gave him a glare.

"Well if I thought _you_ would be in any actual danger, I wouldn't be going through with this at all, now would I?"

"Bollocks," Fred snorted, staring down his twin with arms crossed like a petulant child.

George wasn't about to give up this fight. He had prepared for this, though he had never actually thought Fred would find out before they'd gotten underway. And he believed that his twin would be fine, regardless of what others might think. "If Live's missing and there's less than two of _us _walking around the school, I'd think they'd leave _you _well-enough alone, mate." He frowned with a troubled look. "It's her they're after. And if she's gone, they'll know _I'm_ with her."

Fred still looked aggravated, none too happy with his brother's plan. He gave Live a look. Her arms were crossed and she was glaring at him as she leaned on the post of the bed. Her arms were covered in bandages that he was seeing for the first time, and there was cloth gauze like some sort of undershirt showing out the top of the shirt she had been snoozing in. He frowned and turned his attention back to his twin, who was rubbing his jaw with a mirror-frown back. Some of the fight went out of him as he realized he really didn't know that much about what had transpired where his brothers fiancée was concerned.

"What if the buggers decide I might know something, and decide to take it out on me?" Fred pressed, angry and more interested in guilting his twin than of the validity of his statement. Again, George looked sheepish. Fred rolled his eyes. "Not that it wouldn't make life a bit more interesting, and I _have_ been looking forward to putting those exploding timepieces to work, and then there's that spell we came up with and the acid-treated cloaks against enemies…I'll have all the fun without you, mate."

"With any luck they'll forget about us," George told his twin. A sparkle came to his eye. "Or any spell."

"You're bonkers…" Fred concluded. He sighed heavily. He was still angry, but not for any of the reasons he had brought up. He wasn't happy at the thought of being separated from his brother and only mirror-image, but he understood George's reasons, and could only hope that things would right themselves quickly enough that he and Live wouldn't be on the lam for too long. He was still mad that he had been kept out of the loop, however, even if he understood the need for secrecy.

"I suppose I can't blame you…" Fred supplied with downcast eyes, though there was a mischievous grin on his face. He gave George a smirk. "If that's the only way Live will let you become a man, well, so be it." George gave him a frowning grin and Live let out a snort of derision. "No other woman would want the job, what with _me_ around. Because I _am_ better looking--"

George tackled Fred, but this time it was playful fighting and they weren't really trying to hurt the other. Well, not _terribly_ so. Adrenaline _was_ still running high.

Live watched them with a wry twist on her lips, wondering if she'd be playing nurse to George again tonight, though not for any of the fun reasons. She felt something wet on her flank and looked down to see Henry's orange little tongue licking her. She rolled her eyes as the sounds of things breaking met her ears, but she paid it no mind as she scooped up the mini puffskein and held it close to her heart, stroking him. She slightly tilted her head as she looked at the twins laying on the floor trying to headlock one another. "You two have _no_ idea how weird you look right now."

"Come on, Live. Tell him who's the obviously more handsome one."

"I _can_ tell you apart, _Fred_," she told the twin that had spoken. Said boy frowned. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Honestly…as if."

George freed himself from his twin and got up only to grab Live and hoist her over the shoulder as she shrieked. He gave Fred a grin as he gave Live's butt a pat, Slytherin sixth year screaming to be put down and that she'd stab out Fred's eyes if he looked at her panties. "Oh, it's all worth it," George confided to his twin. Fred laughed as Live launched into a stream of cursing at George. He ignored her and continued on to his twin. "And you realize that _I'm_ the more handsome one by omission, here!"

Live further launched into George, hitting his back with all her might (which was rather weak, given her current situation) to be let go. "You're an idiot! An ass! Put me down or I'll marry Fred instead!"

"The more handsome one of the two of us!" Fred agreed as George gave her butt another pat and gave his brother the finger. Fred only laughed as George deposited Live back onto the bed with a light flop.

"_Get him Henry_!!" she demanded as she held the pygmy puff in both hands out towards George, urging him to attack and defend her honor.

George bent down to look the puff (presumably) in the face, waiting for the horrific attack Live promised was coming. If a literal tongue-lashing was Henry's idea of attack, he was poorly mistaken.

George stood and laughed while Live dropped into goblin profanities she'd learned, also chastising her pygmy puff for not defending her honor. He only licked her face as well. Fred was grinning and telling his twin what a prize she was.

"I'll castrate you right after I'm done with George, Fred!' Live shouted from the bed.

George grinned widely and drew the curtains on the bed with his wand while she continued to shout and threaten that he had better not close her in!! Fred laughed while George assured that married life would be all it's supposed to be and so much more.

Fred decided he wasn't going to get anything useful from this exchange, except maybe a few creative curses in goblin-speak, and decided to leave them be a while and maybe prank some fourth years. "You'll have to name one of your kids after me for my silence, you realize. This is a capital-offense against twin-dom everywhere! I should report you to our committee!"

"Shove a broomstick in it ya knob," George declared, seeing his brother on out of their dorm rather guiltily, though he felt a huge weight off his chest. The room perfectly warded and shut up once again, George faced the bed with a smirk. Live had forgone her profanities, which was never a portent of good fate. "Oh Live, my sweetness," he sang, testing the waters.

No answer. He hoped she wasn't actually mad. Or waiting to exact some justice as Kitty-Nimbles. Lord know he'd seen enough of that cat for the rest of his days.

"Buttercup? Baby doll? Sugar?" he tested with a smirk, taking the edge of the curtains at the end of the bed and opening them to see her sitting against the headboard of the bed with arms crossed and eyes narrowed. His grin only widened. "Love of my life?"

"You'll pay for this, George," she told him with promise.

"Can we add it to my tab?" he asked with a smirk, deeming it safe enough to enter the chamber he'd ensconced her in with the curtains.

She rolled her eyes, mad, but the stupid charming grin he was giving her was quickly disarming her. "If Fred got a look at my underwear--"

"I think my hand was sufficiently covering you up," he interrupted with a grin, coming right up to her knees which she had pulled up against her chest. Her cheeks flushed at his words and he smirked. He hoped he was winning her forgiveness.

"You owe me."

"Please tell me my debts, dear lady, I'll pay at once," he promised with a grin like the cat in the cream. He put his hands on her knees and stroked them with his thumbs, smiling apologetically.

She sighed, ignoring him. "You went and got your stupid chin bashed again, George."

He leaned forward and kissed her neck, caressing a hand gently along her cheek and threading his fingers into hair. "Tell me you love me anyways," he whispered into her ear, kissing the top of it. She sighed and he knew he had her forgiveness.

"I love you, you prat," she said as she wrapped her arms around him, leaning into him and allowing him closer. "Even though you play dirty," she added of his easily disarming her.

"It's only because you make me completely mental," he snickered, and claimed her lips with his own.

She returned his kiss, smirking to herself. She pulled away from him to look him in the eyes. His own were filled with desire, his mind ever-working. Her mouth quirked into a smile. "Close your eyes." He cocked his head at her and raised a brow, intrigued. "Do it," she told him.

"Sounds kinky," he said, doing as she told him with a grin. He felt her hands on either side of his face, gentle and caressing.

"Keep them closed," she whispered in his ear as she kissed his neck. "And stay perfectly still." He could feel gooseflesh rising on his arms as she kissed about his collarbone, then his jaw, avoiding his mouth. While he wasn't sure where this was leading, his mind and body were fully enthused. He wondered if she had learned a new spell and she was about to share. He could feel her lips on the side of his mouth as she had a hand in the back of his shirt. A moment later, he felt her tongue on his lips, though she was keeping her distance from him, he could tell. He thought he heard her snickering, which didn't seem quite right in the proximity they shared, and he cracked his eyes open to be face to face with the purple fluff ball Live had in her hand, her face red with suppressed laughter.

"What the--?"

Henry's tongue was wagging about in a searching manner, and the little puff licked his nose before George grabbed him firmly from her hand as she immediately burst up with side-splitting laughter.

"Henry you traitor," George muttered, the little puff purring in his hand as George rolled his eyes and deposited him at the end of the bed. He turned his frown on Live, who was holding both hands over her mouth as snickers escaped, her face completely red with utter amusement. "And you, Live--"

He was interrupted by her full laughter, holding her hands over her stomach and bowled over laughing. "N-Now--" she laughed, "Now-- we're even!"

He was smirking at her and her sheer amusement that he had practically been frenched by the miniature puffskein. She was laughing so hard that he couldn't help but laugh too, knowing he deserved it, and giving her right many points for a prank well-played. That, and it was good to hear her laugh so completely without any restraint. It had been a while since she had _really _laughed.

"Alright little Miss Tricksy Slytherin, let's see how you like it," he told her with a smirk as she continued to laugh and attempted to crawl away from him. He caught her around the waist and pulled her back against his chest as she still convulsed with laughter.

"Y-your face!" she snickered as he grinned down at her. "You looked so confused George!"

He grinned. "And now it's your turn," he affirmed, turning her so he could kiss her properly, which was hard to do when she was still giggling. He looked down at her as she grinned up at him, eyes smoldering. "You're not making this easy, woman."

"Since when have I ever been easy?" she teased. He opened his mouth in response but she immediately put her hand over his smiling lips. "Watch your answer, or you're sleeping in the owlry."

He removed her hand and kissed it. "I love you," he said with a smirk, leaning down to kiss her. "Now you'll have a taste of your own medicine."

"Ooh."

"Maybe a proper dose..."

"Ooh, George…"

"Dammit, how in the hell do you undo these buttons?"

"Mm. If you got your hand out of there it'd come undone easier."

"Ooh…"

oOo

It should be finals week every week. I swear I get more fic-work done procrastinating my coursework than I do during my leisure time. Bah. Hope this tides you over till my butt can get out the next chap XD Been busy with setting up a lot of music-related PR stuff, my online shop (I'm gonna put up knitted slytherin scarves soon! WOO!) and general life. Bwah. Review if ya got 'em XD haha. It did help to get the majority of this done…cuz I'm so awful I need prodding haha :D Lahve from me.

FYI I'm gonna be going through old chaps again and removing reviewer-responses and whatnot to clean everything up :D I think I stopped doing it around chapter 30...I think the fic could use it again. Or should I stop responding? though I think that's rather rude since you gusy take the time to review, I should take the time to get back to ya. Opinions on that?

Karma-k2: If I could only find hair-sparkliness capsules, I'd be freaking sparkly-pink haired all the freaking time! HAHA aside from when I randomly go ginger XD heh heh. Oh, the Malfoys….dear dear dear.

Skyre: HAHAHA a phone call right in the middle of it? Hahaha I know how that is! Hee hee, it's like CRAP! Leave me alone! We're at an integral part of the movie here! Haha :D Thanks a lot, good to know you thought it was well, as I generally think what I write is just a bloody lot of filler :P

redheadlover: Oh yes, can you feel de love? XD heh heh. Damn if the world had more Kara's in it, a lot would get done…But then there might be a sugar crisis O.O HAHA! Thankies love :D

Smashley007: Poor little pygmy puff, but no worries there! Haha little thing doesn't know what's going on half the time, methinks XD HAHAHA screaming for people to hurry up and get there….excellent, just what I was going for XD Bwaha! I actually had several versions of how that whole bit was going to go down, one including people coming to her rescue, but I thought that, no, help doesn't always arrive when you need it to. Bwah. Haha yes, Snape is def. a good guy :D ha, I believed in him all throughout the series, I FREAKING knew it! Haha. But yes, he is good…though he's still a bastard XD

Lady Linwe: Woot! Have fun more chapter! BWAHA! And I'm gonna get going on _A Pirate's Life Indeed_, I swear. Finals week is next week, but classes are generally over now. I should be getting some written now, and I'll do the grand e-mail send out again to alert everyone that 'le gasp!' I finally updated XD HAHA! Too long, really. I need to set goals…

Kman01: HAHAHA yes I think I have to agree, a punched baby thrown at me is far worse than a non-punched one XD haha I heartily blame finals and the imploding, melting mass which is my school-ed out brain for taking so long to update XD Bwah. Haha thankies.

Dckveg: Woot, glad one writing tool I actually used worked XD haha I'm not one for proper grammar or much artistic license, haha. Hee hee, and thank you! I actually want to publish two novels right now, but I can't find the time to sit my ass down and just get it all written up. Meh. I was _supposed_ to have a screenplay I did for a class transcribed already for a book, but as we can all see, I am lazy and blonde and the queen of procrastination XD HAHA but I'm simply flattered that you drop everything to sit and read when I update! Haha I'll have to put more effort into it XD tee hee :D

Scarlet Faerie: Haha well at least Fred's sort of in the know now, eh? :D hahaha and Kara's a freaking nutjob, but you gotta love her! XD haha hope some of your questions were answered here :D If i wasn't so damn long-winded, we might get some plot points XD HAHA!!

Chinawrites: Bwah, almost...but not XD haha. Man, i'd have freaking sparkly pink hair if i got my way!! HAHA! But for now, i'll deal with dying it ginger XD heh heh heh WOO!! thankies!


	54. Champagne for my real friends

_Alright lovies, at the last count (according to Kim) you have read over 1,815 pages of this fic OO Let me say thank you for sticking with it so long, and that I feel utterly ridiculous XD By the way…FANART FUN! BWAH! More BEAUTIFUL fanart from this story from the love of my life, Weasley-Detectives over at deviantArt (check her out, yo!) Pervy fun x10! HAHA! (though you'll have to have an account there to see it since it's pervy fun :D Check my profile for links, it's in my favorites on my page in a special folder!!) _

_Also, I'm going to try and work on the next chap as much as I can between now and, well, next time I update I guess :D I start my last year of classes at some point late august, and on top of that, we (_royal _'we' and some others :D) will be releasing a new TV show which airs in September on KDOC (network in southern California). I'm basically in charge of producing/directing/shooting/editing the entire thing, so my life is about to get very hectic in a good way on top of commissions and normal shop work OO Just letting you lovies know ;) More info at my dA blog artsite _

_Also, I apologize for writing stuff starting with the very next day of where last chaps have ended XD Haha it's gotta be mildly frustrating for regular readers, but at least any newbies we got will read it flowingly as they get here, haha!_

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers_  
by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 54: Champagne for my real friends…

George was awakened from deep sleep by a sudden jarring of his arms. As he blinked awake and sat up in the darkness of the night, he saw Live was sitting on the other side of the bed, breathing deeply to herself.

"…hey," he murmured sleepily, wondering what she was doing. He stared at her bare back a minute, seeing the clean bandages wrapped around her for the front. He supposed her wounds were completely healed up despite earlier concerns, no blood staining the sides as it was apt to do.

She looked over her shoulder at him and exhaled. "Sorry," she said quietly of waking him, keeping her voice low so as not to wake Lee or Fred. "I had a bad dream."

George sat up further and motioned for her. "C'mere," he said sleepily, but she shook her head.

"Please, d-don't touch me," she said a bit apologetically, still reeling from the vividness of her nightmare. "I just need a minute…"

He nodded with slighted understanding and let her alone, looking into the dark and wondering what time it was. The room was quiet but for their breathing, and the sounds of Lee and Fred asleep in their four-posters.

"Can you light a light?" she asked quietly. Another moment and they were illuminated in soft wand light. She took another few moments to herself, and moved her hands to her face. They were cold, her fingers icy. She exhaled heavily once, and after a few moments, she slid back across the bed into George's waiting arms.

He was blinking at her in the light, trying to get his eyes to adjust, as she just looked into his face. "You alright?" he asked quietly.

She didn't answer him, but placed her palms on the side of his warm face, making sure he was real. He slightly hissed when her cold hands touched him, and he put his own warmer hand over one of hers, rubbing the back of her palm with his thumb. She leaned her forehead to his, and closed her eyes a moment in thoughts known only to herself. He extinguished his wand and stroked her cheek with his other hand. She leaned into his touch, and exhaled quietly.

"Are you okay?" George asked again quietly. She nodded and laid back down next to him as he fully enfolded her further in his arms. "…love you…"

She kissed his cheek in response, and pressed herself close against him once more, steeling herself with his warm body and his arms wrapped soothingly around her. She exhaled heavily but quietly, feeling secure enough in him to mix the reality of her nightmare with the reality of her waking life.

"Malfoy and his father."

George's rhythmic breathing stopped a moment. "…what?"

Her face was in his neck. She was glad she couldn't see his eyes in the dark, for the tone of his one spoken word was horrible. She felt her courage faltering, the vividness of the nightmare fresh and alive in her mind. "They were the ones that attacked me. Them and the other," she disclosed with quickening breath.

George sat up and immediately she felt her zone of comfort vanish. He knew by her tone of voice that she wasn't just referring to the nightmare she'd just had. It was like a bucket of ice water had been thrown in his face.

"Those bastards," he started, his voice sounding a whole lot more awake as he threw the blankets off and reached for his wand, not sure what he was going to do, but needing it just the same. "I'm gonna kill them…I swear to Merlin I'm gonna kill them." His voice was shaky with barely-contained rage. Live was suddenly afraid.

"Please," she begged, _really_ begged. "_Please_ don't do anything on your own, George. I-I wanted to tell you. If you really honestly love me, you won't do _anything _on your own. _Please_."

George could feel his own heart thundering in his ribcage, adrenaline rushing through his veins with this new development. "This changes everything," he murmured, his mind already halfway gone with the idea of hunting down first Malfoy, and then his father. It shouldn't be too hard. The little ferret bastard should be somewhere inside the castle, and George's father knew where the Malfoys lived due to numerous ministry raids. And in the middle of the night, it should be a piece of cake.

"It changes nothing!" Live said with quickly-rising panic, taking his bare shoulders in her hands and looking at his face through gleaming eyes. His skin was warm under her icy fingers, but if the cold bothered him, he did not show it. Fear and panic were rising in her as she felt her admission was one of complete folly. "Absolutely nothing has changed, George Weasley. Do you understand me? You only _know _now. Don't do _anything_. _Please_."

Her voice held a note of terror that George had never heard before, and he realized that it was a different kind of fear. Not of her attackers, but fear for _him_.

"Those bastards have always done whatever they want without anyone doing anything--"

"George!"

"--but when it's _your _life on the line, Live--"

"But it's not!" she croaked at him. He gave her a look that asked if she was mental. "The last thing they want to do is _kill_ me," she said. "But they might kill you. And if that happened, I would have _nothing_ to live for. Absolutely nothing!" She was crying now, full of anger and anxiety that he was the one person in the world she didn't have control over in the one matter that terrified her the most. Her dream wasn't just a replay of the attack she'd undergone, but George had been in it too. It scared the hell out of her. "I'd probably get a few of them before they managed to take _me _out, but that's it. That'd be it. I refuse to ever go on without you," she told him in an almost threatening manner. "So if you-- If you go after them and get yourself killed, it will help _nothing_! Not for me or anyone else! You'll hurt me worse than anyone else if you get yourself killed."

He was frowning at her words, endless amounts of emotion and feeling poured into her blunt statements. He felt trapped, wanting to never leave her, but every instinct told him to go after her now-named attackers so that they would never strike again. He loved her so very much, he considered getting killed worth it just to do her justice and make sure it could never happen again, even if it went against her wishes. It showed in his eyes and face, he knew, but he didn't feel like lying to both of them and saying he wouldn't do anything.

"I'm _begging_ you, George," she said with fear. "I am _begging_ you. Don't do anything." He was silent as he looked back at her, his expression softening, though his eyes were still steely with resolve. Her heart was pounding in her chest with rising panic and helplessness. What could she do to make him understand the extent of her fear for his own life? He was the one person she couldn't easily control. "Do I need to get on my hands and knees to beg you?" she said, wondering if it would indeed help her case if he saw just how serious she actually was. Her peace of mind was worth groveling. It was worth so much to know he wouldn't do anything rash. When she moved to get off the bed, he caught her arm.

"Don't, Live."

She faced him with tears, not knowing anything else she could do to dissuade him, hating herself even more for all her stupid admissions and causing this whole problem. He wasn't ever going to let it go now that he knew it was the Malfoys that had perpetrated the events. She could see that much in the expression on his face. There was nothing she could do. She was angrier than hell over what happened for herself, but it was already done, and she'd be damned before she let George get himself killed over something that had already passed.

"You can't, George." Tears were running down her face out of helplessness and fearful concern. His personality was so strong, she was worried that he'd be gone before she had more time to properly talk with him about everything, now that it was all out; more time to try and dissuade him from anything he might run off and do the second her guard was down. She was scared half to death that he'd do something stupid and she'd never see him again. And her fears were not unfounded.

George was gauging her with a frown, wondering how on earth she could have kept such a thing from him, and now she didn't even want him to do anything. It made him mad with frustration stemming all from the desire to protect her. "Live…you need to understand-"

"You promised me," she cut him off in a panic. He gave her an inquisitive frown. "You promised you wouldn't leave me. And especially now, George, I need you with me. You _promised_," she impelled. "Don't go off and do anything. You promised not to leave me alone."

He gave her a rueful look, seeing the fear and pain in her eyes. She was panicked, and while he knew it was because of him and her worry for him, he was still frustrated and angry and so badly wanted to make things right.

But he also knew that _she _was right. He _would_ never leave her. If he went off like he so desperately wanted to, to right all the wrongs that had been done to her, even starting this very night, she'd be alone. Well, she'd have the rest of their group to look after her until her got back, but not _him_ to protect her while he was gone. Or, as she was afraid, _if_ he even came back at all. And she _did _need him now. The Malfoys….Their deeds against her blinded his mind with rage. Rage that came from his love for her. His mind knew she made a good point, but his fists and adrenaline wanted satisfaction for all dealings against her. It wasn't something easily quelled.

He was clenching his fists in anger, his body pumped. He wanted to take to action at once. _Some_ type of action, if any. It wasn't right that Malfoy was enjoying a comfortable rest in his bed while there were those suffering over what he and his had done to them. It boiled his blood to be inactive.

Live took his silence for ill, and went to move away from him- to where, she didn't know exactly, but she didn't fancy sharing a bed with him in their current attitude. Maybe she'd sleep in front of the door to make sure he didn't go anywhere. She knew his mind must be as much a mess as hers was, but she was so scared. All she wanted was for him to be safe and never to keep anything from him, but such a desire was causing them such grievances. She felt completely lost in the course of action to take.

He grabbed her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze and stopping her progress of moving away. "Stay with me," he told her softly. "Don't leave _me_ alone, Live."

She looked at him a long moment, face fraught with worry. She couldn't even begin to imagine what was going on in his mind. "George what can I do to make you understand--?"

"Just stay with me, Live."

There was something so desperate about his voice. A hopeless, despairing quality that squeezed her heart mercilessly. She knew his intentions were all good and all for her, but she valued him far above herself. To know he was hurting because he only wanted to protect her…She felt so useless.

She turned from her progression off the bed to straddle his lap, wrapping her arms about him silently as he embraced her tightly, desperately lost. She had a hand splayed on his back, the other at the base of his neck as she held him close to her body, feeling his heart beating against her breast, hugging him like she knew he so desperately needed and she so desperately wanted. She wanted to reassure him that he would always have her love- that it would break her heart to part with him on any terms. She needed him close to reassure herself as well. He was everything to her. His own arms were wrapped about her middle, keeping her close as if he might lose her should he let go. He could feel her fingers in his hair, lightly stroking his scalp in time with her breathing to soothe his anger. It was a gentle moment in which they let go of their fears for one another and just held on.

Live tucked hair behind George's ear and pressed her lips to the side of his face gently, and then held him tightly again. He exhaled as he held her, mind overwrought with care and concern and overworked adrenaline and emotion. He would love her till the day he died.

"I want you, Live." It was a simple statement of information, lacking any undertones or immediate implications. He was still as she slowly caressed his bare back in a soothing rhythm, trying to calm the storm she'd caused.

"I want you, too," she told him just as plainly, keeping him close and silently praying that he'd never come to harm because of her.

"I know, love…it's not the right time." He buried his face gently into her neck just to be close, his frustration, anger, sadness, and desire mixing into one. His entire being hurt, as if his heart and soul were bleeding and there wasn't a damn thing he could do to ease the pain but be with her. He wanted nothing more than her happiness and to protect her with his entire being. He wondered if such devotion could kill a man. "Love me, Live." He could feel her head inclining towards him at his statement. He felt so wretched and pathetic; that there wasn't a thing he could do but love her with everything he had.

She kissed the top of his head, then the side of his face, moving him until she held his lips captive between her own and gently caressed his jaw as he held her in his arms. She conveyed through soft touch how much she loved him, her affection much needed to calm his troubled, raging mind. She pet his skin and kissed his lips, gently, softly, tenderly. She kissed above each eye, too, not neglecting either cheek or the bridge of his nose. When she re-wrapped her arms about him, he leaned fully into her and exhaled a sigh, and she realized for the first time how very much he depended upon her as she depended upon him. It gave her some modicum of inner strength, and she held him close against her body until he decided it was time for them both to get some sleep.

"I really love you. So much, George," she said, her cheek against his chest. He wrapped his arms a bit tighter around her, and stroked her back with a finger. She sighed heavily and pressed herself against him. She slid her fingers over his neck, feeling the pulse of his heart in the veins beneath her fingertips. "Just please, George, don't leave me. For anything. Please don't."

"I won't," he promised heavily. He sighed and added in afterthought, "We'll be far away from all of this in no time…Don't worry. I won't do anything just yet."

"That's all I ask," she said with a surge of relief that she would indeed get more time to speak with him on the horrid matter. She inhaled his scent and tried to banish troubling thoughts from her mind. She fell asleep a while later, clinging to him even in dreams. While George wasn't the only one still awake in the dorm, he was certainly the last one to get any sleep.

oOo

It was surprisingly sunny for a winter's day, and Live woke up in bed alone, suddenly panicked, thoughts of what she'd said during the night immediately coming right back to her. God, where had George gone?

She flung back the blankets only to have three heads at the end of the bed pop themselves up and look at her with concern from the floor. Her breathing was ragged as she quickly crawled to the edge of the bed and looked to see Fred, George, and Lee all laying on their bellies on the floor amidst blank sheets of parchment and various colored quills. They gave her minorly-puzzled looks which had nothing to do with the fact that her messy mane of hair made her look more lion than girl.

"Alright?" Lee asked.

She nodded quickly, wide-eyed alert as the unnecessary adrenaline coursed through her veins. She looked over the mess they had on the floor, wondering what in the world they were doing, but glad her fears were for naught.

As if in answer to her thoughts, Fred spoke up. "Joke research. We'll try to be a bit more quiet." He gave Lee a look. "I told you to shut yer gob."

She furrowed her brow in thought, wondering how much of the night before, or even of the attack in general, George had confided to them. They were being too deceptively _nice_ for her liking. And while she had noticed Fred and Lee's eyes particularly upon the bandages that were wrapped around her and encompassed her chest, they hadn't asked questions about it or pointed it out. _She _certainly hadn't been advertising the fact that she had been so injured. She'd kept it all rather out of sight except with George, wanting no one to know the extent of her trauma.

"What time is it?"

"Noon-thirty," Fred replied with a quirk of his brow.

"I'm gonna get up," she stated to them flatly. She looked at George, noticing his face was flush but a bit pale. What had they been speaking about prior to her seeking them? She disowned her thoughts in favor of hiding her bandaged person in George's bed sheets and dragging them into the bathroom with her. With a click of the door, Lee let out a sigh.

"_Me_ shut _my_ gob? You're one to talk you loud lummox!"

"Maybe if you'd shut up I wouldn't have to talk over you!"

George groaned into his parchment and let his face sulk into the papers around them. "If she heard anything…"

"It'll be your balls, we know," Fred replied coolly with a smirk.

Lee gave George a smirk. "But even _if_ she found the papers and got the right quills, she won't know what it's for."

George gave his twin a pointed look and rubbed his bruised jaw, remembering how Fred had found his notes written in their shorthand, and the fight that _that_ had started. Lord willing Live wouldn't be as unveiling.

Fred smirked as George glowered at him. While Lee could have healed the bruise in his sleep, Fred had decided that morning that George should keep his twin's brotherly mark of love in reminder to never keep him out of the loop again. They all found it rather funny, though when the bruise twinged, George wasn't too pleased.

Fred had a good right hook.

"Anyway, I don't think she needs the extra stress," Lee pointed out. George gave him a wry frown. "What with your idiot hot-head and all, you need to learn some inner peace. Like me."

"Lee, while I think it's admirable that you've finally come to terms with being Kara's guinea pig, I don't think George wants to have a nervous breakdown in the hopes of _possibly _coming out more sane on the other side," Fred laughed. "Unless, by some way or fashion, it also benefits our jokery."

Lee chucked a quill at him while George snickered. "Still, I'm not quite sure I'm all up for it. Live's already got me on a short enough tether as it is."

Fred made a sound like a whiplash, and George shot him a dirty look. It was Lee's turn to laugh. "Really though, re-ward your bed-spells."

"I agree," Fred said, giving his twin a disgusted look. He then smirked at Lee, but his tone was serious. "You gotta keep your mouth shut, Lee."

"No problem."

"Seriously," George added.

"I wouldn't talk under torture mate."

"You know that's a very serious possibility," Fred pointed out, fully understanding the risks of knowing his brother's plan.

Lee crossed his heart with his fingers and a grin.

"What if it was Kara doing it?" George lightly quipped.

"The torturing, that is," Fred put in.

"He'd break," George said before Lee could answer.

"No I wouldn't!" Lee declared, about to launch into an argument about how well he'd put up with everything, but George cut him off, tone serious.

"And Kara can't know either…Live would be livid if she knew that _you_ knew, Lee. Not that I think she'd be any more pleased about it than she is with Fred knowing."

"That's your own loud lousy faults," Lee said.

"Maybe you should invest in some earplugs," Fred said with a grin. "You can make them out of anything!"

"It's just safer the less people know," George continued while Fred was demonstrating shoving wadded-up pieces of parchment into his ears.

"Why don't you just _tell _Kara?" Lee wondered, seeing as Fred was aware of the situation.

"Are you kidding? That fifth year's dynamite! There's no telling what she'd do if she knew, not to mention stowing away, to name one. And I for one wanted time _alone_ with my wife," George said with a smirk and a lascivious waggling of the eyebrows.

"Not your wife yet," Fred pointed out as parchment was sticking out of his ears like his head was an office-supply shop.

"No, but she will be," George said, beaming like an idiot.

Lee gave him a lopsided grin. "Merlin's beard, you _are_ smitten. But if my ears should suffer through anymore _ungodliness_ that you and your woman get up to, I promise you I'll stab them out and admit myself to St. Mungo's Insanity Ward." Fred chucked some of his ear-parchment at Lee, who in turn chucked it at George. "And when I get out supposedly sane, I'm coming for _you_."

Fred gave Lee a curious look. "How do you stab out your ears? Don't you stab out your eyes?"

"I think he means stab out his _hearing_," George corrected, side-stepping the subject of him and his lady love 'getting it on'.

"You can't _stab out_ hearing," Fred countered. "You'd have to pop your eardrum. Of course I suppose it all depends upon the _tool_ you're using to pop it. If you used a spoon then you could spoon out your hearing, I suppose…" he said thoughtfully.

George grinned. "Or a fork. Then you'd be forking out your hearing."

"A _fork_?" Lee exclaimed, giving George a completely odd look as said boy began to snicker. Fred also began to laugh. It took Lee a minute before he got the joke, in which both twins were laughing quite hard. "Oh…fork you both."

George was laughing so hard it sent him into a fit of coughing. Fred smacked him on the back, which really didn't help at all, and Lee offered his medical inquiry. "You feeling under the weather?"

"I'm fine," George said with a smirk.

"Take one of those Perk-Ups we've been fiddling with!" Fred suggested fishing little pink arrows out of his pocket. They were covered with lint now, and had probably been in Fred's pocket since the day before.

"I suppose…" he said, eyeing the linty pink super-vitamins. The way he currently felt, he really didn't want to risk feeling any more awful. Lee wrinkled his nose at the idea. "Alright," George decided the risk being worth it. "Document anything dodgy. Ready?"

"Please don't tell me you're going to eat the lint too-- Okay that's just nasty."

"Added vitamins!" Fred declared as he watched his twin with a smirk.

"What possible vitamins does lint have in it?" Lee asked.

Fred shrugged and looked at George. "How do ya feel?"

"My eyes feel a bit itchy."

"That's 'cause you didn't get any sleep," Lee pointed out. "…nor did I."

George rubbed his jaw, ignoring Lee's comment. "My chin feels better."

"Oi! You're supposed to keep that bruise!" Fred declared. George raised a brow at him with a superior smirk. Their little chewable perk-ups had healed his twin-delivered damage, and possibly any other bodily-harm George had been harboring. "Need a new one? I'll be happy to oblige!"

"All in the name of science, of course," Lee added with a grin.

George tilted his head from side to side testingly. "Any extra appendages?" he asked the other two boys. "Scales?"

"Nope…not that we can see, anyway," Lee quipped.

"Any unnecessary itching? Flaking? Burning?" Fred asked with a grin.

George sighed contrarily to his next statement. "I think this might be a good batch."

"Damn. That puts all the fun out of testing," Fred moped.

"In my experience--"

"As a guinea pig."

"--I think- _Oi shut up! _It's rather well-on if you haven't grown anything extra or been bit up by ankle-biting socks."

"Kara's officially warped him against the fun of testing sessions," George pointed morosely out to Fred.

"A right shame, that is. He had so much potential," his twin lamented.

"I'll show you…" Lee muttered in getting off the floor. "I'll go see her now. Get those reports she promised she'd have done-up! See about those products."

"Ask her how that new fantasy line is coming," Fred reminded, jibes gone in place of business. "She said she'd have details by this afternoon. It should be well done."

"Alright," Lee said as he left the dorm, but not without grabbing a handful of experimental gummy chews to placate and press her with before he was gone.

Fred gave George a look and George raised his brow at his twin. "What?"

"When did you plan to leave?" he asked with a more clandestine tone.

George looked away, still feeling sheepish for purposely leaving his twin in the dark on the whole matter. "Once she's completely healed and ready." Fred gave him a passing look of upset that he tried to hide. It made George feel even more guilty. "Probably some time this week."

The side of Fred's mouth quirked in a grin. "Guess you won't have to stick around for all those nasty potions exams, hm?"

"Mum won't be happy, but she'll have to forgive me sometime."

"Better sooner than naught. If I have to put up with her harping in your place once you're gone, you can bet I'll hunt you down myself, Death Eaters be damned."

It made George snicker. "Maybe you ought to think of laying low for a while, too. From mum."

They were silent several moments as they shuffled through papers full of designs and lists of arsenal-type items for a new line. They had already done some preliminary testing on hats, cloaks, and robes for minor spell-proofing and even subversion-type tactical items mainly for defense, but since George had promised Live he wouldn't go off and do anything rash, at least on his own, he had enlisted Lee and Fred's help in coming up with more offensive-type items. While they didn't personally have tastes for assault-type creations (aside from minor fireworks and the occasional charmed snowball) they saw great promise in a new line of spell-type hardware for, what George assured, would make evil-doers everywhere think twice about acting.

Mainly, George wanted something he could use to get vengeance for Live without having to break his promise to her.

And as a plus, it kept his mind occupied and busy.

"Think we'll get anything even under way of production before the week is out?" Fred asked for his twin's sake. "Some of these ideas are, quite frankly, brilliant. Even for us."

"I hope so. I'd like to have something along just in case. Live still doesn't have a wand."

Fred shook his head in thought. "I'm sorry about all that, mate. I didn't know so much was going wrong for you. If I'd have known-"

"She didn't want anyone to know. She still doesn't. And _you _can't tell anyone."

"Who am I gonna tell? The pygmy puffs?"

George grinned. "Ah, now there's an equally-matched conversation."

"Stuff it."

"Honestly, too much bad has happened to her already. I want to get her away from it. And we won't pay another's moment's heed to that damn prophecy either. _That's_ even _worse _than it seems."

"That's bollocks, mate. It really is."

George sighed.

"Don't suppose you'll be able to write?"

"I've been working on a few things…I've got a few prototypes, but we should be able to use something. Granted, if you're not all bollocksed up when we've left, people will suspect you know something."

"Oh, asking for a big emotional mess, are we?" Fred quipped with a smirk. "Don't worry. I've got a big bag of Sorrowful Sugar and I swiped some Fwooper eggs last time I was in detention with Snape. The house elves said they'd make cookies for me. Might be worth developing into a big emotional product line," he mused with a grin. He gave George a smirk, but his eyes were sad. "I'll be a right mess when you're gone, don't worry. No one will suspect a thing. And I might slip Lee some just for a laugh."

George smiled at his twin, knowing he'd miss him terribly. Though at least Fred knew they still had some time left. Kara, on the other hand, would likely be lost without her older sister.

Said Slytherin opened the bathroom door, and both twins looked at her. Her curiosity as to where Lee had gone vanished in favor of a glare aimed at Fred as he grinned a bit too toothily at her.

"Don't even start, Fred."

"Start what? I didn't say a thing!" He gave Live an even-toothier smirk. "Occupational hazard of bunking with fellows, you know. Tell her, George."

"George…"

Said twin grinned and shoved Fred's face down into the papers. "Quit staring at my wife, mate. She ain't decent."

"When is she _ever _decent?! Oi! _Geroff me_!" he said as he fought to bring his face back up. When he'd finally managed to turn the defacement proper upon his twin, Live had disappeared back into the bathroom with proper clothes in hand to change. Fred sighed, releasing his punishment of George's head. "Well bother that, my charms just don't seem to be working anymore."

George grinned. "Maybe if you used that cologne we made-"

"But it scared off all the girls in every trial! And it reeked!"

"Of glory!" George interjected.

"Is that what glory smells like? I think I recall your quidditch locker smelling _positively _glorious the other day at practice."

George gave him a shove and a laugh before they continued on with their calculations and sketchings of prototypes.

A little while later Live came out of the bathroom fully dressed in her school robes. Her bare feet made a soft padding sound on the wood floor of the dorm as she looked for Henry amongst George's bedthings. Finding him under a pillow, she scooped him up and got to her knees beside the bed, pulling out several books from beneath and piling them on the bed. As her pile grew, it earned both Fred and George's attentions.

"Going a bit Hermione on us?" Fred asked. "What's with all the books then?"

Live gave him a look and shrugged. "Studying."

"Live's going to be the next Granger-superstar, didn't you know?" George quipped, giving the blonde a wink.

She smirked and rolled her eyes. "I have a lot to catch up on. I've missed far too much class," she informed a bit drearily as if everything was perfectly normal. She looked for her cauldron beneath George's bed as Fred was making exasperated noises.

"Catch-up? You've been lucky enough to miss classes and now you want to punish yourself for it with even more work??" He gave his twin a look of annoyance. "Back me up on this one George."

"Don't bother about it, Live. Think of what you've missed as…_freebies_," George told her with a slight grin. She raised her brows and smiled back. "You could do any of this in your sleep. Let it alone."

"I know," she agreed. "But without practice I certainly won't get any better. And I've missed so much potions in itself…Professor Snape has been very kind about everything, considering." Fred and George both gaped at her. "What?"

Fred gave his twin a shocked look. "Blimey, there's two words I _never_ thought I'd live to hear spoken in the same sentence." He fully stuck out his tongue, as if ridding his mouth of a particularly bad taste. "_Snape_ and _kind_. That's like…well…_Snape _and _kind_!!"

Live huffed and ignored them, opening her various books to odd pages as Fred was making gagged, choked sounds, and George was patting him on the back looking just as shocked. After five minutes more of Fred's sputtering and George's condolences and agreement with his twin, Live chucked a pillow at them. "Oh shut the hell up already!"

Fred got to his feet and brushed himself off with a sort of indignity. "Well I've certainly had enough of this…_Slytherin love-fest_," he teased with distaste. Live was smirking from George's bed as said twin also got up.

"Where you going?" he asked.

"First, to somehow banish the past several minutes from my mind--" Fred shot Live an accusing look, and she stuck out her tongue, "--and to see Lee about those reports from _your_ sister," he finished to the Slytherin. "No doubt she's got Lee all tied up. Literally."

"Don't encourage her," Live muttered.

"See if our regular testers would be interested in testing those prototypes we're working on," George reminded with a slight knowing-look at his twin.

Fred gave George a wry look and a nod before leaving, muttering about the complete ridiculousness of Snape ever being seen as kind, or blast-ended skrewts being cuddly, for that matter (regardless of what Hagrid might think).

George closed the door and turned to face Live with a smirk. "Need help?"

She looked at him from under her brows, ticking off the items she'd need to try and brew a more advanced potion. "Not the kind you're interested in giving me, George. At the moment, anyway."

He smirked, not discouraged, and walked over to the bed to inspect what she had planned. "A transmogrification potion? I must admit to being intrigued."

"Not that, the one on the other page," she corrected him with a smirk. He sighed as he read it.

"A base? Well that's bloody boring."

"It's one of the more complicated potion bases though. Many of the most difficult potions require this base, and it has to be made in advance to brewing any of _those_."

"What potions? Like what?"

"Limbic potions," she proposed.

He raised a brow and gave her an amused smirk. "As in extra-strength aphrodisiac pleasure-heightening _fun _potions? Now I'm absolutely riveted!" He sat next to her with enthusiasm and grinned wolfishly, and she gave him a playful shove with her shoulder.

"Not all limbic potions are used for that, _George_. In the wider sense of their purpose. Limbic potions _as in _changing how you interpret pain, altering primitive instincts that control how we.…Quit giving me that look."

His grin widened and he pressed a kiss to her cheek. She huffed at him and he put an arm around her shoulder with a smug grin, keeping it there till she relaxed into it.

"You're impossible," she said. "Anyway, I might be able to use this base to help suppress my own magic's craziness…It deals with our primitive urges, and Dumbledore said my magic is at it's most wild. If I could have some on stock, it might help things."

"…you know, it's going to be harder to make a potion of that caliber without your wand, Live. We should look into getting you a new one."

She sighed upon the matter, revealing another issue to him. "…Dumbledore doesn't want me to have a new one."

George was taken aback, thinking he'd heard her wrong. "What?"

"He wants me to concentrate on wandless magic," she elaborated. "He'd rather I didn't get a new wand until I learn to control my magic better."

"Is he mental?" George spouted, getting angry. "Is he trying to punish you for-for it getting lost?" he saved sensitively, angry at the old man.

Live had an idea about what had happened to her wand, and even better of who had taken it. She knew she'd never see it again. "He thinks that I rely on my wand too much. At least since what I've become."

"Live--"

"Thanks for keeping your promise," she immediately cut-in, her cheeks flushing a bit. He frowned, losing his train of thought. "You were here when I woke up."

He sighed. "I'm not happy about it, Live."

"I know," she said dismally.

He shook his head. "I'm not _not_-happy with _you_, Live. I'm just flat-out not happy with the situation."

"I wanted a chance to talk to you proper about it before you went and got yourself killed 'cause of me," she started, her voice lowering. She snorted in minor-amusement. "I know it's the Gryffindor-patented-way to go right out and do stuff without thinking. You scare me sometimes." She angled her head up to look back at him. He couldn't help but sort of smirk back at her in agreement, and kiss her forehead. "I'm still the same, George. I still want them hurt and him dead," she said, purposely neglecting saying their names. "But that doesn't mean getting you killed in the process or acting without a proper plan. You know what I'm talking about?"

"I understand, love."

She decided that since she was spilling her guts, she might as well just let him in on everything. "I asked Harry about it."

"Asked him?"

"The other day? You asked me what I was talking to him about…It was that."

She recalled the conversation to George that she'd had with Harry in the Gryffindor common room. He'd picked up on things rather quickly, actually. It must have come from having been there himself, in a manner of ways.

Harry had asked Live if she was alright.

"Fine, why?" she had answered automatically with surprise. They hardly ever had even the most skeletal of 'personal' chats.

He'd looked at his shoes uncomfortably. "You look like you're not fine at all."

Her brow creased with self-concerned frown. "Whatever do you mean?"

"I can just hear it in your voice. It's familiar is all. The…the hurt."

She had been completely taken aback by that. A quick sweep of the room provided that George and Fred were deep in discussion, Dean was adding a log to the fire, and Hermione was furiously scribbling in thought. No one had heard his gently-spoken words. It was just as well.

"How do you deal with it?" she'd asked with a breath of raw desperation, every inch of her being wanting to spill everything to him as she knew they shared one thing in common. "I _know_. I know who they are."

Harry shrugged with a slight look of concern at her, not knowing the pinpoint of her problems, but understanding them just the same. "You don't really, I guess. It's just sort of always there and sometimes in your face and you just take it as it comes."

"But I _know_," she told him as if pleading, as if he alone could tell her the magical solution to everything. "I _know_ their identities."

Harry put his hands in his pockets. "People like them can't be touched in _our _world. You've gotta give it to them on _their_ turf. It's dangerous and sometimes I think it's not worth it, but it's where the most justice can be done. I keep hoping it will all turn out how it should. Knowing the truth is…Well it's a burden you have to carry."

Tears had filled her eyes and he'd immediately felt like a jerk for being so blunt. "Sorry," he'd said, putting his hand on her shoulder and patting it lightly as she rubbed at her eyes, feeling dumb. "I'm just…It's not easy to live with."

She had nodded and tried to get a hold of herself. She knew now exactly how he felt, having to see Malfoy everyday…His father at intervals Hermione had spoken of never being far-enough apart. It was no secret Lucius Malfoy was a Death Eater. It was one of the best-kept secrets since Santa Claus. Some people simply knew; others did not, and still yet some pretended the problem didn't exist. And they had to live with that knowledge and that nothing would be done.

It made things both easier and harder for Live, thinking on it for the past day or so. It felt good to tell George as well.

"I suppose Harry would know more about that thing directly than I would," George admitted to Live, though he couldn't help but feel a bit hurt that she'd consulted Harry before him.

"I just wanted you to know," she said. "You asked me, and now I'm answering. I don't like having to keep things from you. Some are just harder than others to talk about," she admitted. "I don't want to keep secrets from you."

He kissed her neck first and then her cheek, pulling her towards him so he could hold her. "Thanks Live. I don't like keeping things from you either," he said a bit guiltily. He had an arm clasped around her front, and caressed the top of her breasts inspectingly with his thumb. "You're all healed up?"

"Mm-hm," she said. "That was a really great potion professor Snape made. I don't even have that bad of marks from it." She grabbed either sides of her shirt and pulled it down slightly so he could see for himself. There was the slightest hint of where she had been magically slashed, but it wasn't noticeable unless you were looking for it.

George ran a finger over each mark with inspection as he held her. "Are your arms the same?" She rolled up her sleeves to show him. It was more difficult to see there as her skin was already mottled with light scars, but she was obviously healed. He was grateful. "I'm glad you're all right."

"You won't do anything on your own, will you?" she posed, looking at him and really needing his confirmation. By the deep look in her eyes he could tell that the matter had taken over her thoughts. He wanted to reassure her.

"I said I wouldn't, and I won't. Don't get stressed because of me. We can't afford all our glass bottles and potions vials shattering whenever you break a nail," he said with a grin, teasing her. She smacked at him as he laughed, laying back and pulling her with him. He grinned as he looked into her eyes. "I love you hugely, you know."

She wiggled on top of him and giggled at the look on his face. "Yes, I know that very well."

"Tart."

She kissed him and then held him close as he affectionately pet her hair. They lay together silently for a while, each thinking to his or her own ideas and anxieties.

oOo

"I think it's safe to say, after testing the fantasy line on Lee--"

"I hate you."

"--that these products should definitely _not_ be mixed since they're too powerful together."

"_And _you'll just end up embarrassing yourself," Fred added to Kara's denouement with a laugh as Lee shot him the most venomous glare he could make.

"But most importantly," Kara continued rather professionally, "is that we can expect to market these almost immediately, and that they're one-hundred percent safe for classroom use without serious side-effects….not counting Lee."

"I hate you both."

"Now I've drawn up a few ideas for packaging and some logos, but I'm rather rubbish for marketing to a broader clientele, so I've put together this little planner for you to give to Live--"

"To Live?" Fred asked as he took the sticky collection.

"--because she's a lot better with color schemes and what's safe to package in certain materials and what's not, and I don't think it would do to have the Lickable Lips seep through it's box and ruin the other products again. We're going to need legal disclaimers drawn up too. And frankly, because she's been slacking off on this whole business, Live can handle it, and dammit, me and Neville have a rootbeer party planned!"

Lee's arms were crossed and he was the eternal picture of brooding, but Fred looked intrigued by Kara's idea of 'party'. "Will there be any marketing done at this party?"

Kara gave him a frown and poked a finger in his chest. "All the plants we saved from our garden are all alive and in full-bloom thanks to Neville, and I for once would like to enjoy _that_ good fortune while it lasts. And also, I don't think the clothes I'll be wearing will make for proper marketing attire," she added with a nod of her head. "So no."

Fred's eyes were wide at that thought, wondering if she had gotten Ginny in on these plans, and whether or not he'd be raiding her dorm for anything he thought 'inappropriate' for his little-sister to be wearing.

"Kara I told you before," Lee grumbled darkly, "if even _one_ person spills something on that outfit, it'll dissolve."

"No it won't," she said dismissively, smiling that he was talking to her.

"It will."

"It won't. I'll be careful."

"No one else will."

"They will if I make 'em!" she said, brandishing a fist of power.

Fred had a perplexed brow raised. "This isn't what I think it is, is it?"

"Don't _you _start in on me now, Fred!" she warned. "You're not _my _older brother."

"The hell I'm not," he said, thinking of her as well as Ginny. And if George had his way, they'd be related soon enough anyway. "And Live would murder you if she saw that."

"Good thing she won't," Kara said blithely, grinning at him.

"Do you have any idea how fast cotton candy _melts_ when liquid gets on it?!" Lee said with exasperation.

Fred's eyes widened. "Gryffindor's trousers…you don't have an outfit made out of _that_ do you??"

Kara frowned at Lee, ignoring Fred. "Of course I do! Who's the sugar expert here?"

"It disintegrates!" Lee said in ignoring her. "Spun sugar instantly disappears like that! One drop is all it would take to devastate the whole thing."

"…you better not have gotten Ginny to do this with you," Fred muttered with sudden horrific speculation.

"You think I won't be wearing anything under it?" Kara countered Lee.

"Edible undergarments do _not_ count as 'wearing' anything!" Lee pointed out.

"That's it. I've gotta go see Ginny," Fred stated out of pre-emptive shock, leaving the two of them to deal with Lee's upset and Kara's enthusiastic assurances that Lee was all-man and if anything, it was a manly embarrassment he'd endured for their products. He continued to glower at her after Fred had gone while she tried a route of smiles.

"Never again."

"Come on, Lee. It wasn't that bad. I won't tell anyone," Kara offered with a grin. "Promise."

"I'm never testing anything for you again."

"Aw, come on, don't say that," she cajoled. "At least we were alone up here," she said of the astronomy tower and it's current lack of activity. "No one else saw. It wasn't nearly as bad as Malfoy, eh?" This little statement only deepened his glowering at her. "I wasn't even really paying attention. I promise."

"Bollocks."

"Any girl would like that, you know," she added with a wink, thinking this would somehow make it better. "It's not like you could help it. Those were powerful products. Any kind of overdose like that would make anyone do the same. Why, I know a few girls who would _really_ like it," she said sweetly. Then she changed her tone to one of business. "But not me. We have a working relationship." She gave him a toothy grin. "It would be unconscionable for me to take advantage of that," she finished with a saintly tone as if there was no reason at all for him to be so sour.

He gave her a glowering frown, brooding to himself while she grinned innocently at him. "_Oooh _how I hate you."

oOo

Live was laying on George's chest, drifting in and out of conscious thought, as Fred and Lee came in. They gave her speculative looks but were quiet for the most part upon entering. She sat up, never liking an audience to her affections, and looked at George. It surprised her to find that he was asleep. She didn't think they'd been laying there that long at all.

"That was quick."

"Quick?" Fred said. "We've been gone nearly three hours."

"Oh," Live said in realization. "I guess I've been snoozing…"

"Looks a bit peaky, doesn't he?" Fred asked as he crossed the room to his bed, giving his twin a once-over.

"I hate your sister," Lee added innocuously, falling face-first onto his bed and shoving pillows over it.

"What did she do?" Live asked Fred as the other boy surveyed his sleeping twin.

"Oh, Lee tested all of our fantasy products too-quickly together…" he said with a growing smirk. "It got a little personal."

"Shuff da hell upf," came Lee's muffled voice.

"…I don't think I want to know what's happened," Live said with wide, slightly troubled eyes. She took her attention away from where Lee's muffled whines and exaggerated sobs were coming, and looked at George as he slept. She gently tucked a stand of hair away from his face. Fred's observation was pretty apt. George looked pale and tired, his breathing indicative of deep, restful sleep. She supposed a lot of that was due to the worry she'd been causing him, and the stress to restrain himself. She'd make it up to him as soon as she got the chance.

"This is for you, by the way," Fred added as a collection of notes and rag-tag papers were thrown her way all shoved into what looked like Kara's sticky planner. "Kara wants you to work on a few things for the new line."

Live gave a look to Fred and checked to see Lee still moaning and self-loathing under his pillow on his bed, his dyed-blue hair showing through the top, and then she looked back at Fred a bit meaningfully. "I'll do what I can while I have the chance…" She opened up the notes and tried to make heads and tails of them. "She doesn't need any potions made or anything, does she?" she asked as she flipped through them, worried about how her own potion-making abilities might suffer without a wand to use.

"She shouldn't," Fred said, wondering if he should shock George awake with cold-water, or fireworks for nostalgia's sake. "Just a bit of designing, that's all."

"That's good. And don't," Live told him.

"What?"

"Leave George alone. He's resting. And if you do anything to me…I'm likely to explode you," she said, half-joking, half-serious.

"How the bloody hell do _you_ know what I'm thinking?" Fred countered a bit dubiously, re-thinking his joke.

"George gets the same look when _he's_ scheming. So quit it."

"Bollocks, you're no fun. Well wake his highness up from his beauty rest. It's most definitely time for chow, and nothing is more fun than nicking stuff in the kitchens before it's actually served up. We're gonna need all hands on deck!" Fred gave his hair a comb-through with his fingers and deemed himself acceptable to any ladies he might try to charm on the way down. "Lee, get your arse up. No one cares that you dallied yourself."

A curse just barely missed Fred. "I told you to shut the hell up!"

Live's eyes were wide. "…What exactly…_happened_?"

Fred was laughing horrendously and dodging curses Lee was firing off while shouting that it wasn't nearly as bad as it seemed. He only escaped the other boy's wrath by quickly exiting the dorm room. Lee turned to face Live before he left, cheeks burning terribly.

"I didn't _dally_ myself, or anything else he tells you!!" he affirmed before chasing after the single twin and readying his wand with a particularly nasty curse.

Live grinned to herself, not looking forward to _that_ conversation with Kara. She supposed she _was_ a bit hungry though, but she felt guilty to have to wake George. She was lying next to him, watching him as he slept and smiling to herself. She would love to wake up to his face every morning for the rest of her life. She traced a finger along his jaw lovingly, minutely wondering where his bruise has gone, and hoped to high heaven that he wouldn't get hurt anymore. He already seemed more than exhausted.

"George?" she called softly. She lightly stroked his arm with her fingers, and for every moment further that he didn't wake, the more guilty she felt for trying to wake him. When she interlaced her fingers with his and he still didn't rouse, she decided to lay back down next to him and stay for a while.

Closing her eyes and getting comfortable, she started to drift when she felt George give her hand a squeeze.

"Oi," he said in a semi-alert tone, inhaling deeply in surprise he'd been dozing. "You're not falling asleep there, are you?"

She cracked an eye open and turned her face into his side. Sometimes he was so clueless.

oOo

A while later saw the Gryffindor-Slytherin pair walking hand-in-hand down the corridors. Live was overall nervous and wanted to avoid others as much as possible, all-too-aware of herself and worried that everything showed on her face. Even if she kept assuring George that she was perfectly fine, he could tell that she was on-edge. Dread was hovering about her stomach which was fraught with worry over what should happen if she came face to face with Malfoy in the halls. She wished the fear didn't trouble her so.

George was sticking to Live like glue, not leaving anything to chance, and trying to help her feel back to normality. It was almost painfully obvious to him that she wanted everything to be the way it had been pre-attack. She was chatting to him amiably about how their class work was piling up, and that maybe she should have a talk with Kara about treating Lee proper. But she would tense when someone came a bit too-quickly from adjacent hallways, giving momentary pause before continuing on as if nothing had irked her.

George felt sick over everything far more now that he knew the identities of Live's attackers. Such a horribly sickening plan could have only come from the twisted mind of Lucius Malfoy, and the fact that he was desperate enough to try right on school grounds, in the light of day, and that his idiot son had participated though they knew right where to find him….George wouldn't be leaving Live's side for anything.

If they had succeeded in their plan, succeeded in making her forget the whole incident and actually violated her….She could have been pregnant without ever even knowing it, rightly along with their plans for her. That thought alone made George nauseous with disgust and fear. It was sick. Demented and sick. Inhuman.

George pulled Live against his side as they walked. She looked at him and smiled, walking beside him with unknowing mirth for all the horrid thoughts going through his mind. She continued chatting to him, walking a bit off-kilter with George's arm snug about her waist, but she enjoyed the closeness. That is, until she felt with quite certainty that she was getting what Kelena referred to as "the horrific uni-boob!" as her girls decided to merge towards her new gravitational center. And rather than be stared at for the horrific off-kilterness of her chest, she tried to quickly duck into a girl's bathroom to fix things.

When George tried to follow her _into _the girls' bathroom, however, that's where she drew the line.

"Will you wait a moment?!" she said with exasperation.

"Define _moment_."

"Stay outside, George," she said. "I'll be out in a second."

He 'hmphed' indignantly at that, but allowed her her moment of separation. When her sudden, quick shriek reached his ears a few moments later, he quickly rushed into the girls' bathroom.

"What is it?! What's wrong?!"

Two Ravenclaws, a seventh-year Hufflepuff, and three fourth-year Slytherins were standing before a stall as if they had all been looking at something, but now they were looking at George with alarm like he was crazy. Live too was giving him an exasperated look.

"There's a big hairy spider in this stall…Honestly, George, get out!"

"A spider? Is it Lee's tarantula?" he asked inquisitively, lowering his wand and coming in all leisure to inspect. He didn't get far, however, before the other girls in the bathroom began to shriek at him to get out.

Strolling by outside, Vivian Monteclaire was practically inside Adrian Pucey's robes as they strolled down the corridor. She was giggling and remarking to Pucey that it sure was drafty in the halls, and he certainly must know of ways to keep her warm, even in the middle of the castle. Her advances were quickly forgotten as a roll of toilet paper zipped across their path, nearly pegging them. Seconds later and accompanied by girlish shouts and spell-light, George Weasley was chased from the girl's bathroom being pelted with toilet paper and verbal-threats.

He stood to his full height once he was at a safely-deemed distance from the door and the harpies that dwelled within. He vowed never to enter a girl's bathroom so-occupied ever again.

"George? Alright?" Vivian asked with an odd sort of smirk, not sure if she wanted to know what he had been doing in there. He gave her a look like a deer caught in the headlights before grinning smugly at them both. Pucey began guffawing and continued on with a slightly puzzled Vivian. She kept throwing looks over her shoulder as they left, trying to make some sense of the scene.

Having received several dirty looks and glares from a few girls leaving the restroom, George was more than pleased to have Live emerge. "Finally…I was afraid someone was going to take a plunger to my head! What took so long?"

"Well aren't you charming," she said, rolling her eyes. "I had to adjust a few things," she said, motioning to her breasts, which made him forget his mood. "And I had to hide in the stall until they left. I can't face any interrogations right now. And I'm bound to be lynched because of you."

He grinned. "You're untouchable, my love. They'd have to be crazy to retaliate, knowing what me, Lee, and Fred might put them through, prankingly-speaking of course."

She rolled her eyes. "You understand absolutely nothing about girls, George."

"Well I understand the important bits," he said in hugging her close to him and grinning like a Cheshire cat.

She backed away with a smirk as he crushed her front to his chest. "I don't think 'bits' was the word you were looking for."

He kissed her nose and let her go, making nice and offering her his arm with a gallant bow. She rolled her eyes with an amused grin and took it as they continued on towards the kitchens, wondering if Lee and Fred had nicked the good stuff already. They were surprised upon nearing the portrait of fruit that hid the entrance, that Lee and Fred were waiting around looking aggravated, bored, and slightly quarrelsome. And they were definitely snack- and treat-less.

"Oi, I thought we were meeting up in the kitchens?" George questioned his twin as they approached. "Or at least, arranging a rewarding rendezvous."

"Unlikely," Fred responded. Lee remained silent, still sullen through the day's activities. "Filch's been all over the area. _Apparently_," Fred said, giving Live a meaningful look, "_someone_ left a big sticky mess and broken bottles about, and the wanker's been cleaning it up since we got here. Bloody slow too."

"Why're you looking at _me_?" Live said with a turn of her lips. She looked heavenward in thought, and then put a palm to her face. "…what the hell is Kara up to?" She muttered about 'messes' and 'hasty, unorganized' retreats.

"Well I'm bloody starving!" George affirmed with a scowl. "We could always nick what Kara stole," he suggested with an upbeat grin. "It's bound to be something good."

"Hell. No." Lee gave them all death-glares. George, being the only one out of the loop, made the mistake of questioning this. Lee looked ready to curse him.

"Why-? _Oo!_" George shrieked as Live gave his bum a firm squeeze. He gave her a puzzled-yet-pleased look.

"Drop it and I'll make it worth your while," she said quickly and lightly with a completely straight face. George, though confused, was comfortably silent.

Fred sighed. "Well, there won't be any luck here. By the time Filch and that cat get out of here, dinner will be served anyway. Unless…we manage to divert him." Fred got that scheming look on his face, but Lee put a stop to it.

"I am _not_ in the mood."

"Um," Live spoke up, looking at George, "I'd actually like to find Vivian since we have time. There's a few things I need to ask of her."

George shrugged and nodded his acquiescence while his twin prodded Lee and tried to get him to cooperate with his quickly-forming plan.

"Oi, you two going to come with or keep arguing like an old married couple?" George asked with a grin.

Fred raised an eyebrow while Lee gave him a punch in the arm. "Ow…Where to, oh image-mine?"

"Live needs a girly love-fest with her Slytherin friends. Ah--! Live keep your hands out of there…I'm sure there will be people to prank on the way," George continued to his twin as he tried to restrain Live's roving hands as _she _tried to shut him up. He gave her a kiss on her cheek and let her lead the way hand-in-hand, the sounds of Fred running from Lee and the other boy following in quick-strides as they went.

Three dung bombs, eight stink pellets, and an inextinguishable firework later, they were nearing the dungeons, Fred complaining and Lee sulking even after the damage they'd inflicted upon unsuspecting students. The closer they got to the Slytherin commons, the more Live began to become quite interested in what was around her, and her breathing quickened. The palm George's hand was entwined with became clammy, and before long, she stopped. They were in the hall that would take them to the Slytherin dormitories, but still quite shy their destination. And that was as far as they were getting.

"What's up?" George asked after shunting his inattentive twin off him from behind.

"I changed my mind," she answered, tugging his hand in the opposite direction to turn their little party around with a wan smile. "It's not important. Let's try and find some feed."

George frowned at her behavior, and Fred whined. "We came all this way and I don't get to share a few stink pellets with your housemates? What is this rubbish?"

George gave Live a searching, curious look, only to see the tears in her eyes. "Hey," he started, but before he could get out his question, she was in his arms trying to hold back tears. He could feel the rapid beating of her heart in her chest, and hear her quickened, hitched breathing. He returned the puzzled looks Lee and Fred were giving him behind her back as he tried to make heads and tails of things. "What's the matter, hm?"

"I'm scared," she admitted to him in a quiet, anxious whisper. "I can't go in there. I can't. If he's in there…He probably _is_ in there…" It made her feel sick to say it. Her stomach was a pit of ever-dropping dread.

George hugged her to him completely, a deadly scowl on his face as he comfortingly pet her hair and gave his twin a look. Fred understood immediately and gave a subconscious glance down the hall, knowing that Malfoy was probably hiding somewhere among other vipers within Slytherin's stone walls. Lee forgot his own sorrows upon seeing hers, surly that she could be reduced to this by her own housemates. Where he'd once fearfully respected her, he now felt a camaraderie that extended from his own opinions on Kara and the close quarters they'd all been sharing for many weeks. For the first time in Hogwarts History, three Gryffindors wanted to take vengeance for a Slytherin.

"Oi, it's musty down here," Fred spoke up amiably as if nothing was amiss. "And I doubt there's anything at all edible in Slytherin House."

"Personally I don't want to spend any more time than we have to for potions down here," Lee added amicably.

"Let's get this show on the road and raid some food caches!" Fred put in, starting on their backwards journey to encourage movement. Lee joined him, and shortly after Live raised her head from George's chest and looked him guiltily in the eyes. She felt stupid.

"Ah, Live," he said, stroking her cheek and kissing her forehead. "It's not fair."

She acknowledged him and retook his hand as they followed after Fred and Lee. The two boys began a chorus of "_Old Bawdry Audrey_" by The Two-tongued Turncoats, their off-key singing filling the halls with echoes of "_Don't touch me here, but how much for there?_"

oOo

After being chastised by McGonagall for lewdness, the three Gryffindor seventh-years glumly accompanied Live to the Great Hall where dinner, sadly, was not yet served. Live was quite happy to find Vivian here, sitting far down at the Slytherin table with Pucey, and she could get her appointed errand over quickly.

"I'll just be a second," Live promised, opting to leave George with his twin and Lee.

"Want me to come with?" George asked nonchalantly, though it was obviously a bigger deal than he made it.

She shook her head. While she would appreciate his presence, alone she would be less attention, and his presence at the Slytherin table would stick out like a sore thumb. She wanted her moment with Vivian to be as quick and painless as she could.

"Alright then," George told her. "Looks like Lavender Brown is getting a bit too comfortable with Dean over at our table anyway," he said as he grinned over at the fifth years doing homework at the Gryffindor table, Lavender scooting close to Dean. Live looked in the line of his eyesight, but paid little mind to what they might do. Lavender would deserve whatever she had coming to her for being such a nasty little bint.

Live took a deep breath before leaving the safety of George's presence, bringing herself up straight and as proud as ever, striding with purpose down towards Vivian as if she owned the place. Frankly, she felt as if all eyes were upon her. Which, if George counted as everyone, was indeed the case. Lord knew his gaze did odd things to her.

"Merlin I love her so much," George murmured as he watched her go with the confidence he knew she didn't really feel. "Look at the way she carries herself, like the queen of Hogwarts…Our children are going to be _magnificent_."

Lee snickered, his mood much improved since the ribald singing. "The teachers aren't going to be pleased with you sending them more of…well, little yous. I think the shock alone will kill Filch."

"I'll make sure to memo them a warning," Fred added brightly with a smirk. "I mean, it's only fair. Old McGonagall will think we were bloody _peachy_ by the time we have brats coming here."

George grinned, thinking his twin was positively right. With Live's cunning and his craftiness, any children they _did_ decide on having would most likely be evil geniuses. The teachers wouldn't know what hit them.

He watched as Live was intercepted from her route by Putterly, the Slytherin he harbored intense personal hatred for. The seventh year said a few words to her, glancing behind her at George without a care in the world, almost challengingly. It boiled the Gryffindor's blood that he even dare speak to her or invade her personal territory. He was going to come down there, but their interaction did not last for very long before Live broke to see her friend with noticeable relief. It didn't bode well for the seventh year Slytherin that he was headed out of the Great Hall, and thusly past the three Gryffindor seventh years waiting there.

Putterly was striding confidently, walking past the trio of Gryffindors as if he hadn't a care in the world. He didn't even bother to glare at them until George addressed him.

"Oi, Putterly, stay away from my girlfriend," he said firmly with threat.

Putterly stopped to regard him, snorting at his statement. "What makes you think you're qualified to look after her when you can't even take care of yourself?" he said disparagingly, smirking smugly as he looked at Lee and Fred flanking George like personal bodyguards.

George's face was red with anger and disgrace while Fred and Lee regarded Putterly with deep-rooted house-hatred. It went even deeper where George's feelings were concerned. "I'll take you on any time, any place, Putterly," George ground out, clenching his fists.

Putterly's eyes flicked to Lee and Fred, and he smirked back at George. "Tomorrow night, the covered courtyard. McVaken will be my second. Not that I'll need it," he said smugly, turning away from them without bothering for his acceptance. It was an excessively-confident challenge.

"I'm George's second," Fred spouted heatedly.

Putterly turned to look back at them. "Delightful. I can do the world a favor and be done with you both." He continued on his way, narrowly missing a serious thrashing if it weren't for Lee holding both twins back. A few moments later they were standing facing one-another, each obviously riled and upset. More or less upset that there were teachers about and they couldn't thrash Putterly within an inch of his life.

"Bastard," George muttered.

"Right prick," Fred agreed. "What the bloody hell is his problem?"

"I'll be _your _second," Lee added to Fred with just as agitated a frown.

"Oi, what's this then? You _both_ think I'll lose?" George said in turning his attention to them both. "I hardly think a _third_ is necessary, Lee."

"Didn't want to miss out on your wiping the floor with that git," Lee said with a shrug. "That bloke is a right piece of work. And it never hurts to have a Healer on hand."

"What do you need a Healer for?" Live's voice inquired. George spun on his heel, a bit surprised to see her standing there.

"Nothing," all boys said as one. Live furrowed her brow, not sure if she wanted to know what they were up to, and frankly, not all that concerned.

"So?" George asked of Live's encounter with her friend. "Get what you needed?"

She smiled. "I wanted her to mail a letter for me."

"Mail a letter?" George echoed, suppressing his anger for the moment. She nodded. "We could have gone up to the Owlry, Live. We have the time, Godric knows."

"I'd rather not," she told him firmly. "It's nothing too important, but I'd like it sent sooner than…Well, I'd like a response in the coming days. And I don't want to send anyone else out for me, just in case. It's not safe, you know?" George raised his brows at her. "It's just a letter to a friend anyway."

"Ah. And what did Putterly want?" George broached. Lee and Fred gave them some distance, deciding to pay an unwanted visit to the Ravenclaw table for impromptu 'testing'.

"Said I was missed in potions," she informed. She looked a bit worried over that. "Though I know Professor Snape isn't happy about either of us missing classes, I think he understands at least, given the situation…Anyway, Putterly bothers me," she added for George's edification, feeling disloyal for talking with the jerk who'd hit him in the face. "And I don't know who he thinks he is, talking to me after what he did to you. I'll never share a potion station with him again."

"It was just a lucky hit," George lied, any and all physical evidence left upon his person bodily healed. "Don't you worry your pretty blonde head over it."

She gave him a smirk and took his hands in hers. He rubbed his thumbs in her palms, and she looked into his eyes with a smile. "So, do you think Filch has cleared out yet? I haven't even had breakfast."

"Well there's only one cure for that…_DISTRACTION!_" he declared loudly, causing Lee and Fred to look up from the Ravenclaw table. Fred was flirting with a sixth year and Lee was getting his blue hair examined rather scientifically by the intrigued Ravenclaws. The shade his hair had been dyed was exclusive to the change in many of the prankees by Kara's invention. George gave them a head shake and they both followed after.

"What? I was making good on that!" Fred complained as they approached.

"We need a distraction to get into the kitchens. What 'ave you got left?"

"Hmph…a skunk mortar, a dud filibuster…and some untested things…" He gave his twin a large grin.

"Well I think now is better than ever to test them out!" George declared.

"Maybe I should grab a flame-thwarting potion before we go…" Lee trailed off, knowing his healing-services would be utilized well before the end of the evening.

Live smirked as they plotted together. At least the night would be diverting.

oOo

There were candy wrappers and empty bottles littering the floor beside George's bed, a little orange tongue feeling about in the dark for crumbs and the like from inside Henry's box bed beneath the four poster. The dorm room was quiet and warm, the occupants having gone to sleep several hours before.

George was troubled as he sat up coughing into his pillow to muffle the sound. Live was sleeping peacefully unaware next to him, snuggled up beside him for warmth with her mouth slightly ajar. It made him smirk with minor guilt. He didn't want to lie to her, but there was no reason for her to know that he would be dueling Putterly in the coming day. She would not stand for it, and frankly he didn't fancy an argument over what needed to be done. He would have to lie, just a little, to get away for a bit to make that Slytherin arse eat his words. He would need maybe an hour total to give him what-for. And if Fred and Lee would be accompanying him, then it shouldn't be too difficult to convince her that they were off to nick stuff from the kitchens, or to plant a prank (which they might have time for anyway). It was simple and wholly believable, and it wasn't _really _deceitful if they _did_ happen to stop by the kitchens or so on the way back.

As he settled himself back down into the mattress next to her, wrapping an arm around her, he considered that there wasn't anything wrong with a little white lie. He nuzzled her and kissed her sleeping face before dozing back off to sleep himself. He'd need his strength for tomorrow to go as well as he planned.

His little white lie would cost him a lot more than he bargained for.

oOo

Sorry for that. I just _really_ had quite a few loose ends that needed tying and I wanted to get it all rolling in here.I'm so long winded I could smack myself o.o This chapter was actually going to be _far _longer, but I decided to split things up into two chaps (the title of this chap will make a lot more sense with the title of the second, haha, which, if you know the saying, then nuts to you, you know what the next chap will be called XD).

To reiterate what I said earlier, I am indeed going to try and get stuff rolling more than I have been due to the TV show release date approaching in September (want to buy some So Cal tv time? ;) hahaha anyone can, basically O.O). I'm very excited. _Electric Jungle Rock TV _airs in September :D More info to come (see my artsite blogs, and check your TV Guide haha). I won't have much time to think in the coming weeks XD

So, thanks for reading so very much so far, and also don't forget to check out the fanart on deviantArt! WOO! Haha. A lot of readers have been finding me there (my username is ElectrikPinkPirate) so let me know if you have one! Add me! Woo!

Bwah I did replies quickly between the work I've got at the moment, so if I forget anyone, please feel free to flog me!! I heart you all!

Eternal Silver Flame: Thanks a lot! Ha, I've been procrastinating terribly and now I'm paying for it with all the work headed my way XD haha. Oh dear, this si what I get. HAHA thank you lovey!

redheadlover: HAHAHA I think if there were more Kara's in the world, we'd all get along a lot better :D Or go crazy. One or the other, HAHAHA! Well, sounds like a party to me either way! Heh heh thankies!

Skyre: Woo! I'm so glad :D Hopefully this will add a bit of spark to your day, haha! It was rather long (I try to make them longer when I go so far in between updating) but yes, there we are :D haha!

Dckveg: haha we all dabble in procrastination, which is the best XD hee hee. Ha I'm actually not at all familiar with Twilight. It's been recommended to me before, but when I found it was a young adult book, I didn't bother with it (frankly because I like my books to have smut and I figure that wouldn't have it HAHAHA! Smutty romance novels for the win, ha!) With the recent talk of a film and whatnot I've become a bit more acquainted with it largely due to fanart of the Edward guy (I found a wonderful, red-headed fanart of him on dA and I fell in love, haha! Any redheaded hawt vamps are always good in my book, haha!) but yeah generally I don't know very much about it at all o.o never read any of those books. Oooh but there _is_ a wonderfully vampy series I just love (with all the smutty fun, haha) by Maggie Shayne. The series is called _Wings in the Night_ (and funnily enough, a lot of her books have the word 'twilight' in it XD) There's _Edge of Twilight_ (one of my favs), _Twilight Hunger, Prince of Twilight_, and several others :D She usually uses the word in the title of whatever book she's on :D At least for that series. Otherwise there's her other books (haven't read them, haha) which are _Colder than Ice; Thicker than Water; _and _Darker than Midnight_ (god those titles sound so cool XD). So yeah, I'm a huge vamp fan, but I haven't gotten into _that_ particular twilight series, haha!

Smashley007: HAHA I hope Kara torturing Lee brought a smile to your face this chap, HAHAHA! Extra torture for poor Lee…I love it :D haha she's so crazy, but then it's the crazy ones you never suspect of being truly brilliant….I think we should all go hide in a cave somewhere O.O I did pretty okay on my finals, and now I'm headed into a lot huger territory …oh crap, HAHA! Thanks love!

sayakanaka: Thanks a lot! HAHA yes I can never shut up, I'm so long winded, the length of this story is ridiculous XD HAHA a lot of it due to me wanting people to know the _exact_ situation/expression/feeling etc. bah I'll certainly never make a good screenwriter, haha! Thank you! WOO!

Lady Linwe: You know I was thinking about all the stuff about Live & Kara's parents too. Bah, it's like, it's something you think about in the back of your mind, and while it would make perfect real life sense for me to include them, they really don't have any plot significance or anything that would contribute to the story in any way, and would just overly complicate things o.o Haha I'm always worried about that and trying to be real, but then not. Haha I think the way I write has a lot to do with the type of stories I read. Like generally if I read a HP fic, it's is _definitely_ AU in some way. Like if it's a marauder's fic, I _want_ Sirius to end up married and happy with like a zillion babies that happen to go to school with harry when they all grow up XD HAHAHA! Or like, a fic might take place in a certain year or whatever while they're at school, but I think that's all I want/need to know to put me in a semi-sort of knowledgeable state of mind and then just let the writer run with it :D I think I embrace the very spirit of fanfiction with "Okay, here's the characters, here's the general setting, and you know their characteristics. GO!" XD heh heh heh. God I think weird. But yeah, so, while I myself consider putting in the Hunter's mother and father or making some sort of mention, I don't plan on them ever really making an appearance in the fic o.O. Haha maybe I'll make a note of it at the end of some chap: "_If you've been wondering where Mr. and Mrs. Hunter have been throughout this, they've been having a wonderful extended vacation in the Caribbean year-round." _HAHA! XD…goodness it's the Terry thing all over again. XD Someday I will re-write this proper and fix a lot of stuff….but it ain't happening any time soon BWAHA!


	55. Real pain for my sham friends

I think it's safe to say that _everyone_ has been super busy and preoccupied as of late. Finals have come and gone again, I've been _very_ busy with my studies and whatnot, and shooting/prepping/whatnot for the TV Show has had me up the walls…I know last chapter (ages ago, HAHAH!) I said we were going to be up in September. There were a lot of obstacles that made that rather impossible, but our official air date is set for January. The show will be on 11:59pm Wednesdays, channel 6, 19, 29, and 56 in California from North Ventura county to Tijuana, and we're going to run the pilot four times so you all have multiple chances to catch it ;) After we premier it on TV I will be putting it up on my deviantArt account so keep in touch there ;D

…Holidays keep coming and going. Yikes, I apologize for the lack of updating as well (: I've recently been named a Gallery Moderator for deviantArt's film department, so that's been fun and time-consuming as well :D TONS of nonsense has been happening between this update and the last. HAHA! Hit me up at my dA page as I'm there ALL the time and always chatting with folks (username: ElectrikPinkPirate). You can check my profile here for all the links and that jazz too (:

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers_  
by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 55: …Real pain for my sham friends.

"I'm freezing my nips off out here!"

"You _said _you wanted to harvest the plants with me and to remind you when I was going to."

"Not in this weather I don't! We should've brought cocoa…"

"By the time the weather changes the plants will be past their potent harvesting. And it's a lot warmer in here than it is outside. I could have done it by myself and brought everything to you…"

"But I want to be here for it!""Then why are you complaining?"

Kara had her arms crossed over (what she kept affirming) was her freezing chest. She was giving Neville a frown in the greenhouse which was far many more degrees warmer than the snowy castle grounds. They had been standing in the greenhouse for many moments, but Kara hadn't gotten her fill of complaining about the cold, and there wasn't a chance she'd be listening to Neville's rationale on the subject anyway.

"Let me share your robes."

"I don't care what you promise; I'm not falling for that twice."

Kara gave him a crinkle-nosed frown lacking any shame. "You're getting awfully mouthy lately…"

He looked a bit chagrined, but didn't have anything else to say on the matter. Frankly Kara's craziness was causing him to become a bit more brave where she was involved. And seeing as how he didn't fancy a breakdown of epic Lee Jordan proportions, he was beginning to stand his ground, or at least, teeter on it, where she was concerned. "I can put another warming charm on you."

Kara sighed and uncrossed her arms, her demeanor changing completely. "Bah you're no fun anymore."

He offered her a shrug and went about the plants that they'd been allowed to personally cultivate in the greenhouse. He began carefully trimming Alihotsy leaves and gathering Fluxweed as Kara watched with minor boredom. She didn't actually have much interest in harvesting plants, especially when it involved trekking across the frozen grounds when she would have much rather sat by the common room fire after class. This was more or less Live's area of expertise and enjoyment, though she had to admit that the circumstances dictated her current position, and that by no means should her sister go outside the castle walls. For that matter Live would likely lay into Kara if she knew the fifth year was out herself, even with Neville present.

"Neville."

"What?"

"I'm bored."

Her words earned a sigh. "I brought you some gloves and silver trimming shears if you want."

She gave his work a quick glance of disinterest, though it was obvious he was enjoying himself. He'd amazingly brought the now-flowering, verdant scrubs up from the tiny sprouts they'd rescued from Kara and Live's secret garden in the forbidden forest. The scraggly little sprigs had even survived their run-in with the doppelgangers and the mess that had ensued thereafter. All the hard work Neville had put in to cultivating the plants had fully paid off, and though Kara had promised him his weight in root beer for his services, he would have been glad to do it for absolutely nothing.

Kara sat for a while and observed the gardening, thinking that her sister would be most-pleased with the fresh ingredients. The warmth of the greenhouse was beginning to sink into her robes, and she was able to enjoy all the weird plants growing about, the multi-colored flowering vines that clung to the cold glass all the more vibrant against the snow that stuck to the outside. She looked up at the steepled glass ceiling, snow heavier in some areas and blotting out what cold grey light the sun afforded. That it wasn't very bright out made her smirk somewhat to herself.

Neville happily added flower after flower to the special pouch he'd brought with, taking snippets of vines or leaves as were needed from the variety of plants. For the main part he zoned out Kara's agitated footsteps pacing back and forth, unable to sit still, or the noises of her poking at some of the more 'active' plants. When she became quite quiet, however, was when he took notice and looked up. He wondered for a moment if one of the bigger, nastier plants had gotten her, when she whispered his name in a purposely-creepy tone.

"That's just not funny," he told her, peeking under tables and looking over large pots, wondering where she had ensconced herself, and moreover, hoping she wasn't going to jump out at him. She was going to be the death of him, or at least his nerves. "Where'd you go?"

"Over here!" she told him in her normal, cheery-bright tones.

He looked in the direction her voice had come from, and inwardly sighed. He could _just_ make her out in the darkness of the storage area where extra pots and flesh-eating slug-repellent was kept. "Are you hiding in the potting shed? What if there are spiders in there?"

"…better damn well not be…" she grumbled back. "Come 'ere!"

"I'm not interested in anything you've got going in that dark space," he told her firmly, more or less worried that she _did_ in fact have some sort of creepy crawling thing ready to jump out at him with. He settled back to the plants, ignoring her grumbling and whining for the most part, taking his gardening quite seriously.

"Nev_ille_," she whined, and was promptly ignored. She sat on her haunches in the darkness of the greenhouse storage shed, which was really more of a small cupboard than a proper shed, and flicked at some broken pieces of pottery, trying to amuse herself while her eyes adjusted, and failing horridly. "_Neeeeeeeviiiiille_."

"What?" he said automatically.

"Dammit would you come here?!" she said in a fully authoritative voice.

He looked over his shoulder and sighed. While he wasn't particularly happy about giving in to her demands, he _was_ a bit concerned over what she might do to him if he didn't. He wondered why she'd insisted on coming when he was going to harvest the plants in the first place.

He stood in front of the shed and looked in, gauging her person to be somewhere close to the ground based on the shuffling noises she was making. "What is it?"

"Come _in_ here," she stated with her cheery tone again. She saw him raise a brow at her (or at least, where he guessed she was) with full speculation.

"_Why_?"

She huffed. "Because I said to." She watched the indecision on his face and sighed herself. "There aren't any bugs in here," she said confidently.

"So what do you need me for?" he asked with all-uncertain tones.

Kara snickered to herself at his stance, and the sound made him quite uneasy. He wasn't about to be the next experimental guinea pig for whatever she had planned. He turned toe while she gave him a bark. "Neville Longbottom _get over here!_"

He turned just as quickly back around and looked in. "What?"

She sighed. "One of the plants cut me and now I can't come out to you," she said lazily. "It's kind of a mess."

"What?" he remarked with surprise, ticking off the venomous plants within the greenhouse and considering how bad even a little cut might be as he approached the storage shed. "Let me see," he said upon entering, lighting his wand in the darkness.

His motion was met by Kara's shriek as she grabbed the tip of his wand and shouted for him to douse the light, her hands covering what had illuminated the darkness long enough for him to make out that she was, in all possibilities, perfectly fine. He sighed and extinguished the light. "I've been tricked haven't I?"

"Just shut up and let your eyes adjust. I want to show you something that I can't show out in the open." Kara's voice was full of self-pleasure and delight indicative of having gotten her way.

Neville sent a bothered look towards her profile in the darkness, not liking the idea of seeing whatever hidden thing she might have to show him. "Kara I don't want to see--"

"Now don't start getting all hot and bothered," Kara cut him off, "I have a surprise for you."

"If this surprise is anything like your outfit at our rootbeer party yesterday, you can forget it." She gave his arm a yank and he joined her down on the gritty floor rather gracelessly. "Ow."

"You're okay," she stated with a grin, patting his arm with a smile as he got back to his knees and then squatted next to her. "Can you see?"

"Well enough," he mumbled.

"Excellent!" she stated excitedly, moving about him and pulling larger pieces of broken pottery away from a lower section of the shed and piling them at his feet.

"What are you doing?"

"Just hold on a sec."

Neville was growing more nervous by the second, wondering what she had that was so important and necessary to pull him in. It probably wasn't anything good. At least where his person was concerned.

"Okay so whatever you do, don't turn on your light; it's incredibly photosensitive."

"What is?" he asked. He felt her grab his hand and open his palm moments before placing a small pot about double the size of a galleon in his hand. It took him a moment before he realized what it was.

"It's a vampirous ventricular aloe," Kara told him proudly, looking at the fleshy, tiny plant. "See the red stripe down the center of the leaves? I looked it up in our herbology book so I know I'm right," she stated proudly. "It's for you!"

"For me? Where did you get a plant like this??" he asked in awe, never thinking he would see one up close in his entire life.

"Oh, someone owed me and Live a pretty big favor and couldn't pay the tab, but they offered this as barter-trade and I didn't have time to consult Live and it was such a pain in the butt so I just took it. What do you think? I don't think I was really ripped off even if it is such a tiny plant but I would have liked the galleons a bit more _plus_ I can't really take my commission from a plant and now it's gonna be even longer I'll have to put away for that Jarvey but I don't know I guess it's a nice trade what do you think?" she finished lackadaisically, thinking out load and speaking as such.

"What did you do for them?!" Neville asked as he held the potted plant in his hands. He could _just_ barely see in the darkness that the toothed leaves were lightly pulsating as if the plant had a heartbeat. The red stripe down the center was deep and almost imperceptible without more light. "You know how rare this plant is?"

Kara shrugged unconcernedly. "Well on the full moon the sap from it is clear and can neutralize poison and disease, and on the dark moon the sap is black and can cause lesions and maladies that only the clear sap can heal…or so the person told me. More people might use it but it's so temperamental and kind of scary…I don't have use for it and it can't help Live much, and even if it did I think we'd probably end up killing it since it's so tiny so it's better that you have it anyways," she spoke pensively.

"This plant isn't even _native _to this _continent_! How have you been keeping it alive?"

"Well it can do pretty well by itself off the bugs and stuff that get too close…There _were _some pretty juicy spiders that I haven't seen this time around…Otherwise I've been feeding it a diet of rat blood when I can. It feeds on living blood mostly, right? I tried giving it mine but I think it made it sick."

"Sugar would kill it…" Neville mumbled to himself in thought, trying to remember what he'd read about the rare plant and its uses and the general upkeep.

"Huh?"

"This is _really_ for me?" he said in turning towards her. She gave him a huge toothy grin. "I mean I could never imagine buying one in my life, and even if I had the galleons to do it, trying to get placed on a list and even finding a seller would be near impossible."

Kara put a finger to her chin. "So I should have sold it for the cash? Hmm." He gave her a look that regretted his statement, but she only grinned and gave his head the kind of pat she usually reserved for Lee Jordan. "I'd rather you have it, Neville. It might be useful to have on-hand and I know you're the best person to take care of it. And I don't like gardening anyway." She grinned as he smiled back at her. She knew it would make him happy, and she was thus pleased. He'd been an invaluable help to keeping their stock of plants alive, and she was very grateful for that.

"Thank you, really. As pretty as you are, you shouldn't have to trick people into your plans." Kara's whole face erupted into a smile by the time Neville had realized his mistake. "What I mean is that you're smart and you shouldn't use deviousness to--"

"You think I'm _pretty_?" she said with all the happiness of the world.

"That's not what I meant!" His cheeks were stained red in embarrassment, and only got redder as she clamped her arms around one of his.

"And you think I'm smart?" she happily added with deaf-ears to his denials.

"You're twisting my words!" he said as she was rubbing her cheek affectionately on his arm, only causing his own face to grow quite hot with embarrassment. "I mean that you could have asked me to come out here for it instead of all the secrecy! I would have!"

"You're officially my boyfriend!" Kara declared sweetly, ignoring him.

"N-no you're not listening!"

"I think we make a wonderful couple," she remarked dreamily.

"Kara q-quit it!"

"Tosh, we're great together!"

"Are you nuts?!"

Kara looked up at him and pouted. "You don't _want_ to be my boyfriend?"

Neville was fully exasperated, his cheeks a flaming red. "Your sister would kill me if you did that! And you're crazy!"

Kara put her finger to her chin and looked pensive at his words. "Hmm…I guess you're right…" He looked minorly relieved, his mind between guilt at fending her off but feeling indebted for the plant…but only for a moment. "I don't think she's going to be very happy that you seduced me in the greenhouse only to _not _be my boyfriend."

"_WHAT_?"

She looked up at him unconcernedly. "I mean, frankly _I _think it's rather dirty to seduce someone and then break their heart…but if you wouldn't be happy with me I won't force you to stay. And I certainly don't want you to think the plant was blackmail…alas…now I have to deal with a broken heart," she said morosely.

"I never _seduced _you!!"

"Well what do you call being in such a dark space with me _un-chaperoned_?" she said innocently, as if the current situation was not her doing. She gave him a wink. He thought she was certifiably crazy.

"You told me to come in!" he defended with crimson cheeks, trying to wrest himself free from the loving death-grip she had on his arm. "And now look!"

"I know! How lucky!" she said happily, rubbing her cheek against his arm once again chipperly. "We're boyfriend and girlfriend!"

"Kara please!"

"I love you for ever!"

"Let go of my arm!"

"Let's seal it with a kiss!"

"Get off of me!"

"Quit struggling! I don't have cooties!!"

"You're gonna make me drop the plant!"

"We should get engaged!"

"My Gran would murder me! _Please _let me go!"

"I can't wait to tell Live the good news!"

"Don't say that! She _will _murder me!"

"I want to have twenty kids! Hey, don't be a ninny! If you pass out I can't carry you back!"

"…"

oOo

"Mmmm…that feels good…lower…Aahhh…"

Lee pulled a quirked, disturbed look in his dorm. He dropped the book he'd been studying from and angled his head to look around the bedposts and over at Fred, who happened to be sitting on his own bed much the same fashion as Lee. His expression too held a frozen look of abject horror.

"Harder…Awww yeah."

Fred's eyes were bugging out of his head. Lee tried to find his voice as George's affirmative noises came from the confines of his bed with Live. As a particularly pleased moan came, Fred was trying to shove his pillow into his ears and Lee was choking over his own vocal chords.

"_George for the love of Merlin we're in the dorm!!!_" Lee declared in an embarrassed sort of hoarse tone.

"Eh?" George's reply came, sounding completely unconcerned with Lee's distress.

"Unholy! Unholy!" came Fred's shrieks from his own bed, pulling the blankets over his head to go with the pillow.

"Hey!" Live's agitated voice came from the four poster. "Shut up Fred! The end curtain's open, for goodness' sake! I know you're in here!"

"You two are warped! Twisted!"

"We aren't doing anything wrong!" she hollered at them.

"I'm sure there are several authorities who'd say otherwise…" Lee barely managed, his mind twisting her words over the repetitive sounds of Fred's chanting. He was trying not to get mental pictures.

"She's giving me a back rub!" George shouted at them moments before Live stuck her head out the end of the bed to give them both dirty looks. Lee looked minorly shocked, truly expecting something different from the sight he got. Live was glaring at him, fully clothed from what he could tell. Fred stopped his chanting and became a bit brave, peeking out from the mound he'd been securing to his head. Seeing that everything was all right, he grinned.

"All that from just a backrub? Sounds fun. Must be a _sensual _backrub," he decided with a smirk. "I'm next."

"Me too!" Lee chimed in, his tone much improved.

"You two can bite me," Live said in sticking out her tongue before disappearing back into the curtains.

"Yeah!" George's voice reached them. "Go get a wife of your own! Then you can have all the backrubs you--_Ammphhh! Live!---pillow!--face!--breathe!"_

"Shut up George!"

"Serves you right!" Fred said through relieved laughter. "Oi Live, you ever get tired of that lug, my time is always free! I have all the rather amiable qualities that my twin happens to be lacking," he teased. "Not to mention I have some kinks that need working out. Muscle-kinks mind you."

"Shut the hell up Fred!" Live shouted at his teasing, now ignoring her attack on George who was muttering muffled curse words at his twin's comments.

Lee snorted. "What's the point in giving up one apple for another? _My_ time is free when you want it, Live!" he said with highly-haughty tones of laughter, earning an affronted noise from Fred. "I have a few kinks that need working out too!"

"_I'm not an apple_!"

"You shut the hell up too Lee!" Live declared, relinquishing the pillow she'd been trying to smother George with in favor of sticking her head out the bed frame and giving both boys the dirtiest glares she could manage coupled with her favorite fingers from both hands. They were laughing, far too amused with themselves.

"Oi!" George said, his own person making an appearance out the end of the bed aside Live to threaten his twin and dorm mate, his own retaliation to the Slytherin at his side forgotten. "Quit making dirty offers to my wife!" His face was sticky and hot from his breath Live trying to smother him, making his threats a whole lot less menacing. His hair was sticking to his face in undignified threads.

"They weren't dirty," Fred said with a grin and a shrug. "Swinging that beater's bat has made my shoulder stiff."

"Just offers of time to kill," Lee added with equal innocence. "_With better company_." He grinned with wicked amusement at the look on George's face. Fred laughed.

Live retreated back into the curtains with a slight grin as George hung even further out to brandish a fist in each boy's direction. He tossed threats and dirty curse words back and forth with his brother and their friend as she sat back and laughed, fully doubtful that a broomstick could be stuck that far, threat or not.

George seemed to think of himself as some sort of monkey hanging off the bedpost in establishing his superior manhood to his dorm mates. When pillows started flying and George was perched on the end of the bed, holding onto the posts ready to jump out and start a real pillow war (not fight, but full-on all-out _war_) Live grabbed him around the middle and pulled.

"Alright Tarzan, I think you've made your point," she said as he lost his balance and fell backward into her. She was giggling as he tried to right himself while Lee and Fred declared him a coward and threw insults his way.

"GH! Live let me up! I'm trying to defend your honor, woman!" he said as she only hugged him closer to her with giggles. He turned his face to hers and grinned as she gave him a sort of exasperated look of amusement.

"Coward! Come out and fight like a man!"

"He's chicken!" Lee declared, and both he and Fred started clucking between laughs.

"Oh, go to it then," Live said, keeping her minor concerns to herself as he kissed the side of her mouth. "I feel so totally defended."

"For your honor my lady love!" George declared to her with a smirk before turning and diving sideways out the curtains, surprising Lee as he jumped and landed on the other boy's bed. The initial sounds of war were the torn book pages and Lee's shrieks amid the chaos George incited. Live decided she was plenty satisfied with just the noises and that surely it must be safer inside the bed than out. When Fred ran by the open front with his Gryffindor tie on his head and a pillow raised high, ready to strike, she knew she was right.

oOo

"My arm is starting to go numb…"

"Darn, but I guess she wouldn't be in the library…Probably should have just gone straight to the tower," Kara ignored as she dragged Neville around the castle.

"I seriously can't feel my fingers."

"Hermione was so happy for us wasn't she?" she continued drawling on.

Neville balked at her and tugged in vain to free his arm. "Quit saying that! Let me have my arm back!"

"We'll try the tower then," Kara said chipperly as she gave his shoulder a nuzzle. He dragged his heels as she tried to tug him, and the promise of root beer only made him a _bit _more manageable.

oOo

"I have to give you an A-plus for creativity," Live told George as they were walking the corridors away from the Gryffindor common room. "I'm only sorry we couldn't find Creevey."

"Probably better that we didn't," George pondered in retrospect as they walked side by side. "Most people can't tell me and Fred apart…The git might've turned it on me. Lee, on the other hand…"

"And then, oh the dilemmas I'd have," Live declared with a tragic shake of her head. "Wondering where the truth stops and the lie begins…"

"I think _you_ of all people know where my tastes lie," George said with a grin and a smirk, giving her hand a kiss and making her blush.

"Stuff you." He winked at her and she rolled her eyes, smiling despite herself. "So what was it you wanted to show me anyway?"

He held up two fingers. "Two things actually. In the kitchens…Maybe I should make the grand total three judging by that look on your face," he told her suggestively.

She gave him a wry look. "It's because you're pervy that that's the first place my mind goes," she defended, scrunching her nose.

He took his hand out of hers and wrapped his arm around her waist, laughing and making further puns until she was as red as a tomato. By the time they were sneaking into the kitchens, she was still a very pretty pink in George's opinion.

"Unless you want to spend the night in your _own _company, you can shut it and show me what you wanted to in the first place. _And don't even start_," she added quickly as a particularly naughty smirk was growing on George's face.

He grinned at her toothily and then ran a hand through his hair with a laugh. "Fair enough. I can wait till tonight."

Live sighed and shook her head, allowing him to lead her into the heart of the kitchens where the house elves were busy preparing dishes for the next meal. The delicious scents of food were wafting through the air, and George happily accepted biscuits and other sweet things from the house elves that plied him, prompting Live to poke him in the side for whatever it was they'd originally come for.

"Alright alright. Here, have a biscuit."

"_George_."

"Fine. Take a look at this," he said, maneuvering his gifted goodies so that he could reach into his pocket and withdraw a pouch.

"What's that?" she asked, taking it.

"Our supplies," he said proudly, beaming at her.

She raised a brow at him speculatively. "Unless this bag's edible--"

"Honestly woman you've been behaving far too Muggle-y lately," he said in taking the pouch back and opening it wide. "Look."

She crossed her arms at his statement, but angled her head to look into the pouch to see a mess of shrunken items inside. "It looks like the bottom of my purse, George."

He rolled his eyes at her and held the bag closer to her face for emphasis. "_Look_. I got my broom in there, a good-sized cauldron, a box full of potion ingredients-"

"Where? Move your thumb."

"It's under the blue gunpowder box."

She gave him a wide-eyed look.

"Oh come on, you know me," he said with exasperation. "It won't react with anything I've got in there. I have stuff I'm saving for packing last just in case!"

"How _much_ gunpowder? And second, why do we need gunpowder?"

He shrugged. "You never know. It's only about three kilos."

She took a step away from him. "Have you been _walking around _with that in your pocket??" He gave her a non-committal shrug. "George you could blow yourself up!"

"I'm surprised you have such lack of faith in me. Truly, I am wounded."

"Shove it George," she said to his lack of concern.

He gave her frowning face a devilish grin. "Come on. Me and Fred developed explosion-proof containers _long_ ago. I think it was right after the incident with Disfigured Dave…" he added pensively.

"You're mad. What else is in there?" she asked curiously.

He gave her a smirk. "Let's see…sneak-o-scope…first-aid I nicked from Lee-"

"…for the gunpowder?"

He ignored her comment but grinned. "A crate-load of Non-Incipere potions…so we get in a lot of _practice_." He waggled his eyebrows lasciviously at her.

"You're so charming sometimes," she said with a roll of her eyes, grinning despite herself. He gave a sort of satisfied-enough look at her response to his baiting and looked back inside the bag.

"I've also got a fully-loaded tent equipped with stocked pantry and a little bed for that purple fluff ball you pay more attention to than me. All that's left is to shrink your stuff and we're ready."

He succeeded in making her smile. "Aww, George," she said, utterly pleased with him. "You're such a sweetie."

His cheeks reddened a bit at her praise. He grinned and gave a laugh. "Well, I just wanted you to know that we're basically ready to blow all this nonsense off. Tomorrow night even if you wanted. The house elves have been letting me store some things down here that I'd rather wait on packing-- in case of explosion--" he said with a smirk to razz her, "and then we've got our mobile housing all set until we decide what we want to really do on a more semi-permanent basis. I've made some arrangements with Fred and there's a goodly amount of galleons set aside for us too. It's not much but it's more than enough to live off of, and I can be pretty clever sometimes."

Live was fully beaming. "I gotta say, I'm pretty impressed with you George Weasley."

"You've only recognized my genius now?" he said in mild-affront, though he was pleased to have her praise.

"Oh shut up. You know I think you're fantastic," she told him, leaning towards him and kissing his lips. She curled her fingers into his robes and purred. "I love you. You are very clever George."

"You know I'd do anything for you, Live."

She smirked. "Including wearing clothes in the dorm?"

"Don't try to change me, woman."

She was laughing so hard that she failed to spot Dobby take notice of them and approach George with a pleased smile. She almost choked at her surprise at seeing the little house elf's clothing.

"Is Mr. Weasley here for his treats?"

Live stood sobered from her laughter, a look of chastisement on her face. "_George_," she intoned at the sight of Dobby's clothing.

"It was a present!" George immediately declared innocently.

"Dobby loves his Weasley-wear, miss," Dobby told Live proudly upon picking up her line of sight, offering her a smile as she gawked. "Winky has one too but she isn't wanting to wear it…but Dobby tries. Dobby has those bottles Mr. Weasley wanted," he said looking back at George. "Is Mr. Weasley wanting to see them?"

"Lead the way!" George agreed, having the decency to look somewhat sheepishly at Live as they followed the house elf.

"_Weasley-wear_?" Live whispered as she gave George another look. The frock Dobby had on sported three red W's layered upon one another on the front, and following him, she noticed that it was the same on the back. He was a walking advertisement. "Have you no shame?"

"High-fashion some might call it," George said with a flippant grin. "Besides, he likes to be uniformed when helping us work," he told her aside. "And we pay him, though he won't take much. And this is more official besides."

She raised a brow at him. "Helping you…_work_? …What have you been up to on the side?"

He gave her a smirk. "We have a cooking corner!"

"Oh dear…" Live followed him and the house elf as they wound further through the grandiose kitchens, past more house elves preparing dishes, and to a less high-trafficked area tucked away near a pantry. She noticed that the floor was slightly hard to walk on. "Merlin's pantalettes it's sticky back here…"

George gave her a toothy grin and directed her attention to a wooden crate filled with straw fibers and brown-glass corked bottles. Dobby proudly displayed a smaller, much neater box of miniature glass bottles for George to inspect. He spoke to Live as he grinned and accepted the box from the house elf, who went to tidying up the spilled straw before bustling off for other duties. "Fred suggested it to Kara since the owls just can't keep up with her habits, and well, she sort of ran with it I think…"

Live frowned fully as the realization fully hit her. "This better not be what I think it is…"

George grinned and removed one of the bigger brown bottles from the crate. It had a hand-written slapdash label on it that read 'Kara's Personal Stash; test no.5' in a messy scrawl. Live took it from him and uncorked the top, tossing back what would have been a _delightful _swig had she not recognized the concoction immediately. She frowned as she swallowed. "That little thieving bint…This is my _exact_ recipe. The one I spent weeks on figuring out…" She turned the bottle in her hands as she uttered under her breath. "I swear I'm gonna kill--_George_."

"What?"

"Why are there three W's on the back of this label?"

He gave her an innocent grin and a light laugh. "Well Fred thought-"

"Don't _even_ pin it all on him," she started, waggling a finger at him. "I swear when I get my hands on her…"

"Lee also thought--"

"You're thieving thieves! The lot of you!" she decided, holding the bottle and wondering what else Kara might've pilfered from her without her knowledge. "This is my _personal _root beer recipe! It's top secret! I don't just let _anyone_ try it! You thieving thievery _thieves_!!"

The innocent look on George's face coupled with his growing smirk didn't do anything for the migraine Live felt coming on. George wrapped an arm around her shoulders with a laugh. "Where do you think I got the funds for our little trip?"

"I'd smack you one if I thought it would do any good. Or wouldn't knock what very little sense you have left loose."

"Kinky. I like."

She laughed despite herself, a hand to her temple knowing her complaints were for naught, and his grin wasn't helping her resolve to be angry. "You always keep it interesting, George. AH!"

He smirked as his hand was firmly stuck on her butt. He gave her another squeeze as she batted him away. "All part of my charming personality."

oOo

"…alright, Live should be in their dorm."

"Let me _goooo_…" Neville whined to Kara, his pleads falling on deaf ears.

"…but we have to knock. Ron says she and George are always being pervy. And I've learned my lesson once or twice."

Neville wondered if it was possible for Kara to have ever learned her lesson. Consequences hadn't stopped her doing what she wanted before, and they certainly weren't now.

Kara rapped on the door and listened, hushing Neville twice before hollering through the wood. "Live? 'ello?"

"Kara! For the love of Merlin!" Fred's voice came through the door rather urgently.

"Don't come in!" Lee shouted sharply after, his voice ripe with indignation.

Kara and Neville both listened quietly for a moment as Lee and Fred's voices were heard arguing through the door. Not much was discernible, though based from tones Lee wasn't very happy.

"I'm coming in," Kara decided, getting both Lee's indignant shouts and Fred's insistence that she hurry it up. When she opened the door, she paused, mouth agape at what she saw. Neville pushed her aside, ready to plead his case- and furthermore, mercy- to her older sister when he too stopped and gaped.

"Kara! Quick! You gotta un-stick us!"

"…I swear on Merlin's wand I can't take any more of this…" Lee muttered, sick of Kara always being audience to his humiliation.

"Um…hi," Kara muttered. "Sorry for disturbing you guys…I promise I didn't see anything! We'll leave."

"No! Dammit! Cast the counter curse!" Fred demanded.

"Just get out…" Lee muttered.

"Kara! Don't close tha--"

Kara stood with Neville outside the closed dorm door. She looked as pensive as Neville did shocked. "I guess it makes a bit more sense," Kara started after a few moments as she and Neville stood quietly. "Why Lee never wanted me for his girlfriend, I mean."

Neville gave his head a slight shake, as if trying to banish the image from his mind. "I don't think it's what we think we saw, Kara."

"I feel a little bad for disturbing them…I mean…Fred _did_ have his head right between Lee's legs-"

"Just stop!" Neville said as he had his hands to his ears and his eyes closed tight. Regardless of the _reason_ for why Fred and Lee were stuck in a rather…_new-age_ position, Neville didn't want the image burned onto his retina. "That's going to be stuck in my head!"

Kara raised a brow at him. "You're not playing beater for the other team, are ya? Is that why _you _don't wanna be my boyfriend?"

"Shut up shut up shut up!"

Kara had a finger to her chin in carefree thought. "Not surprising why Fred's not going with Kelena anymore either…This actually wraps things up pretty nicely I'd say. I wonder how long they've been going together…and why didn't anyone tell me?"

Neville shook his head, hoping to rid it of all images and information. "Quit it! It's probably a curse! They're always playing with spells! Maybe you should go un-stick them like Fred said! He _wanted_ to be freed!"

Kara raised another brow at Neville. "I think you have been horribly misinformed about what goes on between two people in the confines of their own bed…but generally it's not a 'curse'. And being freed sometimes requires a safe word….one which _I _am certainly not privy to."

"Oh broomsticks," Neville muttered, considering the situation and hoping that nothing similar would befall him when Live got wind of Kara's little devices.

"Exactly," Kara nodded.

"GAH! Mental image Kara! Mental image!"

oOo

George was whispering things into Live's ear as they were walking down the corridor in the direction _away _from the Slytherin dorms. She had already moved everything she'd deemed pertinent for leaving the castle into George's dorm, but she had thought that one last cursory glance over things might turn up something she'd forgotten.

However, upon standing before her common room passage (far closer than she had managed previously), she found she couldn't make herself enter. It had made her physically ill to think that she was in close proximity to Malfoy hidden somewhere within, and she just couldn't make herself enter the house of her sorting. Her heart raced and her palms went clammy, and she realized she couldn't act as brave as she'd thought. George had had the good sense and forbearing to quickly diffuse of the situation and take her from the place. While she'd remained calm for the most part, she didn't know quite how she felt about leaving her commons behind her for what would probably be ages, if not forever.

But the things George kept whispering in her ear kept the bad thoughts at bay, and the naughty thoughts quite close, and helped to make the sick feeling go away. It also brought new reality down upon her, and with it her worries for the ones they'd leave behind.

"George, do you really think everyone will be left alone once we're gone? Kara…and--"

"Fred'll keep an eye on things," he told her confidently. "And he'll keep an eye on Kara. And anyway, I don't think Death Eaters would risk coming after Kara or Fred to ask about us when they could have Harry instead," he said with a jovial laugh.

"Now that's just flat-out in poor-taste," she told him with a frown. He snickered and ran a hand through his hair.

"Truth be told, Live, I'm as worried as you are. And I've never been away from Fred for long…Ugly bugger's gonna have to consol himself somehow with my loss," he said with a pseudo-superior laugh.

Live smirked. She was certain it was quite the other way around.

"And before you say it-," he started, giving her a look, "-I _know_ we're twins and thusly _look _similar." She snorted. "But I happen to-"

"-to be the more attractive one, I know. I've attended the meeting, I've read the flier, and I've seen the play," she cut him off with a smarmy grin. He grinned at her toothily, amused at her quick wit, and gave her neck a kiss for her sass.

Live straightened just in time to see the Bat King of Slytherin walking down the corridor towards them, and wondered why they always seemed to have the worst of timing. Either that, or perhaps Kara had been correct in her conclusion that Live and George were "far too pervy for even the perviest of pervs." Live softly greeted her head of house a good evening, cheeks slightly pink, as they came within range of one another at what she assumed what would be a random passing in the hall. It was not.

"I have something which requires your attention."

Live's heart picked up in rhythm, wondering if he knew anything or what they were up to. Obviously he'd been off in the direction of the commons to go and fetch her. And whatever he could possibly need _her _for frightened her as well. He'd promised things would be sorted out in regards to what had happened to her. Frankly, she didn't want to discuss it or think on it any more.

Snape gave George a dismissing look as if saying "No one asked _you_ to remain." George looked quite put off (both his mood and his lunch) and didn't move an inch from Live's side.

"Um, what is it sir?" Live asked the dour man giving George the usual glare.

The head of Slytherin gave his attention back to the sixth year. "A matter I would rather not discuss in the corridors," he replied without explanation. The man turned on heel and began the walk back towards his office.

If her heart was beating fast from fear before, it was positively thrumming now. She felt her stomach drop, mind working feverishly.

"It's probably nothing," George whispered to her, his own thoughts exactly opposite. She only nodded in acknowledgment, afraid of what Snape might have to tell her precisely. They took up behind him at an acceptable distance, silent until they'd reached the room, and Snape asked (read: told) George to wait outside. The Gryffindor was indignant on the matter.

"Please," Live asked of him quietly, already feeling sick over the matter. She'd hated discussing everything that had happened with George. She didn't want to ever see pity in his eyes. And not knowing what news Snape had for her made her nervous. She couldn't bear the thought of reliving humiliation in front of them both, not when it was still fresh.

George crossed his arms indignantly. "I'll be right outside," he said stubbornly, Snape giving him his trademark scowl.

As the door to Snape's office closed and the potions master asked her to have a seat, he retrieved a vial from his desk, and placed it on the top. "I trust you recall this substance."

Confusion momentarily calmed her fear, and she leaned forward to look. "That's my disapparation potion."

He nodded, and removed a piece of parchment from his desk, setting it next to the vial. "I believe you'll recollect that I did some testing of your potion; inspection." She nodded, her fear greatly ebbing for puzzlement and even relief. Snape looked patient, his hands folded on the desk as he spoke in a voice that wouldn't allow his authority on this matter's execution to go checked. "I submitted my findings and a small sample to the Ministry of Magic's Experimental Potion Development Branch." At this point he took up the parchment on his desk and slid it across the desk towards her. "They're interested in the full development of your potion for practical and wartime use."

She felt her stomach drop with disbelieving excitement at the news, reaching for the parchment with her hand. Her eyes filled with awe, and she wondered for a moment if this was real. She couldn't believe her potion garnered Ministry attention, but the parchment itself bore the seal of the Ministry and the name of Ignatius Iucundus, a name she immediately recognized as a revolutionary potion developer well-on in his years. She read over the document and the funds she would be allocated for further development of her potion, as well as the monthly stipend she would receive for progress and work. This was unprecedented, she knew, not to mention amazing. The money alone was shocking.

Her eyes were wide with amazement, looking up at him. "Is this real professor?" she asked, still not able to believe it.

"Quite. Iucundus contacted me personally. He's interested in the application of the potion for use of muggle and squib protection in wartime, as I am sure you are familiar about the problems with squib children and the Snatchers." She nodded, so bewildered that her potion had actually garnered practical use from a usually impractical Ministry. "You are one of the youngest witches to be offered this arrangement."

The happiness on her face became shadowed by something unreadable, the smile on her lips drawn. "I…Thank you, sir. I never imagined…Thank you so very much. I-I'll have to compose a response immediately. This is very shocking."

He nodded. If he was pleased for her or not, it was unreadable on his face, and if he hadn't submitted the potion in the first place, one might think him impartial to her achievement. But to him, it would give her mind something to concentrate on, if not get back to honing her brewing skills sans wand, and even set her up for a career of potion-making that would make a difference. And it was a real accomplishment, sixth year or not. She had real potential.

His silence was dismissing, and she got up and stuck the parchment in her robes before she left the office. The motion momentarily struck him as odd, though whatever reasons she might have for not displaying it to the Gryffindor waiting outside, he wasn't one to know or really question.

Live gave George a relieved sort of smile outside the room, her face hot from what she was hiding in her robes. She didn't want to bring it up or bother him with it, and not at all allow the allure of money to sway their plans and make them behave abjectly to their real ideas. She was ready and set for their plans to go into hiding and anonymity, and taking a job at the ministry wasn't at all fitting with those plans. As George put his hands reassuringly on her shoulders with a grin, she was worried he'd see right through her façade.

"That was unexpectedly unpleasant. Alright?"

"Fine."

"Okay then let's-"

"Weasley. A word." Snape was standing in the door of his office with an authoritative air. Live hadn't even heard him get up, let alone manifest right behind them. He gave George a commanding glare and with a billow of his robes he was back within. He expected the Gryffindor's blind obedience. It struck an aggravated chord in George.

"_Greeeat_," George whined, rolling his eyes. He offered Live an annoyed smirk, his curiosity the only thing propelling him towards the bat's office. Maybe he had news, though why he would share it with George after he'd already talked with Live no one could guess. "One minute."

Live waited outside, her fingers itching to touch the parchment she had hidden in her robes. George walked through Snape's office and approached the potion master's desk with no less disdain than usual, curiosity aside. Snape stared at him icily, but did not bid him to close the door. It would indeed be a quick exchange.

"I don't now what you're hiding, Weasley, but you're to see Madam Pomfrey. Now."

George blanched just a bit, saying nothing. They regarded one another for several moments in silence. Snape's eyes narrowed with speculation, and George's vision lightly flicked to the open door, then back to Snape. The seventh year decided to make no audible argument, and turned and left without a word or intention to obey.

George exited quickly, a smile on his face for Live when she looked up. Her eyes were wide as if he'd startled her from some secret musing.

"Alright?" he asked nonchalantly, wrapping an arm around her shoulder as he herded her hastily out the door, not daring to look behind him and tempt the fates.

"I'm fine, George," Live said softly, hoping her heart's quick beating would go unnoticed by him. But George's mind was on other things and he hoped to preoccupy his thoughts.

"So what did Snape want?" he asked her, giving her a smirk that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Live sort of shrugged. "Nothing…Sort of the usual…." She prayed the parchment relocated in her blouse wouldn't make any noise as they walked.

"Like what?" George pressed as they walked.

"You _know_…What did he want from you?" she asked tactically, steering his questions away from her.

George hit her with a quick grin. "Telling me to stay out of your commons and the like…that Slytherin House is no place for a Gryffindor, and why am I lurking about the dungeons," he lied. "You know, the usual…Ha, it's a wonder the man hasn't figured out our own arrangements," he added superfluously, giving her a squeeze.

"I think he's more perceptive than we know," Live said generously.

"I'd attest to that…" He took her hand in his and laced their fingers together. He covered the back of her hand with his other palm. "Your hands are cold."

"My hands are always cold, George," she said, giving him a look. "It _is_ winter, in case you haven't noticed all the snow we've had."

"Mm." He rubbed his hand across hers to warm it as they walked.

"Christmas is coming soon," she noted, making small talk. He grinned. "I know just what I'm giving you."

His grin turned into a toothy smirk and he wrapped his arm around her waist. "Any hints?"

"You're _definitely_ going to like it." His eyebrows shot up. "It might take all night for you to properly unwrap." She giggled as his grip on her subconsciously tightened and he made a noise of willful agreement deep in his throat.

oOo

Kara was sitting on the arm of the couch by the fire, Neville's arm trapped by hers, resting on her lap. She was chattering about how she needed to make a new cotton-candy outfit, and that Neville could be her body model, when the portrait hole opened and George came through, followed by Kara's Slytherin sister.

"Live! I've been looking all over for you!" Kara said happily, jumping up and freeing Neville's arm. He rubbed it sorely. "Guess what??"

"_Did you steal my root beer recipe???_" Live immediately ignored, crossing the room and prodding her little sister in the chest with an indignant finger. All business took over her mind.

Kara gave her a vacant smile. "Eh?"

Live put a finger to her temple, feeling a migraine of annoyance coming on and summoning her patience. "Kara…I am trying very hard right now not to turn you into some type of rodent--"

"I wanna be a jarvey!" Live gave her a withering death-glare. Kara changed the subject. "Neville is my boyfriend now!" She pointed to him as he was rubbing his arm by the fire.

His eyes were wide like a deer caught in the headlights. Said Gryffindor started making little choked noises and Live's slit-eyed gaze came to rest speculatively upon him. "I-I-I didn't okay this!!! Make her leave me alone!!"

Live took a step towards the couch and looked Neville very close in the face. She slowly prodded a finger into his chest, speaking in monotone. "Keep your perving hands to yourself, Longbottom." Neville looked close to fainting. Live turned her back on him with an exasperated sigh and went back to George, who was rolling with laughter. "And keep her in-line."

"_Eh_?" Kara said, flabbergasted.

Neville looked somewhere between relief that Live hadn't melted him in place, shock that she wanted _him_ of all people to keep Kara in line, and sorrow that the Slytherin hadn't forced her Gryffindor sister to leave him alone. The Gryffindor blonde started poking her Slytherin sister in the side. She was probably the only Gryffindor who could get away with such an act, let alone the only one brave enough to do such to a Slytherin.

"Did you even hear me? Live? Hey!"

Live put her whole hand to her face, massaging the bridge of her nose as Kara continued to prod her. "I'm officially taking any and all profits you might have made, including any future profits based on speculation…dammit Kara…"

"Hey! I need that money for my jarvey fund!!" the younger blonde whined.

"Do you know how much effort I put into that which you so easily steal…?" Live muttered, done on the matter.

"But Neville has a substance abuse problem!" Neville started making his sputtering, choked noises again. "He _needs_ me to make root beer! He's a junkie! It's not my fault he got hooked on your recipe!"

Live turned around sharply so that she and her sister were nose to nose. Live gave her sister a toothy grin- never a good sign. "I never said anything about Neville being cut off."

Kara pouted. "_Liiiive_." Her whining did nothing to get through Live's decision. The Slytherin turned about face, extending her hand to George in signaling it was time to retreat.

"Um, you might not want to go up there…" Neville spoke up timidly. Live turned to look him in the face. His cheeks were red. George started laughing anew.

"Why Longbottom, are you privy to information we're not? Tsk-tsk." Neville didn't know how to take that, his cheeks becoming more red. Obviously George knew by what he meant.

"Lee and Fred are practicing forbidden magic in the bedroom," Kara informed with giggles. That had George rolling. Live in turn rolled her eyes.

"Did you do anything about it?" Live asked, wondering if George's _inventive _spell had been removed. Lee and Fred were probably pissed as hell if not stiff from being stuck in such a position.

Kara shrugged innocently. "Who am I to meddle in the ways of the love which dare not speak its name?"

George was really laughing.

"Kara, you're warped. And leave Longbottom alone."

Neville sighed with gratitude, though Live only said it to punish her sister. Kara whined, but reattached herself to Neville's arm despite her Slytherin sister. Live dismissed the scene from her mind and more or less had to drag a guffawing George up the stairs and into the dorm.

"…so we attack at dawn," Lee's voice came as they entered the dorm. Fred and Lee both looked up at them from the floor, papers strewn about them. George shamelessly threw them grins, and received thinking frowns in return.

"Whatcha up to?" he asked, smirking innocently.

"Sleep with one eye open," Lee told him. George grinned.

"Do anything to me and I'm liable to destroy the dorm," Live warned in a threatening tone. If she got an icy wake up call she'd be right pissed, and very likely to do something they'd regret.

"Sleep separately," Fred advised.

"Oi! What's this then?" George directed at Fred.

Said twin grinned at his standing reflection, not failing to see the humor in the situation. "That's all the warning you'll get. Lee won't be discouraged this time and I too believe you deserve a little payback for today's creative spellwork. And as me and Lee value our respective nether-regions, Live is exempt from payback."

Live smirked, deciding to add a little fuel to the fire for sake of her Slytherin nature. "Kara thinks you're shagging each other."

"Bloody hell…" Lee muttered, face in his palm.

"No offense Lee, but I can do better," Fred said as he patted the other seventh year on the back with a laugh. Lee shunted him off.

Live smirked and looked to George. "I'm bunking with Kara tonight, by the way."

"What's the diagram on this paper?" George asked of a parchment under his foot. Fred quickly snatched it up, and Lee popped his head up and did the same, gathering quills and paper to his chest before shooting George what he declared was a very Slytherin-ish look.

"_Nothing_." George's eyes widened at the blue-haired boy's statement. Lee turned to Fred. "We need to do some further research…" Fred nodded in agreement, and they got to their feet to leave. Lee gave George one last, _very_-pointed look. "We'll be in the common room. It's almost time."

A look of understanding passed on George's face, and they left without another word. When the door closed, Live looked to George with a smirk on her face.

"At least they're giving you _somewhat_ of a warning. But frankly George, I won't be here when they exact their revenge," she told him with a smile, Lee's real point completely missing her. "I won't put up with anymore snow in the bed."

George halfway smiled. "Yeah…" He sat on the bed as she stood and pulled her shoes off. He looked up, watching her, and catching her eyes, he smirked. "So tell me a little more about this present you've gotten me," he said, pulling her to him. She stood between his legs and touched her forehead to his, smiling without surprise that he'd brought it up.

"Well it has the most magnificent packaging," she teased. He closed his eyes and she snickered as he moved his head to rest on her chest, wrapping his arms around her waist in a hug.

"Live I have to warn you," he started with a playful tone to his voice, "that it's been a habit of mine to unwrap my gifts for a little peek when they're set right in front of me." He could feel her giggles in her chest, and he looked up and gave her a raised-brow smirk. "Mum's taken to hiding them away when we've been home. This is very serious business, you know. And anything you have for me applies."

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him back to her chest, resting her cheek upon the top of his head with an amused snort.

A paper noise came from her blouse as he turned his head on her chest, and he looked up, giving her a funny look. "Are you _really _hiding something?" he asked with a lopsided grin. She straightened and took a step back in his arms. He stood up from the bed, grinning. "Do you really have a gift for me right now?" he asked playfully.

She wriggled out of his arms and shook her head. "No. Your present waits till Christmas." She was smiling at him, but it didn't fully reach her eyes.

He was grinning, sure she had something stuffed down her top that she expected him to retrieve. "Is it this game? What have you got in there now?" he asked with a snicker. His expression changed to one of slight amused puzzlement. "Did you nick something from Snape? I'm rather impressed." He had her in his arms and though she was loathe to let him see the letter down her shirt, she couldn't exactly run from him without admitting to it being there. She didn't want him to see it.

"It's nothing, really George," she said with a serious smile stuck on her face. "Keep your perving hands to yourself."

"Well what is it then?" he asked, seriously curious and now dying to know. She didn't keep too many secrets from him, but when they were obvious like this, it was usually something very good. Like the time she'd been smirking all afternoon and then pulled him into an empty classroom. The thought made him grin. "What have you stuffed down your blouse this time?"

"George."

"Come on," he coaxed, standing before her, testing to see if she'd stop him from examining things himself or how long she wanted to play this little game of theirs. He walked his fingers up her side and over her breast with a smirk, and seeing that she wouldn't stop him, but not trusting her to not change her mind at the last moment, he quickly darted his hand down her top and out again, this time with a letter in hand. He gave her a triumphant look and quirked his head, his facial features slightly changing as he opened it and read it, seeing official seals and signatures. He looked at it speculatively, a million things running through his mind, and looked back at her. She wasn't smiling anymore.

"Is _this_ what Snape wanted to talk to you about?" he asked with complete surprise, his voice filled with astonishment.

"Yeah. So what? It's nothing," she said with complete nonchalance.

"It's not nothing! It's _something_!" he contradicted, his voice taking on a slightly harsh tone. "This is something to celebrate. Merlin's Beard this is great, Live. Why's it down your shirt?"

"It's really not worth bothering about George. I didn't see a reason."

He was frowning. "You let me think he'd talked to you about-- _you know_," he said, sidestepping the subject of Live's attack. "This is altogether different! I don't understand…"

"What's it matter? Would you have _rather_ he'd talked to me about--"

"No. Live," George started, trying to push his anger aside, wondering why he was so upset. "This is a _huge_ opportunity. And not like I hold the ministry at all dear, but it's an honor as well! I know it means something to you." She tore her eyes away from his with what he knew was shame and guilt for hiding it. "Why'd you hide it? We should celebrate. Aren't you at least proud? This is a huge accomplishment." He was at least proud of her.

She made an exasperated noise. "Of course I am, George, but we're _leaving_," she reminded him. "There's nothing for it. What answer could I possibly give the ministry? 'Oh, sorry, I'm going on an extended trip. Would you mind holding the position open for me?' Come on, George, be realistic. I can always re-apply later if they're so impressed with me. It's not a pressing matter…and it doesn't fit in with our plans."

He was truly angry. "You didn't even think to consult me though?"

"We're _going_, George," she tried to get through to him; tried not to get angry in response to his own anger. She didn't quite understand why he was so mad. She'd expected he'd be upset that she would hide something like this, but not this angry. "We're not going to drop everything so I can work on a potion that frankly I'm not even sure I can perfect without a wand. And I didn't want you to get upset that I couldn't take it which is _why_ I hid it. It doesn't change anything. Leave it alone. It's my choice."

"That's not the point!" he said, truly angry, though even he wasn't quite sure why. He was a bit hurt that she'd hidden it. "This is….this is huge, Live. Even if you didn't want the position you could have told me."

"I didn't want you to think I would abandon our plans for this. I can put it on hold. I'm not going to be much use to the ministry or anyone if the Death Eaters get me or do anything to you. It's not safe enough for me to do this and besides, I don't even have a wand George, so I pretty much can't anyway…"

She wanted to develop potions for a living. He knew that. She had a certain knack for it, and Snape didn't lie when he'd said she was top of the class in it. She had a real gift and that the ministry was offering her so much for development of one potion _really_ said something about the impact she could make. But she was allowing it to pass her by without any discussion, even theoretical. She hadn't even allowed him the chance to be happy for her. That alone made him incredibly angry, he realized. And not at her so much as at himself. If he wasn't so weak, if he could protect her well-enough that it wasn't necessary for them to go into hiding to avoid these people, then she would never have need to let such an opportunity pass her by. He felt belittled as a man and responsible for it. That alone put him in a very bitter humor.

He dropped the letter on the bed and turned to leave.

"Are you mad at me? Where are you going?" she asked, upset, concerned, and overall confused.

"No, I'm not mad at you…I have some things with Lee and Fred to do. I'll be back later."

"George-," she started with confusion, but he left without waiting for her to speak, the door closing behind him. She glared at it and sat down on his bed, angry at him for his confusing anger, and moreover, angry at herself for keeping it from him in the first place. She laid back into the mattress, staring at the red colored bed curtains as the purple fluff ball Henry hopped onto her chest. She grabbed the pygmy puff and stroked its fur, wondering just how mad George actually was with her, when he'd be back, and if she should go after him.

oOo

"You ready?" Lee asked as George came down into the sparse common room. Harry and Ron were working at a table and Lee and Fred were leaning against the backside of the couch facing the fire. Whatever papers they'd had before were out of sight now.

"Yeah," George nodded, walking to the portrait hole.

"Where are you lot off to?" Ron asked as he and Harry were pouring over essays at the table. Kara had since cleared out, and Neville was nowhere to be seen. It was cold and late enough that most people were ensconced in their dorm rooms trying to keep winter's chill at bay and studying for exams. "It's curfew."

"Don't get your Prefect panties in a twist, Ronnikins," Fred told his younger brother, not answering his question as the three seventh years left.

"What did you tell Live?"

"That I had things to do," George replied sourly.

"Lying by omission, how I love it," Lee laughed. "She didn't want you to go?" he asked of George's sour attitude, his own attitude much improved for the business they had tonight. He snorted, amused, and a little satisfied as he was still sore at George for sticking him and Fred in a position that he hoped wouldn't give him nightmares. "Putterly's sure to get an arse-whomping tonight."

"Save some for me," Fred intoned with a grin to his twin. "I know that McVaken isn't a fair fighter….This should be a lot of fun," he said chipperly. "Though bugger me it is cold…Are we doing this outside?"

"The covered courtyard," Lee reminded. "Right George?"

George nodded, his mind thoroughly preoccupied and just a little nervous. He would have to give his all and get this over with very quickly. He would spare nothing fighting Putterly.

He was still full of anger for everything bad that had happened to Live, and he thoroughly planned to take it all out on the Slytherin git. The anger aimed at himself further incited his hatred for the seventh year waiting to duel, the arrogance alone the other boy possessed inspiring George to really let it all out. Once he got done with Putterly, he would start with any other problems, like Malfoy, for one. And in a couple of days he and Live would leave with a fresh slate and satisfied to start over, so to speak. That is, if she wasn't interested in leaving any sooner than that. It wasn't long now to take things underway.

Moreover George wanted to have this out to get his pride back. He still felt ashamed that Putterly had bested him once already rather shamefully, and that Live had hid her letter from the ministry has really been a blow to his pride. He was worried about being a weakling, seriously concerned. But he felt that really whomping Putterly would fix everything, not to mention make him feel a whole lot better. The git had a lot coming to him.

"Are you ready?" George asked the boys at his sides, looking ahead with a frown.

Fred saluted his brother. "Not that I want anything to happen to you, mate, but I would really love a chance at those gits, right proper."

Lee smirked. "There's always time for more duels…You could always go Slytherin on them and sneak attack," he said with a laugh, causing Fred to snicker as they both knew that was just something that wouldn't happen. It wasn't the Gryffindor way.

George slowly peeked his head around a corner, making sure the coast was clear before all three headed down the corridor that would lead them to the covered courtyard. They hoped they wouldn't run in to Filch along the way. The air was already colder and icy, and Lee cast warming spells for them all. The duel would not be in the snow, but it was freezing all the same.

Rounding another corner, the courtyard came into view, and two figures were waiting in the shadows, their silhouettes visible only by the refracted light of the torches still lit in the adjacent corridor. They looked up as the three Gryffindors entered the center of the court quietly, their steps echoing in the cold night.

"It's about time," Putterly said with superior annoyance. "I didn't think you ladies would show."

"Had I known it was a date I might have brought flowers," Fred told him. Lee snickered, and Putterly frowned.

"Humor isn't going to save you. You'll be next when I'm done with your brother."

"My book is full of vacancies! I'll be happy to pencil you in at your earliest convenience," Fred affirmed, his tone poking fun at the arrogant seventh year across the courtyard. "That is, if your boyfriend there doesn't mind sparing you for ten minutes. That's all I'd need."

Putterly glared at Fred and exchanged further threats with him. Fred almost wished it would be him fighting the git in his brother's place, though he had no doubt he would get a chance in the future. Their exchange was causing everyone's adrenaline to really get flowing.

"Lee," George said as Fred shouted at Putterly, the adrenaline thrumming through his veins.

"Yeah?" Lee asked.

"If anything happens, keep an eye on Live for me, alright?" he said stolidly.

Lee gave him a concerned frown. "You'll wallop him, mate. No worries," he said, though he wasn't fully convinced of his own words. George had previously asked him to keep an eye on Live should anything happen to him. It didn't set right with Lee. George wasn't the type to openly worry. "Are you alright?"

"Are we going to finish things or do I have to stand speaking with your copy much longer?" Putterly threw at George. It really pissed Fred off that he was being dismissed when he was _really_ getting in some good burns. McVaken was equally fuming across the way.

"Copy?? Come a little closer and say that!" Fred shouted, taking a step. George put a hand on his shoulder and stepped past him, ready to duel. Fred gave him a wry look.

It started completely without warning, Putterly hoping to take George by surprise. Fred ducked and got out of range of fire as his twin started firing off spells of no mean skill with equal speed of his rival's attack. Fred went to stand by Lee as the courtyard was filled with spell-light, watching as they were really going at it with complete lack of reservation. The courtyard echoed with their voices and footfalls.

oOo

"I'm getting worried," Live said as she was sitting on Kara's bed in her pajamas, wondering where George was, and for that matter, Fred and Lee. She'd been alone in the dorm for quite some time before she'd decided to pay a visit to her little sister. George was mad at her for whatever reason, but she didn't think he'd stay out all night because of it. He'd been too long already, and it was past curfew. She wondered if George was _really _angry at her, or if perhaps she was overreacting and Lee and Fred were exacting their revenge on him for sticking them in that rather provocative position hours ago. But if so, then where were those two at and why weren't they back at least?

"They're probably cornered by Filch somewhere," Kara muttered as she was sorting candies in piles on her bed by wand light. The other girls in the dorm were either asleep or getting there, and the sisters were sitting up keeping each other company. "Any other teachers would just give them detention and send them to bed, but Filch would keep them…If he could catch them," she added.

"George seemed really mad but he said he wasn't…" She looked at Kara, who had a piece of licorice hanging out of her mouth. Live thought that her teeth would be rotted well before she saw her sixth year. "I'm scared he might have gone after the Malfoys…"

Kara sighed down at her candy piles. "He's probably wreaking havoc about the castle…You know they usually have some lovely prank before exams every year to remind everyone to lighten up…This year's might be a good one." She divided one of her piles and scooped half of it into her red-sequined bag. "Not to mention it'll be a good send-off to those going home for the holidays."

"I have a bad feeling."

Kara arched a brow at her. "You had a fight; of course you do. Anyway I wouldn't worry too much. If they come back with sweets from the kitchens you'll come bring me some right?" She offered Live a toothy grin.

Live pursued her lips in thought. "They've been gone a while…George promised me he wouldn't act on his own…"

"Well he isn't alone, right?" Kara pointed out nonchalantly, chewing her licorice. Live fully frowned. "We can always go look," Kara suggested. "Though if Filch gets _us_ I'll be quite pissed. Mrs. Norris has it out for me." Live got off the bed and Kara watched her. "Where are you going?"

"I have a bad feeling…You gave me an idea. I'll talk to you later."

Kara shrugged and scooped another handful of candies into her bag. She wasn't sure she would be able to restrain herself from eating these before the holidays came.

oOo

"One thing I know for certain is that you're weak Weasley. You can't protect a woman let alone yourself. You should just save face and concede defeat already."

George charged him, taking him by full surprise as he dodged a spell. Putterly thought George was tiring as he was definitely slowing. This move took him by surprise. They had one another, their duel more hands-on than most wizard duels went. Both were breathing raggedly, their breath creating mist in the frosty air. Tension was high and they really wanted to beat one another to a pulp.

"I know something else," Putterly said to George as they were locked in a struggling grip.

"And what do you think you know?" George ground out, huffing as he held the Slytherin back, waiting for an opening to punch. This was taking much longer than he had hoped it would. That wasn't good where he was concerned. He was already breathing way harder than usual.

Putterly grinned.

"That git bastard," Fred said, standing edgily as his twin fought against the Slytherin. He was tapping his foot impatiently, hating having to watch when he wanted to fight. "I don't see why George doesn't just give him a good what-for…I'm itching to get in on this…Why's he dragging it out?"

Lee frowned, watching Putterly's second, McVaken, with a thinking glare. He didn't look the kind to keep the fight fair, and Lee was watching him most carefully, his own wand drawn just in case. Moreover, Lee didn't like the cold look on his face.

George landed a punch to Putterly's nose, knocking him down to the icy ground. The Slytherin's nose was gushing blood down his chin and shirt as he grasped his face in pain. There was no doubt by the holler of pain Putterly made that George had broken his nose.

The Gryffindor stood shakily, looking at the bleeding seventh year on the ground before him. George was thoroughly shaken, both physically and mentally as he looked at the Slytherin. He was blanched as he stared at him. "…How do you know about that?"

"What's he talking about?" Fred inquired of Lee. Lee didn't answer as Putterly quickly disarmed George with a hasty expelliarmus. It sent his wand flying, and knocked George down.

Putterly got to his feet as he held his nose in one hand and his wand in the other. He knew his nose was broken. He didn't fully feel the pain as the adrenaline was coursing through his veins, but he knew it would hurt far worse than it currently did very soon. And that angered him. He cautiously approached George with intense hatred, waiting for him to come back at him, but the Gryffindor did not. He looked minorly puzzled, but smirked just the same as the realization hit him that George was down and staying down. Though the fact that such a simple spell had done him in wasn't lost on the Slytherin, who felt his victory was almost too easily won- and he wanted to _earn_ it. Especially as he was covered in his own blood and out to spill more.

"Hmph. Dat was unexshpectedly easy," he said thorough his broken nose. "_Esclici--_"

"Oi! _You forget I'm his second_?!" Fred shouted as he jumped in, defending his twin against the other seventh year and crossing wands with the irate Slytherin. Putterly barely had time to throw up his hands to stop Fred from hitting him.

"Haff it your way! Two for the prysh of one then, fine! " Putterly declared as he got into it with Fred, who shouted for Lee to see what was wrong with George, and how a simple disarming spell could have possibly taken him out.

Fred was battling Putterly with everything he had, his own confusion and anxiety at George's rather pathetic stand firing his ire for the Slytherin who he had no doubts was playing dirty. Putterly was covered in blood, but it didn't slow him down. Fred hated him for it. "What did you do to him?" he demanded fiercely.

Putterly scoffed, his arrogant tone making up for his slurred words. "You're surprised such a shimple spell took him out? He's a weakling!"

Lee was working his magic on George, who was unconscious and covered in a cold sweat. He'd heard the spell Putterly had used- which was nothing more than a disarming spell- and there had been no foul play with that. He'd kept his eye on McVaken, and the other Slytherin hadn't cast anything. It didn't make sense that something so simple and relatively not-powerful had defeated George. Lee felt that there was something else going on that George hadn't told them. Thinking on it, and what George had said to him, he put it together that George had _known_ something was wrong with him…What in the world had happened?

"Is that all you've got?!" Fred demanded as he brought Putterly to his knees with a barrage of spell after spell. The Slytherin barely had time to block let alone take the offensive against Fred. The Gryffindor ducked as a spell not-fired by Putterly whizzed right past him- McVaken, Putterly's second, was getting in on the fighting rather prematurely. "…and no honor to boot," Fred muttered as he shouted a warning to Lee to protect George and watch his back, made a quip about the Slytherins' lack of manhood, and took on both seventh years single-handedly.

As ropes materialized from Fred's wand and bound McVaken rather unceremoniously on the cold ground, the Gryffindor put the finishing marks on Putterly, who was having trouble keeping up his defensive spells alone, not even getting a chance to go on the offensive. When Fred was done with him, he was left unconscious and covered in his own blood. He petrified McVaken for good measure too, and joined Lee who was looking over George.

"What's wrong with him? It couldn't have been that one spell," Fred said as he crouched over his twin speculatively, giving him a slight shake in the hopes it might rouse him. It didn't do anything apart from making Lee frown.

"He doesn't look good," Lee told Fred, worry writ on his face in a way that Fred altogether disliked. The healer had a very bad feeling about this, something in his mind bothering him that the signs had been all around him that something was more wrong with George than they'd ever noticed, and George had done a very good job of hiding it. The unconscious seventh year was blanched and covered in cold sweat, and he looked like death. "I have a very bad feeling about this…We need to get him to Madam Pomfrey right now."

Fred nodded and put his wand away, grabbing George and carrying him on his back with Lee's help. "Let's get going. It's bloody freezing and I don't want to look at that git's face anymore," he said easily, though deep down he was very, very afraid.

oOo

Live was trotting quickly along the corridors of the castle, her cat paws not taking notice of the icy stone as she went. She was completely focused upon George's smell, had followed his scent as far as the courtyard where she'd found Putterly and McVaken rather worse for wear. It had made her stomach drop as she could smell George but she didn't see him anywhere, and upon thinking that whatever he'd done with Putterly, now _surely_ he must be on his way back to the tower and to the dorm. But following his distinct scent proved problematic. She wasn't led up in the castle as she'd expected to be, but rather roundabout. Her heart was pounding when she realized where she'd ended up.

Now she was standing in front of the hospital wing, shaking slightly because of the cold, and partly from fear. Putterly had been bloody and left for dead, or at least, for pain. She thought for certain George had won whatever encounter there must have been. But now she wasn't too certain, and so frightened that she had no room for any other feelings. Now she was contemplating entering or not. Anxiety winning out, she opened the doors. She was only able to see so much before Lee came into sight and was rushing towards her, drawing her entire attention.

"Live…go back, you can't be in here."

She saw that George was laying on one of the beds. Fred was there, and Madam Pomfrey, and for some reason Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were there as well. She felt her heart plummet to the pit of her stomach as Lee was running to her. She could hear her blood pounding in her ears as Lee was at her side.

"Live…Live, come step outside with me."

"Lee what's wrong with him--_What happened_??"

"I need you to step outside with me real fast, okay?"

"Lee," she repeated, dumbfounded as he was forcibly moving her right back out the doors. Something didn't feel entirely right, and she was alarmed beyond measure, that bad feeling she'd had earlier becoming far worse. What were Mr. and Mrs. Weasley doing here? "Lee, what happened?" She shook his hand off her shoulder quickly, attempting to bystep him to get to George.

"You can't be in here. Come on and--"

She felt the breath taken from her in terror. "Tell me what's wrong." She wrested her shoulder free from his hand once more, but he fully grabbed her, intent on dragging her forcibly from the room if necessary. She was panicked now, scared. Why wasn't anyone saying anything? Mrs. Weasley was crying. "_Let go Lee!_" she demanded in terror, trying to break free violently as she looked him in the eyes.

"You can't be in here!" Lee affirmed as he dodged elbows and grasped her tightly to remove her. He'd ask her forgiveness for manhandling her later. "You cannot be in here! You'll kill him!"

Mrs. Weasley let out a keening wail. Live stopped cold. Lee wondered if he now had a rag doll in place of girl in his arms, but didn't dwell on it as he took her from the room quite easily and shut the doors tightly behind him.

"Live…listen to me," he said speaking in very calm tones, trying to gain his breath and her attention which was fixated on the hospital wing doors.

"Is he dead?" she asked flatly.

"What?"

"Is he dead?"

Lee sighed. He was very near it, the fool. "No, he isn't. But it's not good. Most of his magic has been drained. There's a ward on the hospital and you need to stay out of it, okay?" he told her softly, trying to be delicate but firm.

That got her attention, and she looked at him, tears starting to fill her eyes. "How?"

"Madam Pomfrey said Dumbledore would need to explain it to fully--"

"It's because of me?"

Lee blinked, surprised that she was so quick. She repeated her question. He wondered that she had been listening to him, and wondered at her inkling that she'd been more or less responsible. He figured that she must have known on a subconscious level, though she had more of an idea than she demonstrated.

"Dumbledore called it a slow drain. It's important that you're not around him right now."

"But you and Fred….and--"

"It's _your_ magic that's been leeching him. Please trust me, don't enter the hospital until Dumbledore sorts things out, alright?"

Live seemed shocked. She didn't cry. She just stopped. She didn't take another step towards the hospital. "I see."

"Let me take you back to the dorm," Lee said.

"How did he get that way…what did I…Where is Dumbledore?"

Lee pursed his lips, a bit regretful. "Dumbledore can't be here right now either, but I know he wants to explain things to you. George and Putterly were dueling," he admitted to her. She didn't look shocked, which surprised him a little, but he went on. "Putterly got in a pretty weak spell, and George didn't get up. His mum and dad only just got here." He didn't reveal his own suspicions that George had known something was wrong with himself all along. She started to cry.

Lee put a comforting arm around her shoulder and walked with her back to the dorms, his mind wrought with worry. They thankfully did not come across Filch or any other teachers, though they hadn't been extra cautious in the first place. Back in the dorm he had her get into George's four-poster and hung around for some time trying to somehow consol her with little to no luck. He asked if she wanted Kara, but she wouldn't have it. He couldn't think of much else to do for her, so he dug into the potions Madam Pomfrey made him make and found a dreamless sleep potion that she didn't particularly want, though he got her to take it. He watched over her for a bit but eventually left to gather Ginny and Ron when he was certain she was resting.

As she began to lose consciousness to sleep, she began to dream of a red-hued landscape and freshly upturned earth, and a disappointed voice that was both familiar and foreign told her "I warned you."

oOo

Seriously, I spent WAAAAY too much time on this chap. Sorry guys ;) I was toying with some new writing devices but more or less abandoned it. I also had more I wanted to include on this chapter but I figured that 37pages was plenty and frankly I shouldn't put off updating any longer. FAIL on my part, haha (: I hope everyone has a happy new year and good holidays further :D I'm very glad this chapter is finished and that I got another one out before the year is done XD HAHAHA! Please to forgive me (:

I want to thank everyone for reviewing last chap (you are all made of secks! :D) and I gotta motor; I've been killing myself over editing and I seriously need some rest XD I'm also going to be more direct and answer your reviews as they come! (as the site has made that feature a whole lot easier! WOO!) Hit me up at my deviantART page :D I really love that community and I'm probably on it 95% of my computer time…which is a lot :O

Soooo with that in mind, have fun with this chap, hope everyone got what they wanted for Christmas, watch my TV show in January, oh (not really related to anything, HAHAH!) I'm going to be taking out all past reviewer responses so that my chapters are more indicative of actual word counts that my long-winded nonsense that isn't story :D hee hee hee :D LOVE for you all! Srsly. Updates next year (BWAHAHAH that's actually not too long, eh? Here comes 2009!!!) Man, this site has crazy-changed their layout/user interface too…so I have to readjust to everything, BWAHAHA! Love joo ;)

T. Vaughn S., FireV. whut. XD


	56. Burn Off

-1_An update almost every 6 months….(facepalm). Who else wants to smack me around a bit? I think I deserve it, I'm a horrible authoress XD I actually have a very good reason though. I am hostess/producer of Unsigned Rock TV and we've been on-air since January. Because of this show (in this industry it's who-you-know), we will also be producing another show called "Let's Dine Out" (google it; it pops up everywhere). They want a pilot and a second episode at the moment for the woman's return to TV. Big things in the industry are going on O.O haha and I haven't even gotten my BA yet or done my internship. I swear I'll be dead from stress before I ever see 25.…2 more years then death HAHA! Lol. If you're in Southern California and want to see me on TV, you can watch every Wednesday night on KDOC at midnight on channel 6, 12, 19, 29, and 56. I have links to all of our online stuff in my bio here :D _

_-FireV._

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers_  
by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 56: Burn Off

There were all sorts of things happening in the morning. A morning which started with a soft, meticulous crinkling noise, followed by the sounds of very slow, very precise chewing.

Live's eyes opened as a slew of things ran through her mind. First, annoyance at whatever crinkling had woken her up. Second, confusion as to why Kara was budged up right next to her in bed. Third, that her feet were rather numb and that the fuzzy thing vibrating at the hollow of her neck wasn't some weird dust bunny, but Henry, her pygmy puff. And fourth, why did it hurt to open her eyes so badly?

As Kara's eyes perused her older sister's face, slowly chewing in that precise, meticulous fashion of savoring, it became apparent that Live was recalling the events of the previous night. The fifth year Gryffindor stayed her place and didn't say anything, instead chewing whatever confection she'd gotten her hands on that morning. She gauged her sister in silence as the older girl was still.

The Slytherin felt pressure on her legs, and realized that her fifth-year sister had her own legs slung over them, keeping her in place. Live didn't do anything as Kara had rather suspected she might. She just lay there, still and feeling heavy. Live wasn't usually one to panic or act _too _irrationally without some sort of forethought (at least, she wasn't previous to spending time around George) but the events of the night before were rather far more serious than usual circumstances.

"My legs are numb."

"You gonna be good?" Kara asked around whatever she was chewing in her mouth.

"Get off me Kara."

Kara gave a conceding look and pulled her legs off her sister's, stretching and then pulling them up towards her body. Live remained as she had been, though she moved a hand to her throat and put it over the humming pygmy puff.

"Why are you in my bed?"

"It's warmer than the floor," Kara replied.

"…who let you inside the dorm?"

"Lee. He's at class and I get to ditch. Frankly I think I got the better end of the deal. Chocolate?"

"Quit eating in my bed."

"Hmph."

Live gathered up Henry in her hand and set him on her belly, keeping her hand over him to keep him from bouncing about as he was apt to do. It was far too early for that, and Live lacked even the determination to sit up.

"Get out of the dorm, Kara. It's too early." At her sister's silent, disobedient chewing, Live glanced sidelong at her, giving reason-- regardless if she intended to follow through on it- for Kara to leave. "I need to go to class."

"No you don't," she said nonchalantly, squeezing herself in closer towards her sister in the bed. Live gave her a withering glare.

"Yes I do. I'm not going to learn jack about anything if I stay in bed." She also wanted horribly to go to George, thinking perhaps it was all a prank or a nightmare or maybe it wasn't as bad as it had seemed. She could smell him on everything, and laying in bed with her pygmy puff and her sister wasn't distracting enough of that fact. She wanted details and she felt sluggish from the dreamless sleep potion Lee had given her.

"No, you don't," Kara corrected her older sister. Live gave her a glare for disagreeing with her. Kara ignored it. "Dumbledore said you're further excused from classes this week."

Live sat up, tumbling Henry to her lap. The miniature puffskein didn't seem to notice, and started happily purring. "You've talked with Dumbledore?"

Kara looked back at her sister, watching her with reserve. It was the fastest she'd ever seen her move in the morning. "Nope," Kara said, turning her attention back to a candy she was unwrapping in her hands. Live let out a sigh of aggravation. "I talked to Snape."

A surprised, disbelieving look was upon Live's face. Like any Gryffindor, there was no love lost between Kara and the Head of Slytherin. As far as _he _was concerned, Kara was the Hunter sister that had inherited everything "weird" that had amazingly enough missed her elder Slytherin sister. And as far as Kara knew, he was the personification of nightmares incarnate. That Kara had spoken with him for any reason outside of requirement amazed Live. "When did _you_ talk to Snape?"

Kara shrugged as if it had been no big deal. "Earlier this morning…I was going to toss a skunk grenade into your common room before everyone got up….You know, like an alarm clock but with smell? But he was there." She frowned, muttering like everything was normal, "…ruining my bloody testing…"

Live looked concerned. "And?"

"He was looking for you. Wanted to know where you were. Bloody early at that."

"_And_?"

"I said that you were in Gryffindor Tower," she said chipperly, popping a chocolate into her mouth. She almost spit it out in surprise at Live's sudden outburst, the Slytherin shunting away from her younger sister in shock.

"You idiot! Why'd you tell him that?!"

Kara shrugged. "It was the truth. And also, I told him that I was looking after you. He didn't ask me much else. But he said that you don't have to go to class. Pretty smarmy about it too."

"Great. So now I'm a House-traitor _and _a slack-off weakling to boot. Thanks Kara."

"He told me that you're supposed to see Dumbledore when you get a chance, and also that you're not allowed anywhere near the hospital wing." Tears welled up in Live's eyes, but she didn't wipe at them in front of her sister, and Kara had the decency not to look at her. "I would have told him to shove it but he looked like he might eat me."

Live sat for what seemed like ages without saying anything, her thoughts unknown to her sister. Kara dutifully ate her chocolate the way a squirrel might nuts, unwrapping pieces and shoving them into her mouth faster than she could chew.

"Kara, get out."

"Why?"

"Because I told you to."

"No. I promised Lee I wouldn't leave," she said through chocolate-stuffed cheeks.

"Since when do you obey Lee? Ever? And over me?"

"Since there's a solid chocolate orange in it for me."

Live's patience was wearing thin. "You're going to get as fat as Millicent Bulstrode." Kara choked on the mouthful she was swallowing. "Get out."

Kara gave her a watery-eyed look, a result of her sweet confections nearly killing her. "You can't order me around in Gryffindor Tower!"

"The hell I can't!" Live argued, pulling herself up in bed and giving Kara the most venom-filled glare she could muster (which was quite wicked as it was early in the morning and Live felt like crap). "Get _out_ Kara."

"What're you gonna do?" Kara inquired of Live's reasons as she was getting out of the bed-- which the Slytherin discovered was quite littered in candy wrappers. Kara had been there for quite some time.

"First I'm gonna have a shower."

"First?" Kara repeated, raising a brow. "You know you're not supposed to go to class?"

"I know that, Kara."

"And you're not allowed in the hospital wing?" she stated.

Live glared, only to keep the tears in her sore eyes from spilling. "I'm aware of that too."

Kara shrugged and swung her legs over the bed. "Alright. I'll be in the common room if you want anything then," she informed, basically telling Live she wouldn't be going anywhere without her knowledge.

"Don't even think of leaving my bed in a mess," Live ground out as she went into the bathroom.

"And don't drown yourself in there," Kara shot back. She received Live's middle finger in response as the door shut.

For the rest of the day, Live stayed in the dorm keeping to herself. She sat in the room a while, tidied things up, worked at a scorch mark on the floor, and further tried to distract herself to no avail. When she ran out of things to distract herself with, she spent her time crying and hating herself. She still didn't fully know what had happened to George, but what she was certain of was that it was her fault. She was beating herself mentally for not taking greater notice of all the little signs that stood out so clearly now that George was in the hospital wing. She'd had horrible nightmares to boot, but she hadn't paid them much mind. She knew now that she should have paid better attention to her subconscious.

She had noticed that George had seemed sick, but he had brushed any concerns off and she hadn't dwelled on it. She was angry with him as well. He _must_ have known something was wrong with him. Why hadn't he said anything? And why in the hell was he sneaking off to fight Putterly too?

She wanted to be with him, and to also beat some sense into his head. The guilt she felt was horrible and made worse for not knowing, and she needed to speak with Dumbledore as soon as she could gain the courage to leave Gryffindor Tower on her own.

Upon nightfall she found she wouldn't need to wait for her courage to find her; Lee didn't give her a choice.

"Live?"

She was laying inside George's four-poster with the curtains closed, awake but pretending she was asleep. She didn't want to see Lee. Or anyone for that matter. She wanted to stay forever in the dark until George came back. Lee wouldn't give her the option.

"Live?" he asked again, this time slightly opening the curtain to the four-poster. Light fell across her closed eyes. She wished she had turned the other way. "Live?" She felt Lee's hand on her shoulder and she knew she wasn't going to have the option to feign sleep much longer. He gave her a slight squeeze and gentle shake. She opened her sore, red eyes and squinted at him in the light.

His expression held trepidation, his brow slightly furrowed. "You awake?" She blinked at him. "Dumbledore asked me to get you." She frowned and didn't make a move to get up. "I'm going to take you there," he offered.

She moved to get up at that, seeing that he wouldn't be leaving her alone. She was kind of glad he was going to take her to see Dumbledore. She couldn't imagine making the shameful walk out of Gryffindor Tower and facing everyone's eyes on her own. Not without crying at least. People must be aware that George was in the hospital wing. She only hoped they didn't know why.

She set her feet on the floor and shakily exhaled. Her eyes hurt and she was sure they were red. She didn't bother looking Lee directly in the eye. She found that Fred was in the dorm too, setting down his book bag with gratefulness to be rid of it for the day. He gave her a half-raise of his lip in a smile, then flopped down on his bed with a tired huff. It had been a long night and a longer day. She tore her attention away from him immediately, tears welling up in her eyes from guilt.

Lee sort of shrugged and backed away, giving her time and waiting for some signal that she was ready to leave. She disappeared into their bathroom momentarily to clean herself up.

As the door shut, Lee gave Fred a look. The other boy shrugged and stretched out on the bed. As concerned as he and Lee had been about George, dealing with their mother had really took it out of Fred. She was mad as hell but even more upset and worried. Her anger the twins could deal with, having blown up their fair share of designer cauldrons and heirlooms. But her worrying wasn't so easy to cope with. Fred was, quite simply, exhausted.

Live emerged looking what she considered passed for presentable, though her eyes were red from crying and she wouldn't raise them to look at Lee. Lee considered that there was nothing for it, and opened the dormitory door. Live followed after him, closing the door and walking automatically down the stone stairs as her stomach filled with trepidation. She felt like it was her first time being in their tower all over again, and was scared to what might be awaiting her below. The Gryffindors had put up with her in their tower, but it was no secret that she wasn't exactly "welcome" there. George had certainly given them reason to be more than tolerant, and his siblings and her own sister were always kind enough to her, but with his absence she had no idea what to expect from the rest of them.

Ginny and Kara were sitting by the warm fire down below. There were each at an end of the couch tossing little paper balls at the flames. They looked up as Live and Lee were passing through. Ginny gave her a "hi" and reached out her hand to the other girl. Live took it momentarily, the fourth year's silent support deeply touching her, before leaving with Lee. Kara and Ginny were left looking at one another as the portrait hole closed. There was some hushed mumbling and Kara shot a venomous death-glare behind her to some fourth years sitting near the icy window. They quickly vacated the common room out of fear.

oOo

Lee and Live walked in silence. Lee couldn't, for the life of him, think of any topics to bring up to chat about or ease the silence between them. Not that anything he could have said might have been the least bit conducive to the situation. He still felt odd for barring her from the hospital and having been the bearer of bad news. Live, for her part, was too concerned with her surroundings and whether or not others were about to care about chatting. Her posture as they walked the halls was perfect, shoulders back and stature one exuding god-given authority over others. But looking at her face, her eyes were roving, nervous and on-edge. Fear was in the back of her mind as she was still wandless, and now George-less as well. Tears hung in the foreground ready to be called upon at any time, and her eyes were still puffy and more pink than red. Lee was worried about saying something that might make her cry.

They came to Dumbledore's stairway and arrived at his office door. Knocking once, Dumbledore bade entrance. Lee lead the way and opened the door, and Live followed behind him. The office was warm, far warmer than the cold castle halls. It was comfortable and overall inviting.

"Hi professor."

"Good evening Mr. Jordan. Miss Hunter."

"Evening," Live respectfully replied very softly, though her voice wavered.

"Please sit, Miss Hunter. It's far more comfortable and warmer than standing. Would you mind getting the door Mr. Jordan?"

"Sure," Lee responded, deciding to vacate the room and close the door behind him.

Live didn't know why she was surprised that Lee didn't stay, or better yet that Dumbledore hadn't invited him to stay. It made her slightly nervous as she knew the conversation was going to be quite serious. It made her feel like she was already condemned, but to what, she wasn't sure. Tears prickled at her eyes.

"I am sorry our meetings are not usually on more amiable terms, Miss Hunter. Would you mind terribly if I asked to see your hand?"

She blinked once at the odd request, but did as she was asked, holding out her cold hand to him. He took it in his much older, warmer one, and turned it over so that her palm faced him. She watched with trepidation, wondering what he wanted with her hand. She hoped he wasn't looking for the scars that still had yet to completely fade.

He put his fingertips on each of hers. She could feel a slight tingling in her fingertips, and realized he must have been checking for something. She wondered what. "…Sir?"

He offered her a smile. "I apologize my dear, I just wanted to confirm my suspicions. Would you like a cup of tea?" Dumbledore asked her as he let he take back her hand. He reconsidered the beverage choice. "A cup of hot chocolate?"

She nodded in acceptance, and the warm dark liquid came over from a service to the side of his desk, serving itself to her in a yellow teacup sitting before her. She took it and wrapped her cold hands around it, warming them. She wished she'd had the foresight to bring her gloves when walking the corridors. It would have provided warmth _and_ covered her scars.

"I would have preferred to speak with you last night, though the hour became quite late," he began, getting down to business. She nodded, willing tears not to well at the thought of George, and hating herself for being so very emotional. "I am sorry for the delay. Just now I wanted to make sure that my assumptions were correct. I wanted to speak with you about Mr. Weasley's condition ." She nodded again, hiding her face behind her teacup, drinking the liquid but not tasting it. She didn't want to meet his eyes. She felt like such a coward. "It would be selfish of me to make excuses, but I am afraid all of this is my fault."

That statement got Live's startled attention. She lowered her teacup.

"I am sorry to say that I inadequately closed the magical bond between the two of you when you were attacked by the wraith months ago. When I took magic from Mr. Weasley and put it into you, I did not fully close that bond, my dear. Usually such things close themselves, and I was careless and the gap stayed open to create a much slower, nearly imperceptible drain. This whole condition is my fault." Live felt she should say something, or at least negate his statement, but she couldn't find her voice. "And the time you spent in the soul bubble, and George's ability to intrude into it-- again, that was my fault. Your magic was less of your own and more so of George's." She gave him a wide-eyed look. "It was the reason he was able to enter the Soul Bubble, and also the reason I was able to bring the both of you out of that alive.

"My dear, the magic that has been so explosive for you, the flare-ups and the wildness…I was wrong before of the cause. Your magic has slowly been leeching magic from George Weasley. It was a very slow drain on him. Your magic-type shares some compatibility with George's to the point it was still being fully accepted, but there is such a thing as too much power."

Live's mind felt a bit clear at that statement, and she was able to push her tears aside for the moment in trying to understand. "I'm like an overcharged battery." Dumbledore gave her a warm smile and a nod. "So I'm not a sorcerer then."

"No," he reassured.

She felt a tremor go up her spine at the thought that it was all a mistake. "So I _am_ normal then."

Again, he replied with warm, comforting tones. "Yes. You are still a _multiforme_ my dear, and there is much still unknown about _multiformes _which are themselves unique and powerful. But you are as you say, 'normal'."

"Will my magic return to normal?" she immediately pressed, her eyes far more moist than she would have preferred, though her voice was level.

"I believe so my dear. The two of you have spent so much time together, your magic needs a bit of a detox from one another is all," he said knowingly. Live involuntarily blushed but did not break her concentration from him. "Once the fissure in George's own magic is closed, you will go back to normality and your magic should not be able to take from him anymore. You just need time apart while he heals."

She gave him an uneasy look at that statement, uncertain about how long that might be. How long would it take for them to be 'normal'? She had entirely no idea. "I want to marry him." _I want to be _able _to marry him._

Dumbledore gave her a patient look. "In time." He didn't mention to her that while he and Madam Pomfrey had been looking over George, examining his magic for many hours, that he had found the beginnings of the heart strings which marriage licenses usually provided-- the magic that would truly bind them to one another that was so much easier to cultivate _with_ a marriage license. And they had admirable ones without it.

He had utilized heart magic on them before, in order to bring their souls back to their bodies after he had forcefully broken the Soul Bubble. It had worked so well, almost too well. It had been a miracle that it had worked at all. He recognized now that it had worked so well because they were developing heart strings of their own devices, and George's magic being the dominant magic of both of theirs at the time had actually helped to bind them and keep them connected. That little unknown mistake- George's free-flowing magic-- had actually saved them. But Dumbledore had unknowingly exacerbated things by binding them closer together in what had been a necessity. Their heart-strings bond had been made that much stronger. Their awareness of one-another was so responsive. While this would normally be fantastic for any couple, it had only helped to leech out George's magic. In this instance, the heart-strings had not been a good thing.

Dumbledore kept this to himself as the release of that information would only lead to more heartache for the young Slytherin before him. She was bright, and if asked he would tell her that the creation of the heart-strings had also played a part on why her magic was able to drain George so efficiently. Such a strong bond was making them aware of one another, but also bleeding the magic from George to Live. He didn't want to deliver such pain to someone knowingly. She would undoubtedly hate herself for something she had no control over.

"Can I….My wand," she started unsure of how to phrase it. She knew it was against Dumbledore's wish for her to have a wand, but now that they knew she was not a sorcerer, she figured it wouldn't hurt to broach the subject. It wouldn't be totally necessary for her to have a non-wand grip on her magic, so to speak.

"You are still a _multiforme_ my dear. I would prefer that, while your magic is leveling, you attempt to gain a better handle and understanding of it without the crutch of a wand."

Live's face fell. She thought for certain….Once her "battery" had drained, she thought for certain Dumbledore would allow her the use of a new wand. Borrowing others' wasn't exactly a way to live, and wandless magic was tough to do even once in a while even _with_ a wand handy. She wasn't a sorcerer so it wasn't like it was going to come naturally to her. Why was he making it so hard?

As Live left Dumbledore's office a bit later and descended the stairs quite heavily, she was fully surprised to find Lee waiting at the bottom of them. "You're still here?"

"I had nothing better to do," he told her with a grin, acting as if he'd made a time of it waiting by himself. The air was chilly and the stones were cold. She hoped he'd had the sense to cast a warming charm on himself. Of course, she was surprised and grateful that he was there at all, as she was prepared to force herself through the Gryffindor common room on her own sooner than she could have returned to Slytherin commons. And Henry was still in George's dorm, and she couldn't leave him there. No doubt the purple puffball would get lost or eaten by Hermione's cat.

"Thanks," she told him. She was grateful he was still there. She recalled Snape's words to her days before: _Go nowhere without an escort_. They particularly rang in her ears now.

"No problem. Let's get back, I'm freezing."

She was very grateful that he didn't ask her any questions or press as to what Dumbledore had said while she was in his office. She was also thankful that he was taking her back to the dorm. She had to admit, she expected to be turned out now that George wasn't in there. She wouldn't have blamed them. Without George, she had no reason or right to be in there. She'd never spent a night in their dorm without knowing he'd be right back, and it seemed wrong to do so now. She had no idea when George would be able to return to her. It was already getting late, and she had no immediate plan of action aside from getting to her pygmy puff.

She was relieved that Ginny wasn't in the common room as she and Lee returned, but as they climbed the stairs, her stomach filled with dread as she knew Fred was within the dorm and that she would very well see him. The guilt for what her magic had done to his twin filled her and ate at her. She felt she should apologize but she was still too cowardly to try. She loved George more than anything and look what she had done. She would not blame them for blaming her, and moreover _not_ getting blamed as she felt she rightly deserved made her feel even worse. She wanted to be yelled at and accused. She felt it was just. Though Dumbledore had gone to pains to explain that it was _his _fault, not hers, she still knew where the blame laid. Her magic had been feeding off George. Why didn't she sense that?

Fred was mercifully still in the same position they had left him in, and Lee left her alone once they were back inside the warm dorm. It felt weird to sleep in the dorm without George. It took hours for Live to get to sleep, and even once she did, it was a restless sleep. She woke up exhausted and alone the next morning, the only other living creature in the room being her mini puffskein.

oOo

Snape got up from the papers he'd been failing to take a walk about the room. The cauldrons boiling told him all he needed to know about who was brewing it and what they'd done wrong. _Blue-hue; too many juniper berries. Red-hue; peppermint boiled for too long. Chunky-- everything had gone wrong there. Grey-hue; peppermint added too soon… _

"He's dying. Why else would his parents be here?"

"Duh, maybe they're _worried_. Normal people get like that you know?"

"I don't think it's very nice of you to say that. It can't be so serious. Some special spell or something."

"Well if you just look at the other one, you can tell. He is not acting his usual self."

"It's his twin brother Amanda. And it only happened day before yesterday. I'm sure you'd feel that way if something happened to your twin, regardless of how serious it is."

"You forget that she's an only child."

"What difference does _that _make?"

"Ten points from Ravenclaw! Pay attention to that boiling-over cauldron!"

"EEP!"

The three girls shrieked as their potion was spilling over the side of the cauldron, causing the flames to turn purple below. It was yet another chowder of wasted ingredients. How Snape detested third years.

He returned to his desk and the pile of dismal papers wanting of his attention. He wondered how any of these children would ever survive on their own without being able to brew something as simple as a pepper-up potion. And these ones here were Ravenclaws. He saw no hope if these children were the future.

As he dismissed the students and tucked the papers he was grading away, he remembered the letter he had given to his most (and probably only) promising potions student the day before.

Live Hunter was indeed gifted in brewing. The ministry wanted her work and design. And he still had not gotten her answer as to the work. He knew certain things had happened with that Weasley in the past twenty-four hours , but he did not see as how it affected _her_ personal work ethic. He expected nothing less than a prompt answer. If anything, she had all reason to entrench herself in her work. He had promised her that those responsible for hurting her- the idiotic Malfoy acting on his own-- would be dealt with. That still had yet to pass, and he was actually surprised it had not been dealt with in the past few days. With Grunmire's death, he had assumed the blonde Death Eater would be dealt with immediately. Though no doubt he was still recovering from his injuries, and if the blood that was spilt was any indication, also trying to rebuild his pride after what the sixth year had done to him.

The blonde Slytherin was certainly a powerful young lady, even if she did not fully comprehend it. The inhibiting potions he had had to keep making could no longer keep up with her, and he'd utilized everything within safe means. Now she refused to have them.

The imperius had no effect on her, and there was a prophecy surrounding her person. But she was wandless and frightened to boot. It did not sit well with him. What bothered him worse was the lack of reprimand on the behalf of Lucius' foolish actions. There had been no assembly to correct his acting out. It was quite possible that the Dark Lord was not yet aware of what had recently happened with the pale blond man. Lucius was certainly not going to report anything out of the ordinary that he should not have attempted, and Grunmire was of little standing himself. His death might go unnoticed until they were all summoned, and The Prophet had not gotten wind of it. They had been very quiet about the incident.

But the whole business left a bad taste in his mouth. As much as he hated to admit it, Hunter relied heavily upon George Weasley. She was plenty powerful on her own but for reasons lost to him her movements and altercations were all motivated by Weasley. Dumbledore had requested of Snape-- and of all her professors-- that she be exempt from classes. He didn't petition for other students in this manner. She was fragile, he'd said. Snape believed otherwise. She was also dangerous and very powerful and needed special tutelage. He felt something needed to be done about it and cutting her off from the world was not the way to do it. So what if Weasley was lying in a hospital bed? It could be worse, and in all actuality it _would_ get worse. She would be useless to anyone if she went to pieces every time a crisis hit.

Though, he supposed he could grant her some time. Not out of compassion. That wasn't him. But if her mind was unfocused and her body unrested, nothing would be able to be accomplished.

He sighed in frustration at bothering to care and decided to fail some more papers.

oOo

"Where is it?"

"I don't know…It's hidden somewhere on my body. Why don't you look for it?"

"Kara, no. Flat-out no."

"Why not?"

"If I have to explain why-not to you, then it's that much more wrong."

"I think you're being pervy about it. I didn't say it was anywhere pervy," she said with a sly grin. "Are you thinking pervy thoughts about me Lee Jordan?"

"One of these days Kara, I'm going to call your bluff."

"Who says I'm bluffing?" she said with a toothy grin.

"Neville! Will you get her away from me please?" Lee called out, deciding he could always get another inkwell elsewhere. Frankly he didn't have a clue where she would hide something like that on her person.

Neville Longbottom looked up from a book he had gotten from the library on rare plants. He was reading up on Vampiric Ventricular Aloes. "No."

Lee raised a brow in surprise. "No?"

Neville stuck his nose back into his book. "No."

Lee furrowed his brow. At some point he had lost his authority as a seventh year, a man, and a prankster to be feared. When had that happened??

"Can I play with your hair?" Kara asked.

Lee shot her a glare. His answer was staring him in the face. "No."

"No?"

"I'm gonna go dye it back to it's normal color," he said of the blue-hued job she'd done to it several days ago. She looked scandalized.

"Lee noooooo! It's a fashion statement! You're a walking sales board for our products!"

"I'm going to buy you out of the company!" he threatened. She blinked a few times. He watched her mind work, knowing he wouldn't like whatever conclusions it was making.

"Buy me? Like a hooker?"

"Uuuugh!" he growled out with frustration.

"Where are you going?" she asked his back.

"I'm going for a walk."

"Can me and Neville go?" she asked, completely missing the purpose.

Lee turned back to look at her while he was standing in front of the portrait hole. "Well….I suppose-- Kara look!" he pointed behind her. She turned to look and no sooner had she done so than he quickly escaped the common room.

"Hey! That's dirty!" she shouted. She shot a look at Neville, who focused even harder on his book. "Hey let's go make him pay for that!"

"I don't wanna…"

She crossed her arms, wanting to get payback on Lee. "You are the most uneventful boyfriend ever."

"I'm _not_ your boyfriend! Quit saying that!" he whined. Kara plopped herself down in a chair next to him. He tried to ignore her but she was in a chatty mood.

"Do you wanna help me with research stuff?" He ignored her. "How about we play chess?" He lowered his eyes further into his book, trying not to see her and be cowed into her devices. "Wanna help me count the root beer stock?" That earned a covert look from him.

"Okay….How much is left? Do we need to make more?"

She smirked.

oOo

Live was asleep when Fred and Lee got in. The bed curtains were mostly open, and she was asleep on top of the covers with the pygmy puff, looking worn out still wearing the pajamas she had been that morning. There were crumpled tissues next to her and it appeared she hadn't done much else than cry all day. It wasn't particularly out of the ordinary given the circumstances, but one thing did catch their eyes, and that was the little blonde gremlin sitting in the recesses of the bed watching them back.

"What're you doing in here, Kara?" Lee asked, a bit perturbed.

"Yeah. We're about to get nude so get out," Fred threatened, worn out himself for his brother and all his mother's worrying. He needed several hours of sleep and maybe some of those Perk Ups they'd made.

Kara shot Fred a gimlet-eyed look. "You're gonna get naked? Like the other day when I interrupted you two?"

Fred snorted with a suppressed laugh at how quick she was, even if that had been an emotionally-scarring incident for both seventh years. He still had to get even with George for putting them in that position. But that could always wait. A prankster was never in a hurry.

Lee, on the other hand, was not so amused.

"We weren't naked!!" he reminded with a pointed finger at her. "And we didn't do that!" His cheeks were red and he was frowning. He had been the subject of far too many embarrassing incidents this term for his liking. He would need deep-rooted therapy after graduation.

She frowned back at him. "Shut up Lee! You're gonna wake Live up!" She wrinkled her nose at him in distaste and he lowered his hand of aggravation. Kara slid off the bed and closed the curtains where her sixth-year sister slept. Fred was rolling his shirt off and tossed it against the wall without a care. Kara wrinkled her nose. "The polite thing would be to wait until I leave, Fred. I _am_ a girl you know."

He gave her a disinterested look. "That's not going to happen. I'm bloody exhausted right _now_. Don't get so excited." Kara crossed her arms in disdain at his lack of concern for what few ladylike manners she had. "You're more like a table lamp or a book bag or something." She squawked like a wounded bird. At her outburst of affront, he turned and gave her a grin. "Like an owl or something."

Kara brandished a fist at him as she pushed up her sleeves. "I'll show you an owl!" Fred raised his eyebrows in amusement as Lee grabbed Kara from behind to forcefully extricate her from their room. She didn't exactly comply, but it was easier than he thought it would be.

With the door closed to her glares, Kara turned her scowl on Lee. He gave her his own frown. "_You're_ the one skulking around in _our_ dorm. Don't give me that look."

She prodded him in the chest. "Where've you been?"

He raised a brow. "What do you mean? Have-- You haven't been haunting about our dorm all this time? _Stay away from my stuff_."

Kara's frown seemed permanently stuck on her face. "I didn't want Live to have to be alone this whole time."

Lee looked sheepish. So that was the source of this bad humor. They'd been trying to give Live some space. "This isn't exactly a strong point for us…We don't know what to do with crying girls…"

"Just make sure she stays in the tower," Kara told him with determination. She looked away in worried thought. "She won't go near the hospital wing. I know that. But I don't trust the rest of the school and she needs time to unwind." She looked back at Lee, trying to impart on him her concern. "She doesn't have a wand and she told me that her magic won't be nuts soon. She can't protect herself and….and there's just people in the castle I wouldn't trust for all the gold in the world."

Lee sighed. Kara was a good sister, even if she was a nut job herself. "Don't worry about it. George already asked me to keep an eye on her for him." Kara gave him a very confused look. "Before this happened," he elaborated.

She frowned, eyes distant in thought. "He already knew something was wrong with him…? What in the hell?!" Kara's voice took on an aggravated tone and she looked very reminiscent of her sister, Lee thought. "When he wakes up, I'm going to beat the crap out of him for putting Live through this."

"Actually…"

"Don't let Live know that," Kara told him before she walked away from him towards her dorm, grumbling.

Lee was at a loss, though he sympathized with Kara's sudden mood. He'd been very curious himself when George had first asked him to keep an eye on Live if anything happened to him. He'd obviously known that something was very wrong with him, but why hadn't he said anything? That was really bothering Lee. He could ask Fred about it later. Right now, he was exhausted and in much need of sleep.

oOo

Live woke up crying and in a state of distress. She was shaking and her face was wet with tears. She had killed so many people unnecessarily. It was all a mistake. A dire misunderstanding that had not been needed in the end.

A movement caught her eyes and for a moment she was utterly confused. Her purple pygmy puff hopped into her lap, softly humming. She blinked a few times while her breathing steadied. She had been dreaming. That was all. It hadn't been real. It was just a nightmare.

She wiped her eyes. She really hoped no one had heard her. It was just a dream. She was perfectly fine. Nothing was wrong.

Listening to the room, she could hear steady, even breathing. Lee and Fred were still asleep. No light was coming through her curtains. It was still dark out and still night.

She wiped at her moist eyes yet again and turned her damp pillow over so she didn't have to lay in her own tears. She took a breath, pushing frightful thoughts from her mind and bringing her blankets and singing pygmy puff closer. The little critter helped her to get back to sleep.

oOo

The days were passing quickly enough, though Live was surprised when the weekend came up. She hadn't thought she'd be able to stand being her own company for so long without going crazy, but she'd had numerous interruptions to her solitude in Lee and Fred coming and going, not to mention her intrusive sister. She hadn't left Gryffindor Tower since Lee had taken her to see Dumbledore. According to Kara, there was speculation among the Gryffindors as to if Live was still _in _Gryffindor Tower or not. The Slytherin sixth year did not venture into the common room for anything, and Dobby was kind enough to bring her meals to the dorm, so she had no reason to go anywhere.

Kara was thankful at the very least that Live was staying in the dorm where she was safe. She tried to comfort her sister but the elder blonde wasn't taking it well. Live had requested twice that Kara go and check how George was, but he was still unconscious and Madam Pomfrey said it would take time. Mrs. Weasley's presence was haunting the hospital wing as well and Mr. Weasley came in the evenings to take her home. Live was too much of a coward to go see them with Kara. She felt horrible and helpless.

Without George by her side, the comfort she had relied on after being attacked in the snow had gone. Her magic would slowly return to normal, but she was still wandless. There would be nothing she could rely on for herself. George had vowed to stay always by her side, and because of that she had made him weak. She hated that. And she felt utterly vulnerable. She was frightened of being in a situation by herself where magic was needed and she wouldn't have control of it. She could not allow that to happen.

She tried to logic things out. For a while she attempted to study her books. When she got exhausted from trying to do things in the book without a wand, she napped. But sleeping wasn't very productive either. Nightmares continually popped up, bothering her about things that frightened and confused her and moreover nagged her. She wanted George so badly but she didn't dare go anywhere near him. She wouldn't until he was pronounced fully alright.

She was tidying up the dorm for what seemed the hundredth time. She had everything she was behind on bookmarked and her notes in a stack, trying to distract herself. It sort of made her smile in realizing how much of her crap was actually in George's dorm and underneath his bed. He must love her a hell of a lot as he never complained or really took notice of it. Frankly, it surprised her. Then again, he was a guy and it was in his right not to notice such things. And she also had not seen her own dorm in quite some time. It made her smirk. He would be all right.

As she moved her stuff from one corner of his bed to the other, she came across a signed and sealed letter from the Ministry of Magic, and she remembered the generous offer she had been given. They wanted her to develop her disapparation potion for multiple uses. Snape wanted her to answer them. She had completely forgotten about that.

It also reminded her of the fight she had gotten in with George over it. He'd been mad that she'd intended to hide it from him. They hadn't even gotten a chance to make up. She had hoped they would have before they had planned to leave Hogwarts. But that plan had certainly fallen through. It didn't look like they'd be going anywhere for some time.

She was grateful for one thing out of this whole business though: had they _indeed_ left Hogwarts to get away from all the nonsense surrounding prophecies, attacks, and other such rubbish, and had George been afflicted with the same fate he currently had, Live would not have known what to do. If he'd been struck down for any reason and she couldn't rouse him, what could she have done? She had no wand and no control of her magic. And knowing what she did now about her person, her presence could kill him. Trying to help in such a situation could only make it much worse, and she had not even been aware of such a possibility. That scared her most of all and she tried not to think on it too heavily.

Fear didn't being to describe her feelings towards herself. What she could do to those around her. She'd been having nightmares about it all week and woken up in tears more than once. It motivated her, however, to get control of her magic. At least until the excess burnt off…however long _that_ would take. And she wasn't sure if she was expected to attend classes this week or not.

She needed to talk to someone.

Dumbledore was in all likelihood busy and harder to speak to. And frankly, she didn't feel like seeing him on the matter. Her other professors might be lax out of sympathy, but she didn't want multiple answers. She also didn't fancy walking about the school tracking people down. She was still scared. She supposed the only thing to do was go to her Head of House. At least where she was concerned, he would no doubt have the most knowledge in the situation.

She showered, changed, and made herself what she considered acceptable. At least, she figured she looked 'normal'. Although she didn't plan on exactly walking about the school as one normally would.

A knock came at the door, and before she could answer, Kara came in in all her grandeur. "Live! Guess what I got?"

"Diseases…?" Live suggested.

Kara glared. "_Nooo_. Not _diseases_," she said with a whiny tone. "Lookit this!" She thrust a catalogue under her sister's nose, several of the pages bookmarked for easy reference. Live turned to the one of the pages to see animals of varying size and color.

"I thought I told you to give up on this."

"No no, I've almost got enough cash!"

"What in the world does someone like you need with a Jarvey?"

"They're cute!"

"They're mean."

"They constantly swear! It'll be like having _you _for a pet!"

Live narrowed her eyes. "And like me, it'll bite you if it has any brains in its head."

Kara pouted as Live drew her fingers through her hair. "You going somewhere?" Kara asked in a way that implied she thought Live should not be.

"I want to see Snape."

"Wait wait wait….You _want_ to see Snape? Live, no one in their right _wants_ to see Snape. Maybe 'have to', 'need to', or my personal favorite, '_forced to_', but no one _wants_ to see him."

Live looked like she was forcing herself to be patient. "I'm going to hit you."

Kara looked like she took the threat rather seriously. "Well let me go with."

Live considered giving her this concession. Truth be told, she did not want to be by herself. She wasn't quite ready for that. Even if the conversation would largely consist of why Kara should not have a Jarvey. But she was a lot faster as Kitty Nimbles. "I'm just going to stop by his office. He should be in there around now."

"Well just let me go, too. I promise I won't complain."

"It'll be over and done with faster if I go myself." Kara gave her a disapproving frown. "I'm not too thrilled to be noticeably walking the halls. I'll use Kitty Nimbles."

Kara frowned. "But still."

"You can walk with me to the portrait hole," Live told her, desiring that much company at least. She hated the looks she drew when she passed through.

"Alright…" Kara followed her sister from the dorm, but was soon leading them to the common room. There were a few Gryffindors about, reading books and generally keeping to themselves. Some looked up, but more or less they weren't interested.

"I'll be back in an hour or so," Live told her sister. "Watch Henry for me."

As Kara watched her older sister leave the common room with authoritative tone and confident posture that was more or less an act, Kara didn't quite want to leave her. While she didn't always obey her sister, she did listen to her words and make judgments for herself based off the entire package her sister presented. When Live claimed she didn't need anyone, she usually didn't. She had her reasons. Sometimes she was just moody and her methods alone were just more productive. But other times it was the exact opposite. Kara wasn't exactly sure which case this was. Live seemed like she knew what she was doing, but was it alright to let her? Kara pondered for a while on the matter, glad her Slytherin sister would at least be running about in the guise of a cat skin anyway.

oOo

Live stood outside the potions room mentally preparing herself. She was thankful that running about as a cat had garnered no special attention from the few people she had seen (and avoided), and even more thankful that her cat's eyes and ears had told her that she was truly and utterly alone to go about her business down in the dungeons. She just hadn't counted on being nervous.

She rapped delicately on the potions door and listened. Not getting a reply, she became a bit braver and rapped louder.

"Yes, what is it? Come in."

She opened the door and peeked her head in. Her Head of House was sitting at his desk with a quill and papers, no doubt failing the week's assignments. She was graced with a disinterested glance before he returned to his work. She opened her mouth to speak, but he interrupted her before she began.

"It is my understanding, Miss Hunter, that you were raised not to lurk in doorways."

Though it came in the form of her etiquette being chastised, it was the closest to an invitation in she would get. She entered the room and shut the door behind her, feeling like she was there for detention or something. Her courage was quickly draining as she forgot how imposing a man her Head of House was. Kara was right-- no one would _want _to see him. Needing to was an altogether different matter.

"Was there something you wanted Miss Hunter or did you come to watch me grade papers all evening?" he asked without looking up. She frowned.

"I wanted to ask about my class attendance, professor."

He hmphed. "Your attendance or lack thereof?"

She bit the inside of her lip. She should have figured that she wasn't going to get off easy for all the classes she had missed in the term. "About the upcoming week." He still didn't spare her a glance. She found it quite rude not to be looked at while being spoken to, or at least, _she would have_, had it been anyone else. She sighed. "I know I'm behind."

"That is a grave understatement. At your current progress I would not be surprised if you couldn't brew soup."

She fully frowned at him, not bothering to hide her expression. That was a barb that stung. "I still don't have a wand professor."

"That is of little consequence. Is your mind missing as well? I trust you cannot brew without _that_."

Her eyes slightly moistened, his crass statements stinging. She knew she had missed loads of class and lessons and thusly deserved some sort of reproach, but this was uncalled for. She was quite emotional over George and constantly in a state of readiness to cry, but she swore she'd stab out her eyes before crying in front of him. Things had been hard. Very hard. She wondered if it had been a mistake to come ask his guidance so soon.

Snape sighed and put his quill down. "Have you composed a response to the Ministry's offer yet? It has been nearly a week."

That caught her completely off guard. "Their offer?" He nodded. She looked bewildered. "I…No, I haven't gotten around to it…I had wanted to discuss it with…I'm not sure.…I haven't yet," she spoke.

He got up from his desk to walk towards her with a condescending look. She held her ground, giving him just as defiant a look. Whether because she hadn't been around him as much for class or if she had just gotten used to regular civility what with being around Gryffindors, quite frankly she was having enough of his attitude. She was in no mood to be bullied when she'd come to him for assistance, and especially not when the past couple of times he had been relatively helpful. Or at least, as helpful as he could be. She wondered if she was being a nuisance, or if perhaps he was just being bipolar.

"With the amount of work you have missed, assignments incomplete, classes unattended, and potions unbrewed, I will have no choice but to fail you Miss Hunter."

The shock completely took the breath from her. "F-fail me??" She'd never received a failing grade in her entire life. "I-Isn't there some way I can make up all the work?"

"How would you expect to do that? As you have so eloquently stated, you have no wand."

She frowned with uneasiness. He was going to fail her. How undignified and embarrassing. Why not rub salt in the wound…It wasn't her fault that she had no wand, but that wasn't an excuse he would accept. He was fully aware of that and the circumstances.

"Is it true that you're a half-blood?"

She blinked a few times to make sure he'd actually spoken. "Y-yes sir," she replied off guard, wondering where on earth such a question came from. He sighed and didn't look pleased. She felt shame, and not the first time in her life, for admitting the fact. She hated to be made to feel ashamed of it. "My mom is a muggle."

He was silent a little too long, and she had no earthly idea what was going through his mind. Was he going to take pity on her and allow her more time? She wouldn't accept it even if he did. Her lineage had nothing to do with her magic. She had pride even if she was currently in a bad place.

"I'm going to give you a task, Miss Hunter. And if you can complete it, I will consider not failing you." Her ears perked up, but she was cautious. One didn't take the Bat King of Slytherin's words at face value. "If you can complete the demands of the Ministry's offer by the new year, I will reconsider your academic standing."

Her face fell. How in earthly heaven would she be able to accomplish that? "Sir, I don't have a wand."

"Are you telling me that you are without magic?"

She blinked. "Well no…but--"

"Then I fail to see how that affects my proposal."

She felt frustrated. She supposed she could always borrow wands. Kara would no doubt lend her hers. But it would be a far cry from the things she could accomplish with her own wand. She wasn't even certain she would be able to do it.

"Alright," she said somewhat glumly.

"If that is all, then you are dismissed."

She straightened and took a hold of the door with a gloomy expression on her face. He hadn't told her that she was excused from classes this week, but she wasn't about to go back to that topic. She supposed she could always ditch as her presence would be pretty useless in the classroom. Though as she hadn't been excused, he probably expected her to attend in all likelihood.

"Slytherin has been a pureblood house for time out of mind, Miss Hunter," he spoke to her back. She turned to look at him in surprise. "It is not often that a half-blood or less enters its ranks unless they have great ambition." She wondered at his words. Was he…Was he telling her he thought she could do it? "You would do best to exercise caution in your endeavors." She gave him a surprised look, not knowing what he meant. "Your housemates are not always your friends."

"I….yes sir…" she replied, not knowing what else to say. As she closed the door to the room, she found herself utterly puzzled.

oOo

Kara was flicking candy wrappers into the common room fire, her brow knit together in deep contemplation, when Lee came down the stairs. She didn't even remember him going up them.

"Hey Kara, where's your sister at? She's not in the room."

Kara looked back at him. "She went to see Snape."

"By herself?"

Kara nodded. "I've been deciding if I should go pick her up or not."

"Dammit Kara, I promised George."

"She's probably fine….She was adamant that I stay here." She was also relatively safe as long as she was sporting about the castle in her cat skin. "_You_ go pick her up for me, Lee! Snape is scary as hell. And it's night. His powers are greater at night," she said in a spooky tone.

Lee rolled his eyes at her statement before trudging back up the stairs. He came back down dragging Fred in his wake, who was all questions about what the bugger Lee was doing.

"Where we going? Latenight prank? Nicking sweets? Tom-Peepery?"

"Seeing Snape."

"That is _not_ funny mate."

Kara snickered as Lee and Fred disappeared through the portrait hole. Fred was bitching the entire way out.

oOo

Live was listening to her footsteps echoing off the stone of the dungeons, pondering Snape's words with confusion. What very odd and unexpected things he'd said to her. She had thought he was rather being his usual git self, but then he'd offered her almost veiled words of encouragement. And he had given her a second chance to make up her course credit. It was uncharacteristically nice of him, even in his own way. It would be hard as hell for her to do but if he thought she was capable, she supposed she could do it. It made her a little sort of happy that he thought so highly of her skills. Even without her own wand. Maybe she would be able to do it.

She smirked a little, thinking she could at least try. She was ready to pop back into Kitty Nimbles and trot back to the Gryffindor Tower, her tail raised high in the air. She'd have to call in a few favors from Kara, but she was feeling better and better about trying to do this. That the Ministry was offering her an obscene amount of gold didn't hurt either.

A small shiver went up Live's spine as she turned to check for anyone to pop back into her animagus form. As a spray of white-blonde hair caught her eye down the hall, she fully turned, body alert. Malfoy was standing there. And with him were his two idiot cronies. They must have come out of an adjacent hall as she hadn't seen them in walking. They were far enough away that there was a good distance between them, but close enough that she could hear their breathing. And now they stood staring at one another.

Her heart was thundering in her chest as adrenaline started to flow through her veins. Though it had occurred to her that while down in the dungeons, she might see some of her housemates, she had assumed she would not have to see _him_.

What should she do? Run away? She wouldn't expose her back to them. She had no wand. And a quick look around provided that she was definitely alone. Professor Snape's office was down much further past them. If she shouted, really screamed bloody murder, he might hear and come out, but that was leaving much to chance.

They were staring at one another, unmoving. She thought Malfoy looked surprised, but his frown didn't betray anything else. She took a step back. She wouldn't turn her back to them, but if she could escape down an adjacent corridor or something, that would be sufficient. There were classrooms nearby but she wasn't panicked enough to lock herself in one of those with no exit. She would do better to dash.

"Do we grab her?" Goyle asked Malfoy. Crabbe also looked to the blond fifth year. He didn't give them any directive, but he didn't reject the idea either.

Live took a step back, her heart pounding as she remembered white masks and being pressed down into cold snow. Her whole body became alert, and phantom pains came where she had been cut. She quickly looked behind her, and no one was around to help. She looked back and the boys were removing their wands. They would use magic against her.

Goyle took a step towards her, and she felt rooted to the spot in fear, her legs not working. She was breathing heavy, wanting to run but unable. It made them slightly wary. To them, her holding her ground was a challenge. For her, she was stuck in fear. "She doesn't have a wand, right Malfoy?"

Live did not think they would try to do something to her again. Not after what she had done to Malfoy's father, and not after what had happened in the woods. She thought for certain he was smarter than that, or at the very least, too cowardly to act on his own. Except that he wasn't alone right now. These two others hadn't been there when she'd been taken. A man was dead. Didn't that intimidate them? Did they not know? What _did_ they know? Malfoy was keeping his distance.

Maybe she had been naïve to think that they wouldn't try anything after they had attacked her before. Perhaps a death wasn't so much. Malfoy's father had been orchestrating things then. What instructions had he left with his son? Live was scared.

"…She's shaking," Crabbe mentioned to Goyle, smirking, thinking they had her well intimidated. It had been meant only for his ears, but she heard it.

"Go. Away," she said in the lowest, meanest voice she could muster. Kara had mentioned in the past that Live could sound downright frightening in bad situations. Like a wounded bear. That voice frightened her. Live must have been able to rally it successfully because it made them pause for a moment.

Malfoy looked nervous. They had been standing there for far too long. If they succeeded, he needed to contact his father immediately. But the longer they stood facing off, more the chance someone might happen upon them. "Hurry up," he muttered to the two in front of him, keeping his own distance. He removed his own wand, rethinking things. He would no doubt need it.

As the other two boys approached her, she was just standing there, frightened, livid, unable to move. She wanted to back up, or run, and moreover if she had her wand, she wanted to fight.

"I said go away!" she shouted, shielding herself with her hands as they approached her too fast. One of them grabbed her arm, and she pushed against him hard with her palm. And then he went away from her as if forcibly jerked away by some invisible giant hand. The other one, Crabbe, was gawking a moment too long and she thrust out at him as well. He too was away from her.

She was gawking herself at the two of them on either side of the hall, and Malfoy down the center who was keeping what he assumed was a safe but effective distance. She didn't know what she'd done, but they were at least down for the moment. She found her feet, her legs feeling rubbery, but took steps back before turning to run.

Malfoy woke up as if from a trance and realized he needed to spearhead things. It had gone too far to just let her off. Crabbe and Goyle were effective enough for brawn but they were lacking in the planning and development area. He quickly cast a curse and Live fell, her legs locked. The wind was knocked out of her and her fear rose.

"Shit, get up you idiots!" Malfoy shouted at them as he approached. He had caught her eyes and fear had trickled through him. Her eyes, the same eyes that had stared upon them when she had killed Grunmire, and when his father had been struck. She looked that way right now. If he had any reservations about whether or not to go through with this attempt, he had to shelve them. Now it was dangerous and he had no intention of his person being harmed. "Hurry up and grab her!"

Live turned herself over, legs locked, staring up at Malfoy as his friends gathered themselves up.

"Get up! Hurry!"

Fear overwhelmed her. She was shaking as he came nearer her himself. Crabbe and Goyle's progress of picking themselves up against the walls stopped.

"I can't move," Goyle said.

"I'm stuck," Crabbe added.

Malfoy looked confused. He looked down his nose at her and raised his wand. He didn't know how she was doing it, but she must have cast a spell like when she had at the edge of the forest. His father hadn't told him much about how that was possible, but they still had her wand. She didn't have one at the current moment. It occurred to him that she was more than she seemed.

Her red eyes had tears in them as she looked up at him, and suddenly he found he couldn't move.

She was seething with fear, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't stand. Even if her legs were not locked with the curse, she was certain she wouldn't have been able to support herself. She was shaky and the adrenaline searing through her veins had her fully alert. Too alert. She couldn't have willed herself to stand if she wanted to. She looked up at Malfoy with a pained expression of frustration and anger.

"You think…." she started, her voice low and shaky with threat of sobs as her hand balled into a fist. "You think you can just treat people…how_ever_ you want…" She was pissed, frustrated that he didn't learn, She felt compelled to make him feel every bit as much pain as she did, and just as trapped. To feel the fear of being at the mercy of another and not receiving it. That was the only way he would learn. The only way. Harry had once told her to get even _on their level_. In her world there couldn't be just desserts. And though she was acting out of emotion and not of thought, her actions did indeed serve that purpose. "Didn't you learn…" she began, her fear turning ugly, "not to take me lightly…?"

She raised a hand, pointed a finger at him, and watched as small tears in his expensively tailored robes made themselves with harsh quickness and just as instantly were dyed red with blood. He shrieked in surprise and pain as the tiny cuts began to form at variable lengths along his person, as if someone was flicking the wounds on him at random.

Something twitched in Live's cheek, and one side of her lips quirked up in mocksimile of a dark smile. "At least I don't hide behind a mask…." As if she was allocating the location of the cuts making themselves on Malfoy's person, she twitched her finger twice and a cut appeared on each side of his face. He cried out as rivulets of crimson dripped down his cheeks. She was positively frightening, and for the leglocker curse he had put on her, binding her legs together, she looked reminiscent of a snake lying on the stone floor. She looked him in the eyes with her own. He had the thought that maybe he should never have disturbed her. "My _real _face….is far more frightening than any mask…" She was still crying, but she said the words steady enough, not quite sobbing.

Blood was pounding in her ears as she made bigger cuts on him. The hem of his robes shredded itself. The rest of his uniform was slowly being saturated by his blood. If he wasn't dizzy from the pain, he would be from the blood loss. She couldn't stop herself. She knew deep down that it was wrong and that she didn't want to do this to anyone. It had gone far enough. But he deserved it. Hadn't he learned from what she had done in the woods? Would he ever learn? He would definitely remember this lesson.

"_LIVE_!"

She felt arms around her, startled, and looked up from what she was doing.

"Live stop it!"

First she saw Lee, and then she saw Fred. Malfoy dropped to his knees on the floor, breathing heavily, conscious but not moving. Crabbe and Goyle also dropped to their knees, but only for a moment before picking themselves up in confusion.

Live was crying, sobbing. Her face was wrenched up with tears. Fred and Lee both had her, attempting to suppress her and trying to put her hand down, though it didn't take them any effort now. She covered her face with both hands in shame, and Fred relinquished his hold, standing up.

"I think, if you're smart, that you should go," he told Crabbe and Goyle, both standing there with their wands still drawn in uncertainty of what to do. Malfoy looked up, his brilliant blond hair streaked with crimson, his own wand still in his hand. None of them had been able to counteract anything she had done wandless when _they'd _been fully armed. Fred gave Malfoy a look that begged not to be stupid enough to try anything.

Crabbe and Goyle picked up Malfoy as Fred oversaw for any offensive movements. Lee hefted Live up, though she was having trouble standing. She muttered the curse on her and held onto Lee for balance as he cast the counter curse. Crabbe and Goyle each had an arm of Malfoy over their shoulders as he cussed and swore for them to watch it.

Live was sobbing into her hands standing between the two seventh years. Fred watched as Malfoy was being dragged away by his idiot disciples. He was leaving a fine trail of blood behind him.

"We should get out of here," Lee told Fred, putting his hands on Live's shoulders and turning her in the opposite direction. "Like now."

"It's less than he deserves," Fred muttered, but followed behind as they made their way back through the castle, using passages when convenient and generally staying away from where they might be seen.

Live was calm enough for her body not to shake with sobs by the time they reached the Fat Lady's portrait. Fred and Lee had put her hood up and glamoured over her Slytherin robes to look like those of Gryffindor. They also wore their hoods up when they entered the commons.

Live made a beeline for the dorm as soon as they were in there, and Lee followed slower behind her, removing his hood when Kara demanded they pay attention to her.

"Geez Kara, peace for one minute would be nice," Lee groused, walking up the stairs and ignoring her confused looks.

"It's all well and good," Fred said with a smile as he removed his own hood, throwing an arm around her shoulder in a carefree manner. She gave him a frown in misunderstanding. "You can come up and join us later," he added with a smirk and a wink, giving her back a pat.

Kara watched as he too ascended the stairs, and thought a moment. Then she looked about the not-so-empty common room, and started to take mental stock. Hermione was confiscating ear-biting earmuffs from some second years; two seventh years were discussing holiday plans on the couch; Kelena had just gone to see Tonks, and generally people were minding their own businesses.

She put her finger to her lips in thought. So it _had_ been Live who'd come in with them. She hadn't taken too much notice as the three of them had their hoods up and she had on Gryffindor robes. But why?

Kara quickly dashed up the stairs, knocking over one of the second years Hermione hadn't pulled out of her path in time.

oOo

Live was shaking, sitting on George's bed. She was still crying, but her whole body was shaking from fear. "…I'm going to be in so much trouble….they'll kick me out for sure…"

"Shut up, Live. No they won't," Fred told her with a frown.

She felt like a monster for what she'd done. It was so barbaric. She'd gone as far past the line as they had with her, and she hated herself for that. She couldn't face herself. "They will…My whole family will be shamed when they find out…God what I did…" Punishment she could take. She believed in an eye for an eye. But the shame…She couldn't handle the shame. It hadn't been a fair fight.

"No one's going to find out," Lee reassured.

She shook her head, still shaking. She barely had control on her vocal cords. "He'll tell…he'll definitely tell."

"He won't tell for the same reason you wouldn't," Fred promised. She looked up for his magical answer to her problems. He gave her a smirk. "You sure shamed the hell out of him. You think he'll tell people that he got thrashed by a wandless girl? No one would believe that."

That caused her to cry even more, and he felt like he should keep his mouth shut.

Lee gave her a pat. "Don't worry about it. I saw…Those cuts weren't too deep. He won't go to Madam Pomfrey." Though there were a lot of them. Quite a lot. He wouldn't be surprised if there were one-hundred in total. Malfoy's robes were shredded.

Live looked up at Lee in fear. "What if he goes to Snape?!" That thought made her panic. Her Head of House had promised that the perpetrators of her attack would be dealt with accordingly. She knew he was on terms with the Malfoys. Would he stand by her if pressured by them? If Malfoy went to Snape…"I can't stay here," Live spoke, getting up off the bed and searching for Henry in the sheets.

"Live just wait a minute--"

"--Okay what the bugger is going on?!" Kara demanded as she flung open the door in all her glory. She stood in the doorway with her hands on hips. Lee wondered how in the hell it was so easy for her to break through their wards.

Kara and her sister looked at one another for a moment before Live went back to feverishly looking for her pygmy puff. "…I'm leaving, Kara."

Kara's face took on an utterly confused expression. Live had tears on her face. "Leaving?" Fred pulled Kara further into the room and secured the door behind her. Live found Henry and was now under George's bed looking for other things as Lee tried to make her stop. "You're going back to _your_ commons? I don't think you should…"

"I'm leaving the castle, Kara," Live said from under the bed. Lee was bent over, looking at her beneath the mattress trying to coax her with reason. He kept patting her back but she wouldn't come out, still searching for things that hadn't been organized yet.

Kara shot a death glare at Fred. "_What in the hell happened_?"

"We didn't do anything!" Fred affirmed.

Kara shot a glare to Lee, which went wasted as his head was also beneath George's bed, trying to reason with Live. A few choice words met Kara's ears and her frown deepened, a shiver going up her spine. "What did you do? What did _he _do…?"

Live's head popped out from beneath the bed. Her eyes were red. A bit too red from just crying, noticeable enough that it wasn't from just crying. A warning went off in Kara's mind. Live wiped her eyes with the back of the hand that was holding Henry, her other hand holding a corked potion beaker. A shiver went up her back. "He didn't do anything…I-I was going to kill Malfoy." She didn't meet her sister's eyes. Didn't raise them at all. She felt too ashamed.

The room was silent. Live sniffed once, and stood from the floor, setting her pygmy puff and the potion bottle on the bed. Henry started hopping about as Live tried to gather her thoughts.

"The hell he didn't _do _anything! It sure looked liked he tried by the time we got there!" Fred told her.

Silent tears rolled down Live's face. She had been so afraid of what he might do to her, or what he might try to finish that was started in the forest. Within the castle she was supposed to be far safer. It didn't seem that way. Now she was afraid of herself.

"He's not going to die from those wounds, Live," Lee told her. _Unless he bleeds out_, Lee thought to himself.

"He deserves a lot worse for what he's done to you, and what his family's done," Fred agreed.

Live looked at him, her heart beating a bit faster. How much did he know? What had George told him? Did he know the full details of her attack? Of the purpose of the attack? She was so ashamed that that had happened, and from what had almost happened. She didn't want anyone to know.

Fred looked like he realized he'd said something he shouldn't have. His cheeks reddened a bit but he kept the same righteous expression on his face.

"I have to leave. If he tells anyone--"

"He won't," Fred interrupted stubbornly.

"--I couldn't take it. What I've done is so shameful!" The circumstances which had brought about her slicing into Malfoy were shameful as well. What he might have done to her--

"What _he's_ done is shameful, you dumbass!" Kara spouted. Lee and Fred looked between the two sisters. Live gave her sister a sorrowful frown. Kara knew who was behind the attack that had splattered blood all over the snow. She knew that the Malfoys knew about the prophecy surrounding her older sister. And she knew that her sister was a very changed person after she had been subjugated by then. Live never took defeat easily, even if it were by two grown men and a coward. Any defeat was catastrophic in her mind. "Did you forget that we were going to get revenge on them together?! He's a moron if he tried to do something again! And what's more cowardly is that he's attacking you at all! I don't care if you're older than him or not, or if anyone told him to, but a boy should never attack a girl!"

"…Malfoy wasn't alone," Fred provided Kara aside. She gaped at him. He felt she needed to know that. "His stupid friends….but they couldn't do anything anyways."

Kara gave Live a completely bewildered expression. "Were Crabbe and Goyle with him?!"

Lee nodded to Kara, and offered Live a slight smile. They were trying to make her see that though what she might have done was horrible, it was justified, necessary, and wouldn't have come about if they hadn't been up to wickedness.

"Oh, to _fuck_ with this," Kara resolutely said, rolling up her robes sleeves and retrieving her wand from within her robes. Fred got between her and the door.

"Where in the hell do you think _you're_ going?"

She didn't answer him, but turned back to her sister, who was gaping. "Outnumbered?! You were _outnumbered,_ _without a wand_, and you feel bad about defending yourself? Did you castrate the bastard because if you didn't then you didn't do nearly enough!" Kara turned back to the door, and Fred, and gave him a glare. "Move."

Fred shook his head. When Kara was in this mood, he was reminded how very much alike she and her sister were. Live was a Slytherin, and largely her Slytherin side was at the surface where it belonged. Kara on the other hand had a side that slept, and it rarely ever awoke. When that happened, the two of them were dangerous.

"Kara," Live started, but she was cut off.

"Are you stupid or something, Live? Did you lose your brain with your wand?"

Live was taken aback. Snape had asked something similar just a while before. "He-he left a blood trail! You don't think that's bad?? It was overkill! You don't use a sledgehammer to swat a fly!" she said, and slightly wondered at her own words. Had she been so understanding the first time she was attacked? Was she going to defend until they succeeded in their objectives? She suddenly felt a little stupid. She still didn't like it.

"You're still a super-charged battery, remember?" Kara reminded of the words Live had told her. "Your magic is still nuts, but for that I'm glad. At least you were able to protect yourself. You think George would be happy if you left? Do you _want_ Malfoy to have you? That will probably happen if your fool ass decides to go off on your own!" Lee and Fred cleared their throats. Live blinked wet lashes and looked at the floor. Kara took a breath, anger flowing through her. She wondered how extensive the damage her sister had done to Malfoy was. It bothered her immensely that the strong image she held of her sister was reduced to this. She didn't even ask any of them for help. That bothered her. "Sometimes you think too much like a Slytherin…"

They were all quiet. The tension in the room was thick. Live sat back down on the bed, still looking at the floor. She wouldn't be going anywhere.

"_If_ Malfoy tells-- which I can guarantee he won't for the disgrace of it all- it would be _them_ who are the cads, Live," Fred told her.

"Three guys against an unarmed girl? No one would stand for that," Lee added comfortingly. "You're not thinking clearly. You think they'd want such cowardly actions acknowledged by the school? They would be turned out."

"They're scum," Fred agreed.

"I'm no better for what I've done," Live muttered. "I went too far."

"You didn't kick when they were down, Live. I don't know what you did exactly, but if you didn't castrate the bastard, then you still haven't done enough," Kara said stolidly. She puffed out her chest as she looked at her sister. "I'm proud of you." Live gave her a look that thought her insane. Kara looked determined. "You were outnumbered and out-wanded, but you turned them into the prey. It'll make them think twice on messing with anyone." Live looked at her, unconvinced.

"…they'll kick me out of school if he says anything…His….His father is still a governor…" She still feared retribution through the normal avenues, even if she had had to get even on _their level_. She didn't want to bring shame upon her family for being what she held akin to a bully. She was far too violent in her defense, she felt. She wasn't proud in her triumph over them. There was no honor in that defeat. It was a horrible situation.

Kara rolled her eyes. "You're like the lion fearing the lion tamer's whip," she told her Slytherin sister. "You're a _lion_. Why on earth would you fear a puny man with a whip? You've probably done future favors to others they might pick on who _can't_ help themselves. Think about that. You told me how Slytherin House is. What will they do to younger years when _they're_ seventh years? I can't be everywhere at once, you know."

Live didn't look wholly convinced, but she looked less panicked. Kara had a point. "I hate what I've done."

"That's because you're human," Lee told her. She gave him a frown. "That's where you and they differ." She looked away. _Her and them_. She thought she was no better than them for what she'd done. "At least you can regret. I don't think Malfoy's ever been sorry for anything in his whole life."

"Don't do anything stupid or rash, Live," Kara told her, herself much calmed down. Malfoy would get his if he crossed her path but once in the coming days. And his family was still powerful. Kara wondered if him attacking her sister had been an order from his father or if he'd been acting on his own. "If for any reason anything bad _does_ happen, we'll hide you."

Live gave her a look for her absurd statement.

"Yeah," Fred agreed with a jovial tone. "After all, you're already an honorary sister," he said with mock distaste. Lee gave her a poke and a smile ghosted her face. Fred looked down at her with a shrug. "George would thrash me _and_ Lee if we didn't look out for you."

Kara frowned. "And what am _I_? Chopped liver?"

Fred pointed at her. "You can handle yourself. You're a Gryffindor. This one-" he threw his thumb back towards Live, "-needs all the re-training we can give her."

Lee offered her a smile. "Sorry but Gryffindors are a nosy lot. We're all in each other's business and once invested in it we can't butt-out."

Live thought about that. That was one of the main differences between her house and theirs. Slytherins were very self-interested, ambitious individuals. It made them super-focused on their own needs and desires, and was also one of the reasons that so many became successes in what they did. It also made it hard to ask for help when they needed it, and also taught them not to rely upon others. The means to an end was not always pretty.

She felt a bout of self-pity hit her. Slytherins led a very lonely existence in getting what they wanted. She had hid her Ministry letter from George. That just about made the point, didn't it? But he'd pointed out how unacceptable that was. She should share her joys and her pains with him. That was part of the reason she was so attracted to him. He was so giving of himself, and threw himself fully into her life. He loved and was loved by his large family. When he was with her, he made his business _their_ business. She realized that she envied the closeness his family shared, but that she also wanted to be a part of it and devoted fully to George.

Lee had made a valid point. Her way of thinking was a bit closed-minded. She didn't even realize her mind was so narrow. There was valid flaw in the way she looked at the world.

"Now as helpful as they might have been trying to be, those Gryffindor robes just don't suit you, Live," Kara told her sister. She came and butted her way between Lee and Live, and took both her sister's shoulders as she sat next to her. "And you look like crap. Let's get you in the tub."

Fred pointed an accusing finger at Kara. "Oi, it's just a glamour spell!"

"Boys wouldn't know the first thing about glamour…" Kara spouted to her sister, taking her into the bathroom to get her cleaned up. As the water was running and the door shut, Lee and Fred both let out sighs of relief.

"He wouldn't actually say anything, would he?" Lee voiced his concern to Fred.

"Not to the teachers, and not to anyone who might talk," Fred thought aloud. "Snape on the other hand….I don't know. I think that idiot will be able to take care of those cuts himself, and he'd have a hard time convincing Madam Pomfrey that he took a romp through thorn brush."

Lee snorted. "I can't believe she did that without a wand."

"Maybe that's why the Death Eaters want her," Fred supposed, coming to sit on his own bed.

They were unaware that Dumbledore had told Live her magic was only so explosive because of George. They knew she had leeched magic from him, which was why he was in the hospital wing in the first place, but that was about all. Kara, on the other hand, knew all the details, though that was information only between sisters.

"Malfoy's father is the one I would worry about," Lee said. "You think the git would go running to daddy about this?"

"That's anyone's guess," Fred replied with a wry look.

Lee sighed. It was going to make his job of keeping an eye on Live a lot more involved than he'd assumed.

oOo

Hur hur, long wait for chapter is long D: Sorry guys! I actually have about 20pgs of the next chap already done. I would have kept going but that would have been one helluva long chapter. Also, at least there is a next chapter being written already, right? :D Haha I wish I had more time. Getting through these drains me XD

Like always, wanna bitch at me, keep up with me, etc. I'm always about on the interwebs XD I'll get back to you if you contact me, either here via reviews, messages, emails, yada yada yada! I'm on twitter! Whut whut! Bwahaha! Get on my dA artsite, I have _everything_ there. Tee hee.

Anywho, my blonde ass is so busy with things, I'm updating this and then on to other things I have to do XD My show is on tonight, so gotta go twitter that and everything else, haha. Make sure people remember to watch ;D hee hee. Anywho, love you all and thanks for reading! I'll try to go sooner than 6months for the next update, HAHA! Shame shame shame on me. I'll try to make it July :D Let me know if you guys need anything! Loves!!

T. Vaughn S.

FireValkyrie


	57. Liberation

_Long. Freakin. Chapter. Hope you all enjoy my gift before the premier, HA! ;D My film career is progressing at a crazy speed. I'm actually a little scared D: My schooling hasn't prepared me for any of this. I can't go into the things we'll soon be doing due to legal purposes, but they're big, they're juicy, and I didn't think I'd be handling music scandals so quickly on in this business. I have been teaching myself at a scary pace (I don't have the luxury of not being able to do these things), but boy howdy am I learning quick (because I have no other option but to know and know NOW HAHA!) D: oh dear. I should be getting my bachelor's degree in film come May 2010 (should be done by Christmas and the ceremony is in May, and god willing, I want to travel Europe between January and April when I'll have the only 'free-time' of my life. HAHA better start looking for hostels and places to crash nao XD). _

_Keep up with me on my art site for randomness (link in bio). I'm a loudmouth and update that crap like near-daily, and post pervy fanartz and talk with friendz and generally be a nuisance :O haha! _

_Luv, FireV._

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers_  
by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 57: Liberation

It was well over a week since George had been put in the hospital wing. And several tense days since Live had wounded Malfoy. She was utterly frightened that he'd tell someone what she had done, but so far there wasn't so much as a whisper of fault in her direction, and no noticeable hints had reached her ears. Fred and Lee had done their best to assure her that people would be too pumped up over going home for the holidays and partying the last few days of classes to care about Malfoy even if they'd seen what she'd done. Wounds weren't so uncommon in Slytherin House anyway, though they were more commonly the inflictors of such. As Live still didn't venture out on her own, she had to take their word for it.

"Even if anyone _did_ see him in that state," Fred had speculated, "the little ferret wouldn't name _you _as the reason. His pride would never allow it."

Live wasn't entirely convinced but she thrived on the possibility that no one would learn of how sadistically she'd hurt Malfoy, and by virtue of that, learn the reason of _why_ she had done it. She didn't want to be seen as a victim for any reason. She was well tired of that. And she was more concerned over her reputation than the actions she'd taken.

Kara had more than convinced her that what she had done would no doubt benefit the future, and in retrospect to some of the stories she'd heard and things she had witnessed since entering Slytherin House, she was convinced. Not all Slytherins went bad, but over the years if bad behavior went completely unchecked, it made for an entirely rotten person by graduation. And by virtue of being a Slytherin, bad behavior-- unless caught- _did_ go unchecked. It was just pre-emptive damage-control on her part. That was what Kara chalked it up to anyway. His matter was settled and all Live had to do was keep her magic in check a bit longer and try for semblance of normality amongst other students. He wouldn't be bothering her again, Kara assured.

"You just have to last the rest of the week 'til everyone goes home! Think you can do it? Though I know being normal already comes hard for you…" Kara had said with a chocolately smile of encouragement. Live wasn't sure, but she would sure as hell try. She had more worries than Malfoy's telling on her mind.

Her grades, for one, were suffering. While most professors had been rather understanding and allowed her to take make-ups at another time, Snape was someone she could not disappoint. She had little under three weeks to turn in a potion suitable to be presented to the Ministry of Magic, or he would fail her. She had no idea how that would be possible even if she did have a wand as there were bits and parts of her potion that she still didn't have fully perfected. Kara suggested she attend the last week of classes at the very least, to get her mind back on schoolwork and off all the rather horrid distractions she was facing of late. Besides, in most cases the classes would be lax due to the upcoming holidays, so she wouldn't be under any pressure, wand or not. And she had already proved she could be formidable, though it would be beneficial to not put herself in those kinds of situations. Live had to admit she couldn't much fight that logic. And it would help to distract her from worrying over George if she tried to immerse herself back into the student body.

So as she agreed to attempt to get back to normalcy, Lee made it his business to escort Live to class the last few days before term ended for the holidays. People would be going home soon, and the castle would empty until the new year. He was glad for that at least. Until George woke his unconscious bum up, Lee would keep an eye on Live for him just like he'd promised. And once everyone went home for the holidays, there would be a lot less stress in that task.

In his seven years at Hogwarts, rarely did Lee see Slytherins stay behind during the holidays. Their house was filled with the sons and daughters of aristocrats and purebloods. They wouldn't think to leave their children in Hogwarts when they could go away for the holidays. The winter parties and gatherings were highly political and not always festive. It was important for the families to be together, but for different reasons.

Not that Slytherin House was special from the rest. Most of the student body went home when given the leave. It was time to be with family and relax away from teachers. Though most students would choose home than staying at the castle for their holidays, the ones that _did_ stay had run of the castle to themselves. Sometimes it could be lonely, but other times it was fun enough. There was still curfew and school rules generally still applied, but Lee could remember a few times he'd snuck away to the Ravenclaw dorms to be with a sweetheart who had stayed at school for that reason alone. Sometimes it paid to stay at school. Totally worth it.

But that time was still days away. Another school week, even with the approaching holidays and general festiveness, was still there to get through. The halls were packed with students trying to get in last minute papers and cram for final tests, though generally minds were elsewhere and not at all on their studies. There was a festive cheer throughout the halls of Hogwarts, though it didn't reach everyone…

Live was drawing squiggles on her parchment in charms, not paying attention to the lesson at hand. She was so far behind and had tomes worth of reading to catch up with, so there was not much point to trying to fully grasp what was going on. And she was still reeling from the horrible weekend she'd spent in George's bed. Nightmares, cold sweats, and waking up only to realize that she still had something to fear in Malfoy were leading to restlessness. And that George was indeed still hospitalized only made it worse. It was going to be a horrible Christmas.

"You want to skive off potions and get pissed on butterbeer?" Lee suggested as they left the charms classroom, trying to make her perk up though he knew she would never accept the offer. She was in far too dour a mood, though grateful that professor Flitwick was understanding of everything considering her person.

"No…I…Professor Snape expects me to be there….and I can't risk pissing him off again."

Lee shrugged as he led her through the crowd to potions. He hated these odd holiday schedules. With potions usually first thing in the morning, they never had to fight through crowds. This nonsense almost made them late to class.

As they walked in the door, Live's stomach dropped as she spotted her seat, and sitting in the seat next to it was, of course, Putterly. She felt loathing rise up in her and almost turned right back around to walk out the door regardless of consequences, though Lee was a roadblock behind her. She frowned heavily and steeled herself, looking away when Putterly looked up, and she had a miniature panic attack in wondering if he would try to speak with her or not as they were walking to take their seats. She wasn't sure she wouldn't smack him right in his face for fighting with George, if not lose it and slug him one herself. Though she knew it had been her magic that had leeched George, Putterly's row with the Gryffindor had been the straw that broke the camel's back.

Lee marched Live right past her usual potions desk and to the back of the room. He put his book bag down and pulled out her chair for her, indicating that this was her new place in the class. He got dirty looks from the usual background dwellers who had been ousted and had to sit up front, but he didn't care, and threw them a winning smirk. It took an incredible amount of control just for him and Putterly to be in the same room. He had skived off potions fully after George had been injured and thus had been absent quite a few sessions, but it was necessary to be here this last week of classes. He wasn't happy about it either.

Lee plopped into his own chair and removed items from his bag. Live was breathing heavily from the surprise, though he tried not to draw his attention to it. He gathered that she had grown to loathe Putterly for what he had done to George. He didn't know the half of it.

"Thanks," Live murmured very softly, sitting behind her book bag that was propped up like a fortress wall before her. It hid her person from the nose down. She had been absent from class so long that her presence definitely garnered notice from the rest of her classmates. Putterly himself looked back several times, and Lee met him with a threatening glare for each offense. Unlike Fred, he hadn't gotten a chance to take out frustrations on the bugger.

As Snape entered the room, it grew silent as it was wont to do, and he went behind his desk as was his usual routine. Looking up, he paused a moment in seeing Live's blonde head at the back of his class. It came as two minor surprises to him: one, that she was out of place from her usual spot in his classroom, and two, that she was even there at all. He had not fully expected it, even if he had not personally excused her this week. If he cared at all that she was there, he did not show it. He went about his lesson plans after that, and regardless of the holidays, it was a very routine session.

Lee gathered up his things after class ended. For Live, it had been a frustrating class period. She had no wand and found herself highly useless, and this in itself frustrated her though it made her all the more grateful to be at the back of the room. She took a multitude of notes and listened to everything Snape had said, blocking out the glances her classmates threw her every now and again, and completely ignored Putterly's presence. She had cut up things for Lee for the potion they were working on, and had tried to make herself useful, though she came out of the experience feeling downtrodden. She had heard snickers during class as they brewed. She had no doubt they were aimed at her and her lack of usual prowess.

"Let's go," Lee prompted, thinking a quick exit was best so she wouldn't have to wait on Putterly to leave first, and also so he might not wallop the prick in passing. She nodded and followed after him, her things already well-packed away. They passed Snape's desk, and she chanced a glance at him. She wished she hadn't as he returned the look.

"Miss Hunter, welcome back."

She stopped at his address and furrowed her brow. Was he making fun of her? Was he pointing out just how absent she'd been? He surely couldn't honestly be welcoming her back to class. She took it for him pointing out her lack of attendance there of. "I'm…sorry, sir?"

"Do not forget that you have considerable work ahead of you, and I will not tolerate late projects."

She realized she was letting her mouth hang open like an idiot at his succinct reminder, and closed it with a nod. He removed his attention from her in dismissal, and she went back to Lee with minor confusion.

"Was he mad at you?" Lee asked with genuine puzzlement as they walked away, upset to have been delayed. Though Putterly had high-tailed it out of there so there hadn't been incident. Lee imagined he got the clue.

"I'm not sure," Live said with bewilderment. "I don't think so?"

"Count your blessings I guess…" he muttered, surprised himself that Snape hadn't set down any special jibes at him today while brewing. Either the man was going soft for the holidays, or he was slowly losing it. Lee's vote was with the latter. "Well, it's lunch. Want to eat? Kara told me to return you to her."

"Hmph. I'm not a book." Lee grinned at that. Live looked up as if something had caught her attention, and noticed down the hall that Putterly was looking right at her. She was looking back, but frowned and looked away, taking a hold of Lee's robe. She wasn't ready to cross that bridge yet and would be happier to never see Putterly's face again. She could only tackle so many hurtles at a time. "I think I'd rather go back to the Tower."

Lee raised a brow and looked down the hall. His eyes scanned for signs of Malfoy or distress, but he didn't see anything that might have upset her. He shrugged and decided to take her back. "Alright."

oOo

The next day came a lot easier to her. It might have had something to do with Kara wrapped around her that morning that Live had no desire to stay in her bed. She'd been exhausted the previous night and had spent hours trying to will her magic to do what she wanted it to. She'd had no luck, unless piles of glass that had previously been bottles had been her intent. There were formulas she'd re-written that she hadn't gotten a chance to test and Snape's words had egged her on. But she'd had no break in controlling her magic without a wand. And she had no idea when her sister had snuck into her bed or octopused around her. She would make Kara help her with her work for that intrusion.

Lee took her to class yet again, and while she moped about how useless it was for her to be there other than to take notes, he kept reminding her that her attitude wouldn't get her any closer to proficiency at wandless magic. He suggested that if she got a good enough handle on it, Dumbledore would allow her to retake a wand. Frankly she would have done so already if it were so easy. One couldn't simply mail-order a wand. And there were no extras just lying around with those she knew. She would need special clearance to go and pick out a new one with Mr. Ollivander. Trying to do so in secret was just foolish, even she knew. Not to mention risky if the Death Eaters still had a mind to take her. She wouldn't attempt leaving the castle walls for anything again. Not by her volition.

Lee had hospital period with Madam Pomfrey, but he promised he'd be back to take Live to her next class when hers let out. It was awkward for him sometimes as he assisted Madam Pomfrey. There was very little he could do about or for George, and otherwise he had normal duties and things to learn from her as he assisted in various medical tasks.

Mrs. Weasley was present most of the time he was there, knitting beside her son's bed, and she'd given off from constantly crying a few days ago. Fred was in there often enough that he gave her more than enough to yell about in distractions. And when _he_ couldn't take any more of his mother's chastisement (or worse, when Madam Pomfrey got in on it) then he offered up Ron or Ginny as replacements. What they were doing out of class or how they got away with it, Lee had no idea, but that Mrs. Weasley put up with it settled his mind.

He couldn't think of anything else to say to Mrs. Weasley. George showed no improvement. However, Madam Pomfrey assured that the fissures in his magic were indeed closing. It just wasn't something physically noticeable. Putterly hadn't done that much physical damage to George in the first place during their duel, but he was pale as if he was sickly. It was just frustrating that they couldn't see anything wrong with him and therefore had no indication of when he would wake up. It made Lee wish his hospital duties would end all the sooner for the lack he felt he was doing (and for the fight of temptation to join in Fred's suggestions to draw on his sleeping twin's face). At least he was keeping an eye on Live for George like he'd promised. He felt like he was doing something for the other seventh year at least. Aside from turning his person into graffiti.

Live on the other hand couldn't _wait_ for Lee to come get her. Of all the classes she _should _have skived off, History of Magic was one that was certainly more than acceptable. Thinking it would be a class she could spend most of her time in constructive thought had been a mistake. It was as if the ghostly professor had managed to suck the life right out of his class.

She had spent most the period half asleep in the back of class when a paper crane someone had made floated past her. Professor Binns certainly didn't notice it, or any of the other planes, bats, and stars floating about the classroom from festive students. She was watching the flight pattern with her eyes, and a thought and a smirk came to her as she mimed shooting the crane down with her finger. It burst into flame and the ashes floated down like gray snow onto the head of another sleeping sixth year. She sat up as the maker of the crane whined and went about making another. Other people followed in her example and began taking shots at the various items floating about class without the ghostly professor taking one whiff of notice. The room was soon snowing ash.

Live looked about her, knowing she was responsible for the crane's spontaneous combustion. It was the one trick she was rather proficient at doing, she suddenly realized. She had once combusted one for Kara inside George's dorm for fun. Both without a wand, and without words. She hadn't realized at the time that it might be key in teaching herself to get a handle on things without a wand, but now it seemed quite significant. Wordless magic was hard, wandless magic even harder, but this was a trick she could do!

Gathering up her book bag, she slung it over her shoulder and proceeded straight out the door without a thought to pretense. It livened things up for the students who were half asleep, wondering what in the world they themselves were still doing sitting there when she had walked right out obviously too bored to stay. Professor Binns certainly didn't notice that she had left. One by one throughout the session, students disappeared. Come end of class, there wouldn't be a single student left to dismiss.

Live was smirking to herself as she walked, a good mood filling her for the first time in a long while. She had found the key she needed to try and open the door to controlling her magic. She just had to push herself to do it, that was all. George would be so proud of her if he could see, she just knew. She would have to show him once he was out of hospital. Once he woke up.

She dampened her own good mood, mellowed by thoughts of George. She wanted to see his mother and apologize, but she was still too much of a coward. Fred had threatened days ago to clock her one-- even if she was a girl- if she told him she was sorry for what her magic had done to George even one more time. It wasn't her fault. That's what all his siblings were telling her. She thought different, but she had stopped voicing it. Ginny had actually clasped a hand over Live's mouth and told her that there would be no more of that. Live held onto a hope that Mrs. Weasley would forgive her as quickly, even if it was a selfish hope and one she wouldn't expect to deserve.

"Oh all people I thought I wouldn't see before term ended!" a voice declared loudly as Live was spotted in the hallway, halted in crossing a perpendicular corridor. Vivian Monteclaire trotted over to her and embraced her as if she hadn't seen her in ages, which-- as they were usually accustomed to seeing each other every day-- might have very well been true. "Where the hell have you been?" she asked into Live's hair, hugging her tightly. "_I_ ditched out on magical creatures but I didn't expect to see you about, even during class time." She loosened her hug on her friend to give her a sympathetic look in the eyes. "Hey, I heard, and I'm sorry about George…But he'll be okay, you know? He's a Gryffindor after all. And you know how bloody hard it is to get them down."

Live halfheartedly smirked. Vivian didn't know the full details of George's incapacitation. Live wanted it to stay that way. "I know. I've been sort of keeping to myself. I've been sick," Live told Vivian, a smile plastered on her face as both girls looked at one another.

Vivian held her at arm's length and raised a brow. "It's nothing I can get, right?" She grinned before Live could answer. "But so you're staying in Gryffindor with_out_ him there?" Vivian raised her brow again in speculation to what must have been an _incredibly _odd thing for her to wrap her mind around. She had been out of the loop far too long for her gossip-loving nature. And with George currently out of the picture, Vivian was wondering why she hadn't seen more of her friend. "Why aren't you back with us? You wouldn't _believe_ how cocky Becca's been lately. I think her dark side has finally awoken. It took six years but it's here and it's not going back." Vivian snickered, and it caused Live to genuinely smirk. It was so like old times. Just like old times.

"Kara's making me stay in the Gryffindor Tower," Live lied through her teeth. "Forcing me to help her with potions and whatnot…Though I'm sure Becca is in all likelihood in a wicked mood because you and Pucey are as pervy as ever…"

Vivian's look suddenly sunk. Live's brow knit together. Had she said something wrong? "We had a fight." Vivian gave Live a sort of somber look. "…I've been sleeping alone all weekend…and still…"

Live had to put one of Kara's suggestions to rest. "…You guys aren't, like, doing it in my bed while I'm not there, are you?"

"What? Ew Live, no. That's like….that'd be weird." She sort of snickered. "We do it in his bed if I have anything to say about it…" She grinned mischievously. "It gets him hot knowing his roommates are in the room." She giggled with a forlorn smile as Live's face turned red. This was news to her ears. "Hey it's not like we don't put wards all around the bed! I don't want his roomies peeking or anything!" Live's face was positively hot. Vivian's expression turned haughty. "Don't knock it 'til you try it yourself my darling dear."

Live made a face at her suggestion. "Vivian, his twin brother shares the same room!"

Vivian raised a brow, not looking put-off. "Kinky." Live snorted as Vivian linked arms with her and dragged her down the hall until they came to one of the open courtyards that was covered in snow. She deemed it a suitable enough spot to sit and chat. Vivian was kind enough to cast cushioning and warming charms before they both hopped up onto the divider ledge to sit on the stone wall. It was cold and white and quiet as the castle was mostly in class sessions. The air was chilled but they were warm where they sat. Live felt utterly at peace.

"So….you two knockin' boots yet yourself?" Vivian asked, keeping the discussion away from her and Pucey.

Live rolled her eyes at her friend. "You don't see me in what feels like ages….and that's the _first _thing you want to know?" She rolled her eyes but answered herself beneath her breath. "But of course it is. I'm fine by the way. Battling dragons and chimera in my spare time, been helping Hagrid to breed a new species of super-blast-ended-skrewt. I was recently up for election for Minister of Magic but I turned it down because, you know, paperwork. So we hushed that one up so it's alright if you didn't hear about that. But nothing out of the ordinary for me otherwise. Thank you so much for asking Vivvie. How have you been?"

Vivian gave her a wry smirk. "So nothing out of the ordinary to report?"

Live rolled her eyes. There actually was a wealth of _real_ info she could give her friend about how much her life had changed or what things she had learned. But this wasn't the place, and she still was not free with such sensitive information about herself. "Goodness you are a sex fiend Vivvie. They have potions for people like you."

Vivian looked a bit sad though Live was trying to lightheartedly tease. The other sixth-year Slytherin was affected by her spat with Pucey far more than she was letting on. "I'm cut off, Live," Vivian related with a pout. She sighed and looked out at the snow. "It might be all well and good if you've _never _had any, but I _need_ it. You have no idea how much stress I've been under lately. And we're not speaking." Live smirked at her friend's sexual frustration and distress. Vivian gave her a side glance. "I guess that _does _mean you two aren't doing it yet…Full, anyway. Nothing out of the ordinary there."

Live leaned her head back against the stone she was sitting against. She offered Vivian a sort of sad smile. "No Vivian, for the last time." She offered her a sort of wistful smirk. "There's an awful lot you can do _without _doing it you know. So don't treat me like a prude." Vivian grinned and nodded in agreement and Live sort of smiled. She couldn't be anywhere near George, but she would give anything just to be in his arms. "And I told you, I will officially owl both you and Becca when we _do _do it. I'll also make sure it's put in The Prophet."

Vivian giggled. "It _would _make a nice Christmas gift to share you know." She wriggled her eyebrows lasciviously at her friend. "I can't think of anything better than shagging away Christmas."

Live snorted. Not at the suggestion, but because it was her thought exactly. "It kind of makes thing's difficult when he's in the hospital wing, Vivvie."

The other sixth year gave her friend a sympathetic look and put her hand on her knee. "I'm sorry, Live. And not just for the no bed-boogie part." Live rolled her eyes with a weak smile. "You want me to go with you to visit him? I heard his mum and dad were there pretty often. Maybe….You want company visiting?"

"Nah, it's alright," Live told her for different reasons, thinking she had to speak with Mrs. Weasley herself at least at some point. It was cowardice on her part but she didn't want an audience to what would no doubt be guilty apologies on her part. "It's hard to be in the same room with his family."

Vivian frowned. "Are they awful to you? Because you're a Slytherin? I know their family's been Gryffindor for _years_ but I wouldn't think…"

Live gave a sort of contrary smile. "That has nothing to do with any of it. They've been kind to me. I mean, I am going to marry their son." Vivian gave an excited squeal at the mention, though she was already privy to the info. "I promise I'll invite you to the wedding, by the way," Live reminded with a smirk.

"Ooooh that's so exciting! I still can't believe you're engaged," she said with a dreamy look. Her expression turned somber, and Live knew it was no doubt due to thoughts of Pucey. "So…What's the problem then?"

The silence of the hallways began to break. Kids were being let out of classes. Sparse few went past the two sixth year Slytherins sitting on the ledge, but didn't pay them too much mind. The halls would be full again soon and snowballs would be flying for those who couldn't keep a lid on their Christmas cheer.

Live watched a pair of Ravenclaws walk past until they were out of her sight. She lowered her voice as she spoke to Vivian. "Viv, it's kind of my fault he's in the hospital wing to begin with…"

"Live! Where in the name of Godric Gryffindor have you been?? Lee's been having kittens trying to find you!!" Live and Vivian both turned at the aggravated voice that echoed down the hall and caught the attention of several students passing. Live smirked as she caught the bushy hair of Hermione making her way towards her, students parting like the Red Sea for the prefect. She looked out of breath and frazzled but relieved.

Live gave her a grin. She wondered where the girl had just come from. She hoped she hadn't run all the way from class. Or knowing Lee, from the Tower. "I've been right here with Vivian, safe. Shit I'm sorry….I should have told Lee I ditched." She realized that with everything going on, and how Lee insisted he had to be her escort (or else it would be Kara to reckon with), that her up and leaving without notice was irresponsible.

Hermione looked self-chastised at Live's apology. She gave the other Slytherin girl a look and a quick "hi" out of manners before turning back to Live. "Well, I'll let him know you're alright. Stay put okay? You….We were really worried."

Live smirked. Before she had been ambushed by Vivian, she was headed back to Gryffindor Tower. That detour apparently had made the fifth year Gryffindor before her quite nervous. With the current state of things, she hoped they hadn't thought Malfoy had pulled something again. She wouldn't blame them for jumping to conclusions. "Thanks." She racked some of Hermione's panic up to her lack of spell work. She'd have to work hard at it to de-stress them all. If she could protect herself without anything becoming too serious, like it had with Malfoy, then they wouldn't worry so much about her.

"She can take care of herself," Vivian spouted to the bushy-haired fifth year. "For a girl, Live has balls."

Hermione looked startled at such a statement while Live gave Vivian a smack and laughed. Live didn't think she was so strong, but Vivian thought she was something else. "I'll stay put," Live agreed, and Hermione went off presumably in search of Lee. She would have gone with had Hermione requested it, even wondered why she did not, but the fifth year witch was wise in knowing that Live frankly did not get out to see her friends much anymore. Or really do anything much she had since her wand being taken. No doubt this was something she needed.

"I have to admit, I'm surprised they're taking such good care of you," Vivian told her blonde friend, watching her in interest.

"Oh?"

"I don't mean anything by it," Vivian quickly corrected with a smirk. "I mean…well if it was a Gryffindor in Slytherin I don't think they'd last a day….maybe with the exception of George, though we were never really public with that…Is it true you come and go as you please??"

Live nodded and laughed at Vivian's amazed expression. It was a hard concept for the other girl to understand. "It kind of helps when family and friends of family are in that house," Live said. "Though I know….Without George, I don't think they'll put up with me much longer. Oh, I don't mean that his siblings would oust me," Live corrected at seeing Vivian's surprised look. "I mean, there was considerable grief when he brought me in there in the first place. Fred and Lee are nice enough to let me stay on but there _are_ other seventh years who would sooner have me gone. Without him, my reason to be there is invalid and I'm sure they're aware of it. I don't think they'll put up with it much longer. And I won't make things difficult for his brothers and sister."

"Well that's just bollocks it is. And you're certainly the only Slytherin I have ever seen to be dictated to by any Gryffindors." Live laughed at Vivian's fully puzzled expression. "Your sister wasn't even an exception to that rule. It's a shame, really. You've changed so much…." She grinned. "We miss you in our commons, you know."

"I'll survive," Live told her. Vivian smiled. "Are you going home for the holidays?"

"Yeah…I was supposed to be spending the holidays with Pucey's family…but I think I'll be going home instead," Vivian said with a wry look.

"You'll make up," Live told her earnestly.

Vivian shrugged. "How about you?"

Live smirked. "I can't leave George. I'm sure he would have liked to go home for the holidays if not-- Well, I can't go."

"Mm," Vivian agreed. She gave Live a smile. "You know if they kick you out of Gryffindor, you'll have full run of our commons." Her grin caused Live to smile back. "By the end of this week it'll be all yours. Just two days. You know, if you ever get tired of that Gryffindor rabble," she said with a teasing smirk. "Also, me and Becca have been using your bed as extra storage, hanging up clothes and whatnot…so you'll have to get through that." Live grinned. "Will you eat with me and Becca today? Bint's been trying me with this sudden new attitude of hers and I know a kick in the pants from you would put her back in order."

Live laughed. "Surely it's not that bad."

Vivian pouted. "Something's up, but she won't tell me."

"So your world has indeed crumbled without me?" Live teased with a smirk. Vivian grinned. "Maybe she has a secret boyfriend?" Live suggested. Vivian looked shocked.

"Absolutely not! How could she keep something like that a secret?"

Live was laughing. "Maybe it's a sex change then," she corrected with a grin. But Vivian wasn't listening. She was stuck on the possibility that Rebecca finally had a boyfriend.

"Alright Live, you have _got_ to see her today. I can't get information from her the way _you_ can."

Live put her hand to the bridge of her nose with a smile. "Oh dear…You already have me doing your dirty work…"

"It's not funny! What if it _is_ a new boyfriend?? We have to make sure he's good enough for her!!" Live was all laughter. Vivian pouted and got a wry look of determination on her face. "You know, you owe me back-taxes in grilling Becca and with general castle gossip. You've been away far too long."

Live's stomach hurt from laughing. "I promise we'll figure it out!"

Vivian was fixing her with a gimlet eye, her expression one that threatened against Live not helping in interrogating Becca. Her expression changed as her attention was drawn to somewhere behind Live.

"Your bodyguard is here," she said with a grin.

Live directed her attention to the way Vivian was looking to see Lee making his way none-too-discretely through some younger years. He caught her eyes, frowned, but then looked relieved as he pushed a fourth-year Hufflepuff from his path. He got a tongue stuck at him in response.

"You know," he began as he was within earshot, "if you'd wanted to ditch in the first place, you could have let me know." Live smirked at his frazzled appearance as he stood in front of the stone wall, giving Vivian a blaming look before looking back to Live. She didn't know why he'd appointed himself her personal guardian, but she was grateful for a ready escort in and out of Gryffindor Tower. "If I let anything happen to you George would kill me. If Kara didn't have her way with me first."

"Hey Jordan-" Vivian immediately cut in. He raised a brow in her direction. "You don't have a girlfriend, right?"

He gave Live an accusing look, wondering at what they'd been discussing previous to his arrival. He then gave Vivian a great old grin and leaned against the stone between them with his elbow, giving her his full, confident attention. "You and Pucey done with? 'Cuz I'm your man!" He had two thumbs pointed at himself. Vivian gave him a dirty look.

"_No_ me and Pucey are not _done_ with," she hissed with a glare. It was obvious to Live that Lee's statement struck a nerve. It made the blonde smirk. "We need you to do a bit of recon for us."

"What's this 'we'?" Live asked with a grin. "I haven't cleared any of your unholy missions, Vivian."

Lee had a brow raised and looked between both girls. "Is this something fun?"

"It could be," Vivian cajoled with a too-sweet grin. Live shook her head with a smile. Her friends had gotten a lot more comfortable with Gryffindors as of late. Or at least, in ordering them around without worry. She didn't think chatting to Rebecca would require anything Vivian had in mind for Lee.

"I said I'd talk to her," Live reminded with a grin. "Don't drag Lee into your schemes."

Vivian stuck her tongue out at Live. "You _have_ changed." She then grinned with a snicker and hopped off the stone. "Alright then. I suppose I'll see you later!" Live nodded as Vivian took her leave, Lee giving her an encouraging salute, not put off. "Remember your promise, Live!"

"I swear I'll be there to witness you gorging yourself." Vivian flipped Live off as she walked away. It made the blonde grin.

"So what's going on then? I'm sure whatever she needs me for is preferable to what your sister puts me through…even if you say otherwise."

Live smirked. "What an outlook on life, Lee. Since when do you prefer the company of Slytherins to that of Gryffindors? Fred will be scandalized." He gave her a roll of his eyes. "She's still dating Pucey so don't get your hopes up." She smirked and followed as he led the way back to what she presumed would be the Tower, mumbling under his breath the whole time.

There were an awful lot of students about chattering about the holidays as they walked. Live caught tail-ends of conversations about winter plans. It made her feel a bit down.

"You know, his mum keeps asking after you," Lee spoke up after a while. It succeeded in drawing Live's attention and thoughts. "She knows you can't be in there, but I'm sure she'd like to see you just the same."

"I….I know," Live agreed as they walked. She gave a humorless laugh. "I'm trying to work up the courage to see her…"

"Well let me know when you're ready. I'll go with if you want."

While she liked the idea of an escort, she didn't like the idea of an audience to what would no doubt be a pathetic performance on her part. She had no idea except for apologies of what she could possibly say to Mrs. Weasley. "Tomorrow," she steeled herself. "I'll go tomorrow."

"Sounds good then."

oOo

Kara was sitting on the bed, holding Henry the pygmy puff in her lap and chewing some chocolate taffy. She was silently watching her older sister, who was sitting on the floor amidst some books and a bunch of papers, deep in concentration and trying to work her magic on some logs under a miniature cauldron. Her eyes were closed to block out visual stimulation.

Kara's eyes perused the miniature piles of ash on the floor. In the past two hours her Slytherin sister had combusted sixteen paper cranes, five paper airplanes, and a bunch of paper ninja-stars and snowflakes Kara had made from her old potions notes. The time Live had spent between combusting them at will had grown smaller and smaller. In short, things lit up as instantaneously as if she had her wand back. She was getting a feel for the greater task of directing her magic without a wand through this little trick.

Kara made her try to light up larger and larger items. She had settled for giving her sister wooden logs when the sixth year had outrightly refused to catch a library book on fire. Frankly, Kara didn't see fault in destroying _Punitive Punishments and Underage Magickry, Twentieth Edition_. There were nineteen other editions. They'd be doing the world a favor in getting rid of a copy.

Live's even breathing combined with Kara's rhythmic chewing were enough to put the pygmy puff in Kara's lap to sleep, though from time to time it hummed in comfortable pleasure. Kara absentmindedly stroked the fur as she watched and thought, went over what larger things in the room they could destroy without the twins or Lee giving care, when she spoke up to Live.

"If that boils over, I won't help you clean it up," Kara spoke up for the first time in about an hour. She swallowed the sugary mass in her mouth.

Live's eyes popped open. The concoction in the cauldron was bubbling up slowly but surely as the heat below it increased considerably. Live let out a shriek and grabbed a shirt off the floor in place of mitt to pull it off the flames that were indeed under the cauldron, but not supplied by the logs.

As Live searched for somewhere she could set the cauldron without burning a hole in the floor, Kara watched the flames sitting atop the wood. She recognized the spell as portable fire, though this one was containing itself right over its targeted subject. She gave a wry look to the not-burning logs.

Live was cursing beneath her breath as she came back to the logs and the fireball. She frowned looking at it, concentrated on imagining putting the flames out with her hands, but not actually physically touching it. The spell snuffed itself out. "Dammit." She tentatively reached out her fingertips and took testing taps at the wood to test for heat. The logs were indeed hot, but not hot enough. There were some scorch marks but the wood had not actually burnt. She picked one up, tossing it from hand to hand in speculation. "Dammit dammit."

"You made it nice and hot," Kara pointed out.

"I was _trying_ to catch the wood on fire," Live corrected her sister's praise sourly.

"It still did its purpose," the younger blonde pointed out.

Live looked frustrated. "That doesn't matter. It didn't do what it was supposed to," she said with frustration, hard on herself.

"Now you know how Seamus must feel all the time," Kara snickered. Live huffed, not amused.

"The point isn't whether or not I can do magic. I _know _I can. It's whether or not I can control it."

"Again, Seamus…" Live shot Kara a dirty look. "Well don't get mad at me." The older blonde huffed. "At least you can set up your own cauldron-fire. You can brew again."

"_Maybe_ I can brew again….Stoking a fire is something even muggles can do….Hmph. I need a break."

"Maybe try something else…Wanna set Lee's trunk on fire?"

"Why in the hell would I wanna do that? I'd sooner set _your_ trunk on fire for all the thieving you do from me." Kara frowned at her sister. "Tell me I'm wrong."

Kara crossed her arms, her look intent on spite. "You missed lunch."

Live blinked a moment trying to grasp Kara's meaning and why it should impact her. Then her eyes widened. "Fuck! I forgot I was supposed to meet Becca and Vivian! What time is it?!"

Kara raised a brow. "Well past meeting them, I'll tell you that much."

"Shit…Vivian's going to kill me. Why didn't you say anything?!"

"You were concentrating so hard I didn't want to disturb you. And look what you can do now!" she said enthusiastically. Live couldn't believe so much time had passed, and moreover, that Kara hadn't made her aware of it. She was already up and fixing her person, dusting ash particles from herself and looking for her shoes. "What're you doing?"

"I swore to Vivian I'd go see her."

"Do it tomorrow."

Live shook her head. "I'm going to see Mrs. Weasley tomorrow…I don't think I could deal with Viv and Becca on top of that." Kara huffed as Live was buttoning her robes. She put Henry on the bedcovers and slid to the edge looking for her own shoes. Live was already opening the dorm room door.

"Wait up!" Kara called.

Live shook her head, her mind whirling from all the concentrating she'd been doing the past few hours and now on how she had missed her meeting with Vivian. She hated making a liar out of herself. She heard swearing as she went down the stairs, which faded as she entered the Gryffindor common room.

Several pairs of eyes looked up as she came down the stairs, and she suddenly realized that she was absent anyone to whom she would visually validate her presence with. The few in the common room were familiar with her lodging in there and didn't make a bother about her, but went back to whatever they'd been doing previous to her arrival. Live decided to push on out the door and deal with coming back after she'd fulfilled her promise to Vivian. It was about dinner time. The girls should be in the Great Hall, and she was pretty sure it was the only chance she would get to sit with them again until after the holidays.

"Dammit what in the hell?!" Kara's voice echoed down the stairs, moments later joined by her person. She wryly frowned about the common room seeing that Live did not wait for her. She huffed. "Did my sister leave without me?" she asked the room at large.

"She went out already," a third year girl spoke up. "The Slytherin?"

Kara made an aggravated noise that made the girl decide she regretted speaking up. As the fifth year climbed into the portrait hole, she made yet another aggravated noise as people were trying to pass by her in coming in. _She_ wanted _out_.

"Dammit! Back it up!"

"What the bugger is up with you, Kara? Move that big head," Fred prodded as he tried to move by her. She steeled herself with arms and legs in the small space. It made Fred frown.

"What's the hold up? I don't fancy looking at your bum any longer than absolutely necessary, Fred," Lee's voice came from behind.

The fiery-haired seventh year grinned behind him. "You'll look and like it. We're having a road block issue currently," he informed. He felt Lee's hands on his back as the other seventh year pushed. "Oi! Whaddya think you're doin'?"

"Clearing traffic. Shift it!"

"Quit pushing me Fred!"

"I'm not! And move it, Kara! Lee, quit touching me!"

"Both of you stop it! This is harassment! Back up!"

"It's not harassment unless I touch your chest or something," Fred spouted with annoyance. "Quit it Lee! _That's_ harassment!"

"Quit touching me Fred!"

"Make _Lee_ quit touching _me_!"

"Lee?" Kara shouted. "Quit it!!"

"Move it Kara!" came Lee's voice from behind Fred. None of the three of them were willing to give up ground. Though Kara was losing precious inches to the determined seventh years blocking her way.

"I want out!"

"Well we want in! And we're older, move it!"

Kara's aggravated huff came again. She attempted to push Fred back, but looked over his shoulder in the small space to glare at Lee, the driver of the plow. Her frown, however, didn't reach his determination to get into the common room. He could see people behind her watching the dealings with interest. They were making a spectacle of themselves. "Outta the way Kara!"

"I'm trying to follow Live!" she told them self-importantly. "She wouldn't wait for me dammit!"

"Eh?" Fred asked. His expression took on a surprised look as he was suddenly falling backwards, Kara coming with him. They fell in a pile outside the portrait of the Fat Lady. They could hear her disapproving noises from the other side of the frame. Fred let out an "OOF!" when Kara's elbow went into his gut.

"Where'd she go? We sure didn't see her," Lee addressed the pile of Gryffindor that contained Kara. The blonde looked up at him from beneath her hair with a frown. She pulled herself none-too-gently off Fred, but not without giving Lee a dirty look. Fred had one for his seventh-year compatriot as well.

"What the bloody hell Lee?!" Fred shouted. "Some warning would be nice!"

Kara shot Fred a dirty look as well and pointed a finger at him. "Harassment!"

He shot her an annoyed look. "_You_ fell on _me_. I'm the one who's been harassed here!"

"Where'd she get to?" Lee asked again.

"I'm telling Neville!" Kara threatened with pursed lips.

"Go ahead," Fred told her without a care, rubbing his bum. If it was bruised, Lee would pay.

Lee took a hold of Kara's shoulders, taking his job of keeping an eye on Live _very _seriously after the incident with Malfoy. "Where did Live go?"

Kara rolled her eyes. "For goodness sake, she went to the Great Hall. And I'm starving by the way!" she stated with greater importance. "She didn't even wait for me!"

Lee sighed. "Let's go then," he said with a turn, leaving her behind.

"Oi, what about me?" Fred declared, irritated at being so quickly forgotten.

Kara turned around and stuck her tongue out at him. "You're a harasser!"

He made a noise of affront. "Oi! If anyone's been harassed here it's me!"

"You can't harass the willing. You're pervy. You _like_ it. _Harasser_." She dragged out the word in a hiss.

He frowned but refused to be left behind. "Shut up Kara."

oOo

_Two days_. Live kept repeating that to herself. Two days and she wouldn't have to feel so nervous walking the halls or feel less like herself. People would be leaving for the holidays the day after next and any threats would be gone. And though she had hurried out in all fervor to go to the Great Hall to see Vivian and Rebecca, she felt her nerves rising, her body alert. The closer she got to the Great hall, the more people there were. She hadn't been out around this many of her classmates by herself in ages. She felt edgy, though she was sure Kara would catch up to her any moment. That alone kept her wits about herself.

To those around her, she seemed as haughty and characteristically Slytherin as ever. She didn't meet the eyes of anyone she didn't need to, though a few of her friends waved obligatory hellos to her as she passed by. She nodded in acknowledgment but didn't stop to chat. She had to first see if Vivian and Rebecca were in the Great Hall. If she couldn't spot them, she would turn right back around and go back to Gryffindor Tower. She could apologize later.

The delicious smells of dinner and the sounds of multitudinous chatter reached her ears before she got within visual range of the Great Hall. The smells made her stomach rumble and she instantly hoped Vivian and Rebecca _were _in there as she would heartily appreciate grabbing a bite.

She entered the Great Hall and did a cursory glance around. She saw Hermione and Ginny at the Gryffindor table and inwardly smiled. It made her somewhat comfortable. Tones in the Great Hall were infinitely cheery and excited. The ceiling snowed down cold white ice flakes. She forgot how pretty it was. She glanced down the Slytherin table but didn't catch sight of either Vivian or Rebecca. She was about to turn around and leave but then a waving arm caught her attention down the middle of the table, and she saw Rebecca stand up moments later with a grin, motioning towards her. Live smirked and straightened her posture to walk down the way past several other of her housemates.

Rebecca was smirking, and it didn't take long for Live to spot Vivian sitting next to her, sulking. Live did a subconscious look around the long table for Pucey, but didn't spot him. She _did _see several first and second year Slytherins chomping on sweets, and caught a few of the elder years give her speculative, judgmental looks, but she raised her chin high and reminded herself that where she spent her time and with whom was none of their business. She was feeling confident in being able to set things aflame, so she wasn't particularly bothered by their snooty looks. She was on the receiving end of a gimlet eye from Pansy Parkinson. She made a note to herself to stick fish bones in the girl's mattress during the holiday.

"Live! By Salazar's snake I didn't think we'd actually see you until after the new year," Rebecca told the blonde as she embraced her.

Live snorted. "Vivian demanded my presence," she informed, looking towards the other girl. She was surprised not to be on the end of a chastisement. She inclined her head towards Vivian. "Sorry I didn't make lunch. I got a little tied up."

"No bother," she said gloomily.

Rebecca made room for Live and both girls sat down. "What's wrong?" Live asked Vivian.

"It _was_ a secret boyfriend."

Live got a silly look on her face and turned to Rebecca. "Have you really got a boyfriend?"

Becca gave her a carefree smirk. "I _did_. We broke it off."

Live was incredulous. Were they putting her on? "Are you serious?" She looked at Vivian. "Vivian?"

"As soon as we bloody find out about it it's already over and done with. She spilled at lunch."

Live grinned with amusement. She had only been joking that afternoon. "You're serious?" She looked at Becca. "Who were you dating? Why did you keep it a secret?"

"Well, it was McVaken. I don't think I need to explain," she said with a snort. "Been over for a while actually."

Live's eyes went wide. "Putterly's friend?"

"Yeah," she said with a light blush on her face, looking a bit sheepish. Live sort of frowned, but tried not to hold it against her friend. "It wasn't really going anywhere, and it was nothing serious."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"You guys didn't ask," Becca informed with an obvious shrug and a drink of her pumpkin juice.

Live let out a nonplussed huff. She reached for a cookie on the table and decided to fill her mouth with it whereas words she might regret otherwise would come out. Vivian must have put the question to her and she simply answered. Live would have attributed Vivian's funk to her lack of Pucey but she rather thought it favored more towards missing out on Becca's "secret" while it was still fresh.

"You never cease to amaze me," Live muttered between cookie bites. She took a drink from a goblet and tried to clear her head. Frankly she'd rushed down here for nothing. She turned her head towards the entry way, and as if she must have sensed them on some subconscious level, she saw Kara, Fred, and Lee standing and scoping out the hall. Kara pointed and then waved, followed by giving her sister a finger in retribution. Live smirked to herself. The younger blonde had brought the whole entourage.

She turned back to Vivian and Rebecca. "My ride is here," she informed with a smirk.

"What? You're not going," Becca questioned with disappointment.

"Pugface is shooting daggers my way," Live added to her reason to go. That, and a cookie after concentrating so hard on her magic had made her sick to her stomach. She didn't think she could sit there with her nerves and eat a proper meal while worried she had to watch her back. And good food was what she needed, not the sugar she'd quickly chowed down. She wondered how Kara managed it.

"I didn't expect she'd stay anyway," Vivian informed Becca. She gave Live a look of accepted tolerance. "We'll leave our Christmas gifts for you. Owl us if George improves. Or if you find a more suitable guy for Rebecca." The two girls smirked.

Live realized Vivian had accepted that they wouldn't be seeing each other again til after holidays. The other sixth year was even more perceptive of the situation than the blonde herself. And a whole lot more understanding than she would have thought. "I'll send your gifts," Live promised.

Vivian gave her a toothy smile. "I like large apology bracelets you know."

"I hope you got her decent underwear," Becca intoned. "Pucey tears all hers up….she looks positively homeless…or constantly victimized."

"Shut up Rebecca!" Vivian said with a red face and a frown. The other girl only grinned. Live got up from the bench and hugged both girls at once.

"We'll miss you. Be careful," Rebecca whispered.

"Watch yourself," Vivian also whispered. "We love you, you know."

Live felt tears prick at her eyes as she absorbed their words. "I'll see you ladies." She stood and walked towards the Gryffindor entourage awaiting her, trying to ignore the too-interested looks from her housemates. Kara hadn't wasted any time in standing, and was at the head of the Gryffindor table chomping down sweets. It was clear where her concern was. Live was glad she hadn't gotten her sister any sweets for Christmas.

"That sure was a waste of time," Fred muttered to Lee, fingering a firework in his pocket impatiently. He looked up. "Want to set this off in the first year dorms?"

Lee turned his attention to Fred, his interest piqued. "What'd ya got?" The fiery red head produced two candlestick-length striped tubes and three hair-dye bombs of Kara's invention. Lee pondered the wisdom in this, fingering a blue-dyed dread of his own. "Sure, why not. Let's make them festive-looking for a good send-off."

A resounding SMACK! interrupted their ponderings and their eyes snapped forward in the direction of the noise. They found Live standing with back facing them as if she'd been turned around, her person being detained by the wrist by a taller, sandy-haired figure before her. A brightly red handprint burned across Jason Putterly's face as Live brusquely shook his hand off hers, glaring. He let go, his own hand raised to his frowning face as she turned and left him, seething with anger.

Eyes followed her as she left the Great Hall, more eyes than just those of her own housemates, and Lee and Fred stood clear as she stalked right past them without a look or a word. They looked back at Putterly, who was still frowning deeply in whatever thoughts he was having, now the subject of speculation and interest in the Great Hall. He shot glares to anyone who made eye contact with him. Lee thought it was far less than he deserved. Fred thought it was funny as hell.

They didn't wait around to amuse themselves further with Putterly's embarrassment, but rather followed after Live at what they assumed was a safe distance. She quickly stopped and turned on heel to face them, directing her ire at them. Her eyes burned with intensity, but there were no tears to be found. She was pissed off. "I don't need you two idiots following me everywhere I go!" she lashed out.

They paused, given good reason. She was angry. And when she tended to get angry, things tended to get broken. And quite frankly, Fred fancied that he'd rather like to have children someday. She then turned back around and continued on as they stayed put. Lee wasn't sure if he should honor her 'request' to be left alone, or honor his promise to George to keep an eye on her. He looked at Fred.

"You think George would put up with that temper if she wasn't so pretty?" Lee asked Fred. Fred grinned, his good-humor not ruined.

"Well from what I hear, the crazy ones are wildest in--"

"Who's crazy?" a voice asked from behind. Fred turned around with a grimace to Kara's sweets-besmirched face smiling up at him. Ginny was at her side, looking rather put off. Lee snickered at the bad timing.

"Your sister," Lee told the fifth year with a grin.

"You gonna follow her?" Kara inquired of Lee with a slit-eyed look.

"She yelled at us. I'm still deciding."

"You're lame," Kara informed, brushing past them to follow after Live. Ginny rolled her eyes at her older brother and his friend, following Kara.

Fred looked at Lee as the girls left. "Did she call us 'pervs' under her breath?"

"That might have been directed at you….I'm a little more discrete," Lee said with a grin.

"If I remember correctly, Mr. Dally--"

"Shut the bugger up!" Lee quickly cut in, frowning. "Let's go prank those first years." Fred grinned as Lee stalked away. Score one for him.

oOo

"I'm alright, really," Live was telling Kara in the boys' dorm. Lee and Fred were keeping out and wreaking havoc in the first and second year dorms. Older years kept clear of the colorful war zone. Live was cleaning the room out of anger. The dorm was positively sparkling. "I…I feel good. It's like I brought an end to something and I think he's fully aware of that now."

Kara nodded, though she didn't look like she fully agreed. "Just be careful, please? I don't trust him whatsoever. He fights dirty for--"

"--a Slytherin?" Live put to her sister with a raised brow. Kara looked cynical. "We all do, Kara. He's not so different."

Kara shook her head. "No, that's not what I was going to say. He fights dirty in a dark way. Something about him unsettles me."

Live took a piece of parchment and crumbled it into a ball with her hand, the other hand occupied with holding her pygmy puff. The paper caught fire and burned itself out, and the pygmy puff hummed as if in approval. Live let the ash fall to the immaculate floor. She offered her sister a grin. "Don't worry."

Kara wrinkled her nose. "You should have thought about setting _him_ on fire."

"Who said I didn't?" Live replied as she bent and swept the fallen ash on the floor with her sock, wondering if her handprint would be imprinted longer than normal on Putterly's face. She looked up at her sister through a curtain of hair. "I want you to help me get control back. Faster. This is going far too slow."

"Want to use my wand?" Kara asked.

"Once I have more control again I think I'd like to borrow it, but for now I need to do without…I'm still too weak on my own, and even with your wand, my magic wouldn't fully behave…"

"Mine doesn't like you anyway," Kara told her with upturned nose. Live made an impatient face. "But I'll let you use it when you're ready _if_ you trade me chocolate."

Live smirked to herself. "Done."

They were silent together, Kara chewing on a piece of candy. Live took the sock that had cleaned the ash off her foot, and tossed in towards the bed. She tossed its mate with it.

"Remember you're the lion, Live." Live looked up at her younger sister. "You said even after George's magic burns off and you're normal, Dumbledore doesn't want you to rely on a wand. You're still a _multiforme,_ so I think you can do it. You're plenty powerful."

Live snorted. Kara wasn't put off.

"You know, it's rumored that Merlin was _born _a _multiforme_…even if that's not supposed to be possible. And _he_ was a great sorcerer. I don't think control comes overnight but I think you've got a lot easier to work with. At least you've had a handle on a good wand."

Live fully appreciated her statement. Kara believed she was still powerful even after George's magic would be gone. How powerful, she couldn't say, but powerful enough to warrant practice. Maybe powerful wasn't the correct word. Maybe she had the proclivity to more discipline. If she was more disciplined with her magic, maybe after she had her wand back she wouldn't have to use words to cast spells anymore at all. They would get her a new wand. With the money Live was promised if she completed her potion for the ministry, Kara would do all she could to help Live. Namely because, lord willing, her older sister might put in for her Jarvey fund. With the temptation of a ministry-used potion and a stipend for it, it gave Live all the more reason to get a handle on her magic. That Snape threatened to fail her also lit a fire under her.

"We have a long way to go if I'm going to finish that potion by the new year. And I'm no Merlin."

Kara smirked, all sunshine and encouragement. "You can do it!"

oOo

Lee and Live were nearly late to potions the next day, though Snape was less than his usual punctual self, so they didn't get points taken off. Live had fretted during the night about what she would say to Mrs. Weasley when she went to see her during the day. It also bothered her that she would have to see Putterly come class that morning after striking him the night before. It came as a small relief to her frazzled world that Putterly had not been in class. It put Lee in a great mood, even when Snape took off points for a messily-labeled bottle.

For the rest of the day, Live remained in the Gryffindor Tower instead of going to her other classes. She was tired, but she wanted to practice the things she and Kara had been working on yesterday, and deemed that more necessary and important that participating in the festive class time. She could progress quickly if she put her mind to things, she knew. And she would be far too exhausted if she attended lectures with everyone else. Her emotions were strained as well in what she would do in meeting Mrs. Weasley. She hadn't been so close to the hospital wing since George had been put there. It would be her first time getting that close in almost two weeks.

"Honestly, I'm impressed."

"What?"

"I said I'm impressed."

"What's so impressive about that?" Live asked as she bothered about setting up a cauldron on the bedroom floor. She had major headway to make in controlling her magic, but her first priority was being able to properly brew again.

"Well, you were able to reduce the heat," Kara pointed out as she casually observed her sister work.

"So what?"

"Well, you've only been able to do flame-spells so far. If you made it less hot, it means you can do cooling spells too, right?"

Live put her finger to the bridge of her nose. "I made a change in the temperature. That's not the same thing."

"Well you were able to reduce the heat as much as you wanted to, right?"

Live huffed to herself and didn't answer her sister. Though she supposed that she was right. She _had_ been able to reduce the heat of the spell. But she hadn't exactly figured out yet how to move the little flame-producing trick into other magics, like levitating her books or something. Though it had taken concentration to combust the cranes the very first time she had done it (out of pure amusement to disturb Kara) she didn't have the time it would require to do it all over again with other spells.

Live sighed and took the cauldron off the heat. She wasn't going to try any further tonight. "I'm going out."

"What do you mean 'going out'?" Kara asked as Live got off the floor and straightened up her appearance. She pet Henry once on the bed next to her sister before looking for her shoes.

"I'll be back later. I do _not_ need anyone coming with me, you got that?"

Her statement wasn't good enough for her younger sister. "No. Where are you going?"

"I'm going to talk to Mrs. Weasley. I figure it's about time. There are a lot of things I need to say to her."

"You're not going by yourself."

"Yes. I am. I'm not giving a speech and I do _not_ need spectators. And if you tell Lee to follow me, I will beat the shit out of you Kara. I'm not even joking."

Kara's expression indicated that she was gauging her sister, seeing how much risk there was in the Slytherin's promise. She decided that she was quite serious. "I don't think you should…"

Live sighed with aggravation as she pulled on her shoes. "For one thing, I think I've indicated that I can take care of myself," she said, shooting her a look. "For another, I'm not waiting for you to go find Lee, wherever his holiday jollies have gotten him. If I put this off any longer it'll be curfew. I don't even know if his mother is still there." She huffed as she shook out her hair and gave the younger blonde one last glance. "And thirdly, I can get around a lot faster by myself if need be. So stay the hell out of it."

Kara gave her a deep frown as Live opened the door, and followed her out the dorm room, down the stairs, and to the portrait hole. "Don't be stupid now, Live," Kara told her, though she didn't attempt to follow her out the common room portrait hole. She gave her a wry look. She knew Live hadn't gotten anywhere near George out of fear of what she might do to him. And if Mrs. Weasley wasn't about, she wasn't sure how Live would even be certain. She wouldn't put it past her Slytherin sister to not even knock on the door for that much closer it might get her. She thought at the very least she could be walked down there.

Live only sighed.

"Just let me back in if the password changes or I can't get in for some screwy reason, okay? I'm not ready to take over Slytherin yet…"

"How long will that be?"

Live rolled her eyes. "Bye, Kara."

With that, she left the common room and Kara behind. The fifth year blonde was frowning to herself. At least there was something to be made of Kitty Nimbles being utilized for Live's own mobility. But Kara wouldn't give her too long.

The blonde fifth year held Henry the pygmy puff close and went in search of Lee.

oOo

Live was surprised to see Mrs. Weasley outside the hospital wing. She had already been trying to come up with a way of how she would get noticed or make her presence known outside the hospital wing, not wanting so much as to touch the hospital doors to knock on them. Yet Mrs. Weasley was perfectly outside, as if she'd been waiting for her. Or perhaps she was just leaving. Live was stunned and couldn't believe her good timing.

Or bad timing, as her nerves were shot and she was sick with trepidation.

Mrs. Weasley gave Live a smile as the blonde approached her. Surprise must have been evident upon Live's face. "Lee Jordan told me you were going to come by today," she informed.

Live's mouth was open, but no words came out. She didn't think Lee would have been so observant. She was thankful for that. Though what she had decided to say, including everything she wanted to apologize for, she couldn't remember. All words left her. She was gaping stupidly. "I-I'm-"

Mrs. Weasley enveloped her in a full embrace, hugging the blonde witch in a motherly squeeze. Live felt tears prick at her eyes. She didn't return the hug as she felt shame towards herself. If she were in her position, she wouldn't want to be hugging her. Not for how she'd drained George. "I-I'm so sorry Mrs. Weasley," she managed to quickly get out. "I'd never hurt George willingly-"

"Hush," Mrs. Weasley told her.

Live was crying. "I'm sorry."

She was hushed again, and brought closer to the fiery-haired woman who was giving her pats. "He's on the road to recovery. Stop fretting," Mrs. Weasley parroted the words to Live that her own husband had told her. She couldn't help but fret over her children, but she didn't want them to be doing the same. George _would_ be alright. They just didn't know when.

Live suddenly couldn't get the image of George's parents at the end of his hospital bed out of her mind. The day she'd barged in and they'd looked in such despair. It was the last time she'd been this close to the hospital wing. She wondered how Mrs. Weasley felt about seeing her since that day. "I-I….I…"

"Hush. Worrying won't do anyone good."

They were silent a while. Live was grasping at straws, feeling that every word that had left her mouth was utterly stupid. If Mrs. Weasley thought so, she did not indicate it. She felt horrible to accept the woman's comforting embrace. She felt so guilty.

"I-I'm staying at Hogwarts," Live informed, but cut her sentence short of further plans. Mentioning the holidays made her feel so guilty, and she didn't need to do so to clarify her meaning.

The older witch smiled and let Live go a modicum to look at her. "I'm glad." She took Live's hand in hers, and looked at it. "He's got on a silver one…" Live realized she was talking about the ring on her finger; the opaleye dragon scale ring George had made to propose to her. George apparently still had its counterpart on.

"I made that for him…Out of my pendant."

Mrs. Weasley smiled. "I did think as much. It's got green stone in a silver setting."

Live flushed, feeling suddenly silly for some reason that George was wearing a ring of Slytherin-house colors while she was talking to the Gryffindor-bred woman. She wondered if the older witch would take offense.

"It makes me very happy that you love him so dearly." Live felt tears prick at her eyes again, and couldn't meet the eyes of the older woman. "You're a part of the family, dear. Stop feeling guilty."

Live held back a sob. She looked up. "B-but my magic took and took--! H-he looked sick but he never said anything t-to me!"

Mrs. Weasley rolled her eyes. She actually rolled them in annoyance. "I have an idiot for a son."

"If I'd have known--" Live pressed. "I should have felt-- My own stupid magic--!"

Mrs. Weasley sighed, resigned. "_He_ definitely knew. He had to have known he was sick," she spoke of George's magical loss. "I'm going to put him back in this hospital once he's better…Idiot always has to act tough. Him and his brothers…" She dabbed at Live's cheeks with a handkerchief she produced from her purse, and took the blonde's hand again. "We've spoken with Albus, and George would have known, so don't feel so bad. He's just an idiot, dear." An involuntary laugh left Live. Mrs. Weasley looked aggravated the more she talked about it. "I tell you I'm going to thoroughly box his ears when he's awake. They never listen."

Live let loose a nervous chuckle, but she still felt horrid. "But his exposure to me-- I should have _made _him see Madam Pomfrey!"

Mrs. Weasley snorted at the idea. "I've spent my life trying to run these boys of mine. If you can do it, you have my full support." Live smiled weakly. "They're far too strong-willed….They get that from their father, you should know. Hmph. Thinks he's too tough to see a healer. I really will box his fool ears."

"I…I'm just…"

"You concentrate on controlling your magic, dear. Albus told us, and the best thing you can do for George is further your magic." Live gave her a sullen smile. "Oh it's such a hard task though, really…And for someone as young as you--"

"I'll do it, Mrs. Weasley. I promise," Live swore, thinking it was the one thing she could honestly hope to accomplish. "I've been practicing and I swear I'll get control back again."

The older witch smiled. "I'm glad."

"I'm learning to feel again. If I can feel my magic, I won't be able to do this to him ever again. I just have to try a little harder."

Mrs. Weasley had a sort of dismal expression on her face. "You've got far too much on your shoulders for someone so young."

"I do what I have to," Live told her with acceptance, half-smiling.

The hospital wing door opened slightly and Live took a step back, removing herself from proximity. Mr. Weasley poked his head out the door. She hadn't known he'd been in there.

"Hello," he greeted Live.

"Hi Mr. Weasley."

"How are you?"

"Fine," she answered automatically, but bit her tongue from returning the inquiry. She had an idea as to how they were both doing.

"Will you be joining us for the holidays?" Live looked completely taken aback. Mr. Weasley looked to his wife. "Did I jump the gum, Molly?" he asked. Live's mind corrected his muggle-gotten phrase with subconscious amusement.

Mrs. Weasley looked from her now-sheepish husband and back to the blonde. "Once George is out of hospital, we'd like to have everyone home for the holidays." Her lips were pursed, and Live knew she was hopeful that George would wake before the holidays were over. Live hoped as much as well. "It would be nice to have everyone together."

Live nodded, deeply touched that they wanted her with them even considering everything that had happened. She vaguely wondered if she was asleep. "I-I look forward to it."

She smiled at them, and Mr. Weasley offered his arm to his wife. "Shall we, dear?"

"It can be boring sitting by myself, if you'd like to come again," Mrs. Weasley prompted Live. The blonde looked trapped. "I mean outside the hospital wing of course." Live relaxed a bit. "It would do to keep Fred from harassing his brother's rest."

Live giggled, eyes still moist, and shook her head enthusiastically. "Alright."

Mrs. Weasley took her husband's arm and Mr. Weasley bid Live a good evening. The blonde said her polite goodbyes, gave the hospital wing a wistful look, and then set off in the opposite direction. George's parents watched her go.

"She doesn't look good…" Mrs. Weasley confided to her husband.

"And there's a lesson to you my dear. It's over-fretting is what it is and it'll happen to you too." She shot her husband a quick glare while he laughed and patted her hand. "Our boys are strong. Don't worry."

She nodded. "I just wish they weren't so stubborn…"

"They get that from you…"

"What was that?"

Mr. Weasley pressed a kiss to his wife's forward and took her to leave with a laugh.

oOo

Live felt a modicum better than she had in quite some time. Speaking with Mrs. Weasley had lifted a huge weight from her chest. And she felt a little less guilty for what had happened. She felt angry towards George yet again, that he could have prevented his hospitalization. She wanted to smack him, and never let him go. She amused herself with thoughts of doing so once he was out of the hospital wing. She thought it would be so wonderful if he would wake before everything was over. They could finally focus on happiness instead of always having to scheme and plan. And with everyone gone, she wouldn't have to worry about people like Putterly and Malfoy mucking things up for them.

"_Haven't I been warning you…?_"

A chill went up Live's spine as she rapidly turned all about herself, searching for the voice she'd heard. Her whole body was alert in surprise, but she saw no one, the hallways quiet and cold with the silence of winter. She was on edge for several more moments just listening before she decided that she was indeed quite alone. The only noise was her own breathing and a slight breeze from the drafty castle, but that was it. She wondered if she'd imagined it, or for that matter if she was more exhausted than she'd been realizing. But it still unnerved her.

She let loose a nervous laugh as her body pumped adrenaline through her. Her skin was slightly clammy, but she felt sort of silly, and calmed herself down, proceeding with getting herself back to the Gryffindor Tower.

The air was getting colder as she progressed, and she came to one of the open-air hallways. It was absolutely freezing. She could see her breath, and breathed extra hard a few times to see more. If Kara snuck her icy feet and cold hands into Live's bed again, she'd kill her.

Coming to the ledge, she could see fresh snow falling and draping the courtyard in white. She leaned against it a moment and sighed, her mind as blank as the snowy canvas before her. She was tired and worn out, lost. The coldness of the stone was seeping through her robes and chilling her skin, the numbness it caused bringing with it bad memories. She straightened and perused the courtyard again. No one was out playing, but that wasn't surprising. It was absolutely freezing, and it was dark. The sky was pretty with light snowflakes but no one would be out in this cold so close to curfew. She wondered if it would snow all night…and if she could manage to bring some all the way back to Gryffindor Tower to teach Lee and Fred an old lesson.

Grinning and with a sort of lightness in her step, she walked the hall around the courtyard, giving herself plenty of time to still grab some snow should she decide the effort worth the laugh. But that idea left her mind quickly as she halted, startled at the sound of footsteps in front of her. She recognized the figure and frowned. She had to figure she would see _someone_ from her house. The footpaths she tread _were_ the ones regularly used by Slytherin House to get to and from their commons.

But why it had to be Putterly after she was in such a good mood, she didn't know. If he had any misconceptions about where their 'friendship' stood, she would have thought her strike to his face the day before would have made things clear. Even with the revelation that Becca had been dating McVaken, it sure as hell did _not_ make them friends.

She steeled herself with a breath, her good mood ebbing for tolerant anger as she walked right past him, just far enough away from him so that if he got it into his mind to touch her, he wouldn't be able to. He didn't try, and she walked past without incident. His sigh echoed through the hall.

"I saw what you did to Malfoy," he broke the silence. She stopped. He knew that would get her attention, even if she'd told him never to speak to her again.

"What do you think you saw? I haven't done a thing," she lied, her voice low. She turned to face him, watching his expression. She still didn't know what became of Malfoy. If he was hiding in his dorm, if he'd been going to classes, or if he had told anyone outside the two morons who had been with him what she'd done. Just hearing his name irked her.

She also didn't know how extensive the wounds she'd given him were or how many people knew about it. Putterly was a seventh year Slytherin. It shouldn't have surprised her that he would know, she realized. She had wounded Malfoy late at night the weekend past. If he had gone back to their common room, anyone awake would have seen. But Putterly hated Malfoy. There was no way Malfoy would have told him that it was Live who wounded him. That meant others must know what she did. Her cheeks colored though her expression was stoney.

"I'm not judging you," Putterly stated more comfortably, giving her no reason to lie. He half-smiled a closed-lip smile. He knew the two of them were not on good terms.

She frowned. She didn't like this. It felt like he wanted to say something else, and she wasn't in the mood to be blackmailed. She hit him hard yesterday. Very hard. The fleshy part of her hand still hurt, and if she'd at all managed to do the kind of damage she'd intended upon him, his face must still be in pain as well. He _had_ to be plotting some sort of revenge. It was part of every Slytherin's heritage.

She turned toe and started walking away, a shiver going up her back for her nerves as she realized she should not be here. She wondered if he would try to detain her. He didn't.

"The Death Eaters almost had you," he called after her, staying his place.

Live stiffened and stopped with shock at the mention of the shameful secret she wanted to bury. How did he know? "How do you know about that?"

"I know about a lot of things," he told her with a thinking frown, seeing that he had gained her full attention. "We're all hiding something. Everyone hides something from someone else. But things have a habit of being found out, Live."

"I'm not hiding anything. You shut your mouth," she told him, her insecurities rising quickly as her tone dictated the subject thoroughly closed. She turned. This conversation was going from bad to worse.

"I also know you've taken a life," he said more softly, and she froze mid-step. Now _that _he _definitely_ should not know. Not only did it scare her but it jeopardized her person altogether. Her heart skipped a beat. How did he know so much? What would she have to do about this?

"Yes, I know," he told her easily, his tone without judgment. She was silent, back still turned to him, worried the fear would show in her expression. He continued as he had her full undivided attention. He was not keeping her there, but he had said the right things to make her stay. Neither of them were moving. "We all have our little secrets," he said almost amusedly, looking at the stone floor, and then back at her back. Her blonde hair was down to her waste-- a stark contrast against the black of her robes. It kept his attention. "You have so much power, Live. You can make them pay for their arrogance. They're nowhere near your level, you know."

She turned back to him, a deadly look on her face- one wrought of emotional strain and ache, her desire to run away just as strong as her desire to shut him up. She wished beyond wish that she had her wand. There was no doubt in her mind that with a wand, she could wipe his memory clean without a problem. "It's not your business."

He sighed, speaking plainly. He was far too relaxed about the subject. His thumbs were hooked into his trousers' belt loops as if he had all the time in the world to converse so amiably with her. "It wasn't fair that they almost took you. It wasn't right. Why not take them all down? You certainly have the power and they certainly deserve it. You're powerful enough that it would be child's play. You wouldn't have to be alone in doing it."

"Any power I had wasn't all mine. And it's none of your business," she stated for the second time, worry eating at her. She'd been alone with him far too long for comfort already, and his prying was entirely disconcerting. Why? Why did he know so much? Who had told? What on earth was he getting at?

He sighed. "This is only the beginning of what you can do," he told her, taking a few steps forward to look in her eyes. She didn't like the look reflected back at her. "You can become so much _more _powerful! I _know_ you can. It's your fate if you'll just own to it."

She didn't like the resolute tone of assertion in his voice; felt threatened by his confidence. "I am done with this conversation."

"Wait--" He grabbed her wrist, stopping her, and she yanked it, but he didn't let go. Not like he had yesterday, where there had been witnesses. It infuriated and frightened her. She still didn't like to be touched, let alone by him, and especially not _twice_.

"Let me go, Jason."

"Hear me out," he cajoled with a slight frown, his tone entreating. "You don't possibly understand, Live, how powerful you really are. Someone like you is bursting with power."

"Power," she spat the word, venom to her tone. He let her go, giving her a much-different look. She was scared by what he knew. What he _shouldn't_ know. More over, what she herself didn't want to even consider. "You think it's _fun_ for me? The things I have done--"

"I know all about it," he told her, his voice no-less confident or cowed by her own tone. "There's nothing wrong with you, Live, but everything right. All the signs are there. You're destined to be fantastic."

"Shut up," she told him.

He sighed. "Power like yours needs a proper match," he said, getting to his point. "Weasley is nowhere near your equal. You can sense that much even if you think you can't see the obviousness."

She let out a humorless laugh, her tone mocking. "You think _you are_?"

He gave her a firmly resolute look, one she had never seen on him nor one she ever wanted to see again. Her confidence faltered. He smiled confidently, his tone one of amusement as if there was some secret joke she was not in on. He wasn't insulted by her statement. "Perhaps. That's up to you."

She was starting to get angry. He knew too much, and that made him a threat. His arrogance was insulting. And what he'd done to George-- he had no remorse. Her blood was boiling and adrenaline was raging through her, attempting to provoke her to a reaction. She attempted to calm herself, her fingertips itching. She reigned it in. Her fingernails were biting into her palms and she forced her feet to remove herself from the situation. Her body was hot and his words had sickened her. It left dread in the pit of her stomach. This was an unwelcome and unexpected surprise. She forced herself to walk away. "You, are _not_ my equal."

She heard him exhale in opposition, then felt her body enveloped in a spell before she knew it. She was forcibly turned about-face, and would have fallen at the suddenness if she hadn't caught herself. He had his wand out and was frowning at her. He cast no further spell, lowering it to his side, but made a point to scowl deeply at her.

"No, I'm not your equal," he acceded flatly. "I am your better." He informed her without prejudice like it was a fact she was ignorant of.

Her expression was one of surprise. She knew he was arrogant, but she didn't think he was stupid. Knowing what he did, he should have known what her magic was currently capable of-- what _George's_ stolen magic could do. Until it burnt off, she herself was quite unstable and very frankly dangerous. She snorted haughtily. "You're no better than Malfoy, and we all know where _he_ stands in _my_ opinion."

She attempted to leave again, but he fired a spell right past her that caused her to halt and jump in surprise, too close for comfort. It hit against the wall some ways down and she heard the breaking of stone. She looked back at him at the warning. Though he did not intend to hit her with it, there was an angry expression upon his face.

"Don't dare to confuse me with him," he started, glaring at her. His wand was half-raised, ready to be used once more. She felt heat in her cheeks and anger in her stomach. "We are nothing alike. I didn't want it to be like this, Live," he told her, his tone hinting at remorse. "But I think you're leaving me very little choice in the matter. How else can I show you? Weasley fell to me almost obscenely easily--"

"He wasn't well!" she spat, which was a bit of an understatement and not at all a viable excuse between two Slytherins arguing about power. She felt stupid saying such a statement, even if it was true, and felt she had shamed George in admitting so. She added, "He's far too honorable to not keep his appointments!"

Putterly scoffed. "Don't confuse 'honorable' with 'stupid'. I would have finished him if his stupid brother hadn't interfered."

Live's heart skipped a beat. George had already been left in a dangerous state, thanks to her magic leeching him. He had been knocked down, according to Lee and Fred. If they hadn't been there, lord only knows what Putterly might have done. Thankfully, they'd been able to jump in. "From the way I saw the results of that night," Live started, earning his apt attention, "it was _you_ who was quite more than finished."

He frowned. "That was a minor hiccup that can always be fixed. I only wish you could understand how important you are to everything; how inconsequential he is. You're the key."

"You're an asshole," she said. "Leave us the fuck out of it."

"Now see," he told her, getting frustrated and aggravated. This was not going the way he had wanted it to. "That's where you're wrong."

He raised his wand and she raised her hand as if to shield against whatever spell he was going to use. She would not be under another man's control. Not again. Never again. She wasn't going to be victimized in any way again.

Putterly smiled an odd smile as his arm paused in midair. He looked at his wand, and then at her. It was as if someone was grasping his wrist, pushing it back, not allowing him further momentum to cast his spell. Though he was not being touched. She looked back at him with mild confusion as to why he was stopping, not making the connection. He grinned at her.

"Very _good,_ Live," he told her with a frowning smile. His voice was not at all surprised. It was as if he'd expected this. "But you see," he started as his wand hand began to shake, as if he was exerting greater force against an unseen opponent. "I'm strong, too."

Her expression faltered. She felt a similar feeling to one of being overpowered, only she wasn't being touched. She was confused, and as he brought his wand down in one fluid movement, she felt as if she'd been knocked off balance, and was then thrown down.

She was on the cold stone of the corridor floor, scared, but also confused out of her mind.

"I know it's not fair, using a wand and all," Putterly excused himself as he stepped towards her. "Not when you're without. We _can_ get you a new one later, by the way. But I cannot afford to be wasting time right now. And you don't seem to want to listen civilly. It may not seem like it but I don't want to make a ruckus, Live."

She turned back towards him, glaring at him for all his arrogance, and flourished her arm out towards his person. He went flying backwards, doing a barrel roll through the air. He too landed on the cold stone floor with a grunt.

Live shakily got to her feet, her body thrumming with emotion. What did he mean he couldn't waste time? What did he plan on doing? She considered running, but thought that that might result in the same consequence as it did with Malfoy. And she was tired of running. She was pissed off.

Putterly was back on his feet, looking at her as he straightened his robes and took a fresh grasp on his wand, as if the worst she had done was muss up his appearance. He smirked at her. She smirked back. His own grin slackened.

"Don't assume I'm weak," she threatened, not wanting this to carry on more than it needed to. She couldn't back down, but she expected him to.

His smirk was back on his face. "Don't assume _I _am." He pointed his wand at her and cast another spell. She tried to get out of the way in time but it grazed her neck. The power of the spell left an impression of a cold burning feeling where it had gotten close to her flesh, but it disintegrated as harmlessly as water vapor as it hit the stone far behind her. Her skin wasn't burned but felt odd where it had touched her. What spell had that been? It was high-up enough that he had been aiming for her head. Surely it wouldn't have been deadly? She looked back at him calculatingly. He offered her a smile. "At least you're faster thinking than him. Though I don't know why that surprises me. You've always been sort of fun." He paused to regard her, trying to speak through again. "He shamed you in how I defeated him, Live--" He stopped as he felt as if he'd been hit in the chest.

"You….do _not_," she ground out unfinished, furious tears coming to her eyes. She couldn't finish her sentence but her sentiment was clear. "_Do not_."

He looked up at her. He threw another spell at her and she threw it away. It made contact with one of the stone columns and took out a chunk in the courtyard. He frowned as the gray pieces piled to the white snow. He looked back at her. "Do you even know what my duel with him was about?"

"I don't need to know, and I wouldn't trust a word from your mouth anyways," she spat back, throwing something of herself at him in spell light. He blinked as something was dripping into his eye, and saw as it hit his robes that it was his blood. His forehead had been cut.

"That's really enough, Live. This is getting unnecessary. Just stop it," he said, throwing another spell at her which she easily threw away, but the second one he'd quickly fired off-- the one she hadn't expected-- came hurtling at her and wrapped her from neck to toe in ropes. He was fast and fast-thinking. That was something she'd been unaware of.

She fell over, the ropes hardly cushioning her fall. She looked up as he was dabbing at his forehead with his sleeve. He wouldn't be able to properly heal that without looking in a mirror. It was a nasty gash she'd given him, one that would require concentration to fix. No doubt it hurt.

As he came over to her, she thought he might kick her and tensed her muscles preparing for the blow, but he squatted down to look and speak to her face to face. His wand was still in his hand, and he dragged it up and down the rope coils as if just to hear the thrum of wood on rope. That and their breathing were the only other noises in the hallway. "You know, had it been me, and Malfoy never would have touched you. Had it been me, no one would. You wouldn't have had to undergo any of this. No killing, no hurting. _All_ of this could have been avoided. I think even your scars…"

She struggled against the ropes, livid. She was laying on her hands and they were quickly going numb. She glared up at him. "So you knew and let it happen anyway?" she sarcastically threw at him.

He frowned. "No. But I wouldn't have let it happen. It wouldn't have been necessary. None of it. I wouldn't have let the opportunity even arise. Slytherins know how to care for one of their own better than other houses, Live."

"So now you're suddenly all-seeing and all-knowing," she stated with sarcasm, giving him an ugly look.

He snorted with a smirk. "Perhaps not." He grinned at her. "But I have enough to go off of to know it would be different. Not that it's too late. As a matter of fact it's just a pity it's taken this long but it's definitely not too late. Weasley's just made things difficult for me." He stood and a drop of his blood fell onto her cheek. He bent to wipe it and she jerked her face away before he could touch her. He grinned. "With or without a wand, I'm still your better, Live. None can rival me, you must understand. It would be quite good for you, you know. I'm offering you a chance to be something amazing. My equal in power. And proper bloodlines. Come with me and we can take revenge and right all the wrongs together that shouldn't have happened." He acted as if he were offering her the chance of a lifetime. "You know you don't belong here. No one here can understand that like we can."

She lowered her head to the cold stone pavement, felt it cool her hot face, her adrenaline-laced blood pumping through her. She snorted, and a giggle escaped at the absurdity. She wasn't sure if it was from pure fear or if she'd finally lost it. She was becoming a bit hysterical, and couldn't control her snickers. Snickering laced with tears. What on earth was he thinking? Was he in league with the Death Eaters? She didn't think so…

"What?" he asked at her chuckling. He raised a brow. The ball was in his court, but she sure had spirit. He had never expected her to be afraid of him. Though she ought to have reason, but she never showed it to him. He had to hand it to her. That was part of the reason he liked her. It helped that he liked her. It made everything else much more palatable to him. He bent at the waist, his hands on his knees, his wand in his fingers, waiting for her great punch line.

"You know…," she started, speaking to the stone, "with or without a wand, I can still cast spells."

He could see from placement in the ropes that she was either drawing her finger or her hand upwards. The ropes were splitting as if being cut with a razor knife from the inside. He chanced a look at her face, her pupils dilated fully black and the white of her eyes turning a red that seemed to spread from the pupiled darkness, flowing out and encompassing the white of her sclera. He took a few cautious steps back, not because he wanted to, but because his gut told him to. This wasn't good.

She grinned at him as she shakily found her feet. She wasn't nearly as scared as she had been, even felt a little giddy, and the expression on his face empowered her. He didn't look quite as confident as he had a moment ago. The ropes that bound her lay sliced on the icy cold floor.

"It makes no difference," Putterly told her as she stood there, her grin fading in place of a frown. He gave her a calculating look. So it wasn't going to be as easy as he'd surmised. But she wouldn't be all that he expected if it was. "You think I'm not aware of your power? I'm not stupid, Live."

"You'll think differently tomorrow," she replied. He answered her with a spell, and she hurled one back at him. The two met in midair and disintegrated in a shower of blue and yellow sparks. It gave her a chill of pleasure. She enjoyed dueling. She always had. It was something she hadn't gotten to do a lot of this school term. But now she was smiling.

"You're keeping up quite well," he told her. She frowned. "You're not only powerful Live, but you're beautiful. Even with the scars; even with those eyes. You must trust me on this. I know what I'm talking about. You're key to everything."

She paused in her actions. She was losing it. She knew she was losing it. But it was different than with Malfoy. She didn't _want_ to keep it. Her whole body was trembling. "Shut up."

"What's most amazing is that you're not even a pureblood," he continued, genuinely impressed. His wand was still raised, but he spoke pleasantly to her. "That's why I can't let this go. You're quite exceptional. Please just listen to reason."

"You don't know what you're talking about!" she said with anger as she lobbed another spell and threw a partner with it. He shielded just in time. The spells destroyed stone somewhere that Live could not see. He knew too much. This was more than personal, and all bounds had been overstepped. He was dangerous.

"Enough playing around," he told her, shooting a spell directly at her, the red light whizzing towards her bodily aimed.

She balked and caught it. She actually stopped and caught it in her hand. It made Putterly pause and take a step back. That wasn't possible.

She cocked her head at him with a smug grin, crushing the red, angry orb she held in her palm. The light went out. "I told you," she reminded. "We are not equals."

Putterly frowned but didn't have time to dwell on her statement. She threw so many spells at him with such speed that the air was lit in brilliant light. He could only dodge and block so many. How she could even conjure up so many spells he had no idea. Her mind was a lot quicker than he recalled.

And then she had him. She pinned him against a wall, the force of her magic crushing him against it. He was surprised at the strength of it, the magnitude. He had certainly never felt such force in his entire life. He couldn't move. His wand was in his hand and he could not move it.

"You know what I did to Malfoy, don't you? That it was me I mean," she clarified with admittance. She could see in his eyes that he was fully aware of the fact. But he showed no fear. That upset her.

"I'm better than him. You think it bothers me?" his words were gruff with the pressure she was exerting on him. Stones around them cracked. He winced. "I think I'm better than that."

She lifted an eyebrow. "Better?" she laughed. "Oh, I'll give you better if that's what you want." He scowled at her, and she could feel that he was trying to move and undo her magic. But she smirked and increased the pressure. He was completely unable to suppress it. She felt like she was being egged on deep inside. She embraced it. He had overstepped all proper dueling etiquette. There were still rules to war. "George wasn't given a proper dual on equal terms. But then, we're not like that, are we? Slytherins, that is. _We _don't play fair," she reminded, her eyes getting darker as she looked at him. "It _is_ his magic that's in me. And right now I think it wants a little payback for all your dirty dealings."

Putterly didn't look impressed even though he was completely at her mercy. He fixed her with a hard look. His unwavering confidence insulted her. She hated the look in his eyes. "I told you, that magic is _all_ yours. Every last ounce. Don't think Weasley could best someone like me. In any form. Listen closely to me, Live: no one understands you the way I do, do you got that? Weasley couldn't possibly get it."

She gave him a venomous glare at his belittling of George, and gave her finger a swish towards him. He cried out as he felt the cut to his person, but he couldn't make out the location of the wound.

"Puzzled?"

He didn't know. Damn him but he didn't know. But he did not feel right. That much he was sure. She could hear stone breaking and crumbling behind her from the pressure. She didn't pay it any mind. She threw another slash his way. He cried out again, then looked perplexed.

"Do you like being at the mercy of another? To feel what George no doubt felt? Now you know what it feels like to be someone else's pawn. I will not be yours. Not ever. Get it into your head and keep it there."

He gave her a glare, not grasping the seriousness of the situation he was in. He was either incredibly confident, or incredibly stupid. "Power like ours belongs together. Your power and mine. We can only get stronger and then anything can be accomplished. It's fate. You're as powerful as I am."

She laughed, genuinely amused. "Oh _now _I'm as powerful as you are. Don't insult me with changing your words! You were never my better and you're certainly not my equal."

He scowled at her, and then cried out as the pressure was increased. His bones would break soon. Something inside nagged at her. She felt caught between wanting to finish him, and wanting to stop herself. It was a very familiar crossroads to her. Her fingers itched at the moment. She very suddenly released him, fully. He dropped to the floor, and it took a full moment for him to stand up on his own two feet.

She was visibly shaking. She had to grab herself to quiet the trembling. Her body was resonating with power and she was frightened, her conscience sling-shotting back to her. Her nails dug into her palms and the pain slightly gave her mind some sense. She gave him a spiteful look, but spoke in a threatening, pleading tone. "I am _not _a monster," she said, more to herself than to him. This was not who she was. Her magic was too great for her. She needed it to burn off and rid herself of George's excess she had taken, but not like this. Even if he deserved it, even if he had been making trouble and thought to make her part of it, she wouldn't lower herself to it. "Leave right now. Get away from me," she ordered. If she was left alone, she might be able to calm herself down. With the hatred she felt for him now, it was impossible with him in proximity.

He was breathing hard, in pain, examining her calculatingly with his expression. She didn't look back at him, too fearful his eyes would provoke her. She was holding on to her sense of self with everything she had but she was going to lose it if he tipped the precious balance of her mind. Her whole body was alert and waiting for his offensive, though she wasn't anticipating it in mind. She was fully concentrating on keeping herself stolid.

"You have to leave with me," he said with a gruff tone, his body still reeling from her power. No doubt his ribs were bruised at the very least. His forehead and face were bloody.

"If you don't leave right now, I swear to all that is good and pure that I _will_ kill you," she warned through gritted teeth, knowing she wouldn't be able to control herself. It would land her in Azkaban, and she wasn't sure if an insanity defense would hold up. She was losing it. "If you know my power then you know you're about to die. Go away from me."

"You still don't understand," he started, raising his wand and holding his ground. He wasn't going to go through all this just to give up now. Everything was right. He knew tonight would pay off if he just hung in there. He had been putting way too much into this to stop now. "You do not have me beaten, Live. I'll take you by force if necessary. Just calm yourself and listen."

She looked up in challenge, met his eyes. So he wasn't going to stop. He was one of those cases which didn't learn. She hoped Kara would forgive her. She hoped George would forgive her. Because she couldn't stop herself for much longer. She knew her own limits to control, and she was not a patient person. "I'll give you the chance that you didn't give to George, and I will not feel bad about this later. Stop me if you can, and I hope you can," she threatened, knowing she wouldn't stop until it was over, and that she could not stop herself. "If you can't, _you lose_." He felt another pain come to his forehead, and rivulets of blood began to drip in his eyes. He blinked it away, and she dropped her arms to her sides. She was out to hurt, no holding back. She'd give the magic welled up inside of her what it wanted.

With rapid fire she cast spell after spell at him, large, powerful spells making the corridor bright with light. They whizzed past in speed and color, landing one after the other just out of reach of their target.

"Shit," he cussed beneath his breath, doing his best just to dodge what she threw. He couldn't even get a shielding spell up proper. She was far too fast, and he realized he had gravely underestimated the necessary power to take her. Surely he thought if he could just hold out, just a bit longer…

She had him paralyzed, left standing in the hall like a pole. She had a hand up, keeping him there, and he was gasping as if there was no more air. But he couldn't move at all. Couldn't stop her. She couldn't stop herself. Part of her was relieved. This little problem would be dealt with.

She suddenly felt like _she _couldn't breathe. As if her veins were constricting and tightening. She griped her own throat, gaping like a fish. Instantly she released Putterly and he stumbled, catching his breath in gulps as she fell to her knees on the floor. The stone was cold on her skin. She might have thought it felt good had she felt anything but pain. Her body was crying out. She needed air. Why couldn't she breathe?! Why did her veins feel like they were on fire?!

She raised her face to Putterly, wondering what he had done. He looked back at her, griping his own neck and breathing with obvious relief and not without effort. He blinked twice as she stared at him with those red eyes. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination or not, but her pupils seemed far less black. As she stared up at him accusingly, trying to suck air, her eyes flashed green. She was shaking and fell over to the floor, weakening from lack of oxygen. Her body started to go numb and her vision was going. He came to stand over her.

"Losing your grip?" he asked her as she looked accusingly up at him. He smirked at her expression. "Don't blame me, love. I think it's safe to say Weasley's magic has all but burnt up. You are one-hundred percent you once more. Only you." She was making hoarse noises, trying to breathe, her whole body in pain. He was still breathing hard, observing the situation and holding his sore ribs. He knew if he'd just be patient that it would pay off. It finally had. "I've heard suddenly losing magic makes you extremely weak. That it will even affect your physical body. But you've been somewhat of a junkie, haven't you? Gorging your magic on Weasley's." He snorted as if the idea disgusted him. "Weak magic too. I don't think you're ready to sustain that state with sudden withdrawal."

She was gasping for air, barely hearing him. Then like a miracle, she was able to suck in a small bit. It lessened the black as her vision was starting to fade. Putterly had his hands on his knees, looking at her. She didn't look back, so intent on pulling air into her lungs she was.

"You're only you now, Live. Just you. You'll get through it. Just calm down and breathe," he encouraged, his blood dripping down his face. She hated him for those words, acting like he cared. She was more focused on sucking air into her lungs than listening to him. Her entire body hurt. "After depending on Weasley's weak magic for so long, you must be hurting. It would take nothing less than this to clean you out. But don't worry, you'll get over it. I'll see you through it. Just breathe."

"..sh…tup…"

He grinned at her, his bloody face looking like some mock creature. She'd really made a mess of him, unable to tell what was just blood and what was wounds. She wondered if he even felt pain.

She was breathing much easier. Her whole body hurt. Her veins. Her head. She was weak as her body tried to use all the oxygen she supplied it with. Her vision was blurred. Putterly looked down at her.

"I expect you're tired. Your skills are more than admirable, Live but you've used up far too much energy and magic. And I'm done wasting my time trying to explain things to you. We're going, on my terms, and I'll try to make you understand in time. You'll thank me down the line." He laughed. "I know people always say that, but you really will once you come to understand what I'm trying to do here. I'm sure you won't like it right off the bat but if I can sit and explain it all, you'll be glad it was sooner than later."

As she stared up at his wand, the wood looking like a circular splotch against his palm, she drew in a much-needed full-lungful of air. It was as if everything had turned slow. She wondered if she would black out. The dark tip of the wand slowly flashed to life, power illuminating it as he began to cast a spell. Her vision faded and went black. Everything turned red and hazy. She saw a dirt hill before her, and a familiar man standing atop it. He gave her a lackadaisical shrug and sighed. "I warned you." She was confused. What? What was happening? The man gave her a look. "This is how it will be then. You always choose the harder way."

Her vision faded again, the man faded from her eyes. She felt cold stone beneath her, found herself looking at the tip of Putterly's wand. She didn't feel right. Her body resonated.

Then time caught back up with her. Putterly's spell hit the floor with a resounding crushing noise. She had moved in time; dodged it at the left. It was as if her magic experienced a back draft. A sudden pulling back of the tide before the tsunami hit. She would not go with him. She would not be taken. She would make it clear that she should not be taken lightly. Her magic went feral.

"…What the hell?" Putterly said beneath his breath as he was left gaping at the hole his spell had made in the stone. He looked left, and she was picking herself up, standing. He gave her a shocked, slightly distasteful look, too slow in casting.

She smirked, feeling confident and knowing he could not possibly take her. She would be safe. She was looking at him without mercy, the pain she had felt fading and disappearing. "Jason," she told him, pausing to smile at him as if in chastisement. "I told you to go away, but you don't seem to get it. I'm _better_ than you."

There was a slight glimmer of worry and fear in his eyes. Something that had been absent the entire time she had been fighting with him. The air was electric with magic. He could feel the power and she hadn't even done anything yet. He understood that he was in trouble. And that fear made him careless.

The corridor immediately erupted in spell-light and magic. Putterly ducked and dodged. Spells hit walls and sent stone flying. He threw his own spells one after another, trying to quickly incapacitate her. Cobras flew from his wand at her. She burnt them up before they could reach her. He tried from behind the stone ledge to encase her in a box. She dodged it, and in turn the ledge he was taking refuge behind decided to implode upon itself. He cast a spell and the opening in the courtyard stone grew in on itself, creating a wall. He began chanting, wiping blood from his eyes with his bloody hands as he built up a powerful distraction spell. The wall that had been growing and solidifying itself before him melted and he could see her blonde figure behind it. The heat caused the snow on the ground to turn to steam. Oddly enough grass grew up in its place. It took Putterly a moment in his chanting before he sprang from his position on the ground in realization, abandoning the spell. Roots thrust up from beneath the frozen earth and went at him. He destroyed them in a flurry of ice and dirt, but not before he was pierced by one, and threw an opalescent orb at her. She cried out as it hit her in the arm, her robes sleeve gone and her skin bloody. He threw a small red spell like a bullet at her, and she quickly ducked, holding her arm. He would not hit her twice. He barely had enough time to get a proper shield up before he was barraged with blue and violet spell light.

She was blacking out with her anger, losing consciousness as he was losing blood. The air was filled with smoke, debris, and noise. So much noise. So could barely hear over the pounding of blood in her ears. The snowy courtyard was being turned to slush and rubble. Putterly began casting more and more high-level dangerous spells, his previous ones not having any effect to slow her down. But it wasn't enough.

oOo

"FIRE! FIRE!"

There were cries being raised in Hogwarts, and students who had been on their way to their commons for curfew were now coming out in droves with curiosity and interest as word was being spread.

Lee and Fred were coming back from leaving a rather decorative message on the front doors of the school. No one would forget to have a "_Happy Feckin' Holiday_!" when leaving for the Express. Not after they passed the festive mess the two seventh years had made in good cheer. Fred thought the rather irate green-painted garden gnomes really made the cake.

"What's all the ruckus?" Fred asked as students were chattering in speculation about what was happening. It seemed all the Gryffindors had gotten word or something, as the closer they got to their common room, the more packed the way got with students. "Have they seen our going-away present to the school already?"

Lee grabbed a sixth year Ravenclaw he vaguely knew. "What in the hell is going on??"

The guy looked like he wished he knew more. "There's a fire down on the second floor, or it might be the third. I don't know but the building is being blown to bits! The castle's under attack or something."

"What?! Under attack?? You sure?"

"Are you sure it's not just a prank gone well?" Fred asked with a raised brow.

The Ravenclaw shrugged. "I was going to go have a look, we might be able to do--"

"All students back to your houses!" prefects were shouting. "Go back immediately! It is past curfew!" Hermione was among the prefects trying to keep students in order. Fred spotted one of the Hufflepuff prefects, and wondered what they were doing so far away from their commons. Though he couldn't blame him. This seemed like the happening place to be.

"Haven't you felt the tremors?" the Ravenclaw asked Lee.

Lee shook his head. They'd been climbing all over the place and had even used their brooms to pull off their little gift. They hadn't noticed anything amiss.

"We were down on the first floor," Fred informed.

"I felt that last one," the Ravenclaw said. "I was laying in bed and I thought maybe we were having a snowstorm. I came out to check things out."

"Lee! Lee!"

It was Kara's voice, and Lee raised a hand to her as she pushed and shoved students aside to get to the seventh year. She was dragging Neville behind her, who looked completely upset about being a tag-along, not to mention nervous. "Live hasn't come back yet!" Kara shouted with fright, keeping her grip tight on Neville's hand as the crowd surged. They forced their way further into the throng of students, and Lee made a grab for Kara's hand, but they got separated. He heard her indignant squawk followed by Neville's name and some cursing. She was trying to get past some older years who frankly would not give her the time of day. He looked to Fred.

"What in the bloody hell _is _going on then?"

Peeves the poltergeist floated out through the ceiling, looking for all the world pleased. "Fire Fire!" he shouted. "Ooh what rotty rotters!" he sang in adding to the general chaos about him. He got the attention of more than a few students, and was pleased as punch for it.

Fred gave the ghost a look. "Is there really a fire?"

The specter spared him a grin. "Oh yes! Fires and sparks and rubble and light! Don't go there Freddy Weasley, you'll end up a fright!" he sang. Lee frowned as the poltergeist bounced about gleefully singing his tune. Fred had a wry look on his face. As if he would take orders from a ghost...

Lee looked around. He and Fred were being shoved by the throng of panicked and interested students. Some were scared, others curious. They weren't sure what to believe, but no one was listening to the orders of the prefects. Some wanted to investigate. As a rumble was felt thoroughly this time, some students screamed. Others quickly made a beeline for the safety of their portrait hole. Though the resonant shake had been small, it was felt through the large castle.

"All students back to your houses immediately! Prefects keep them inside!"

"What's McGonagall doing here?" Fred asked Lee over the din of voices.

"It must be serious," Lee said. "Where'd--"

"Lee!" Kara called out from somewhere behind them. He looked and caught her back in the direction of the common room. The crowd had gotten her quite far back. McGonagall was a major obstacle between them and the confused students now. "Lee! Get to Live!" she shouted. "Go now!"

Lee thought for a moment. "You think Live could make such a ruckus?" Lee asked Fred as they pushed aside younger years and ignored McGonagall's directives. "Or is the castle really under attack?"

Fred thought on that. He knew things Lee was not fully privy to. He knew some very specific things his twin had confided to him. He didn't think Death Eaters would attack the school directly in trying to get to Live. Not, he joked to himself, when they could just as easily go for Harry. But then, she wasn't big game like Harry was. And apparently Malfoy was certainly stupid enough to try things twice as they had discovered for themselves that weekend. Who said he wouldn't be party to a third major attempt?

"We've got to get there _now_," Fred told Lee, using him as a human plow and getting through the crowd. Lee's complaints were nothing compared to the students being pushed aside and somewhat knocked over. Even with the rumors of what was going on, they still took offense to Lee's jostling under Fred's power.

As Lee sprouted horns, he turned an angry glare behind him. "Oi you! This is no time to be playing around! We've got an emergency! Keep your wand to yourself!" Though with horns on the top of his head it made him a far more effective plow. Students were practically jumping out of his way, and in no time he and Fred were running easily and unobstructed through the halls, following the shake of the foundation and the echoes of unmistakably battle noise.

As the air got colder, it got a noticeable scent to it. As they got closer to the sounds the scent and air got thicker, and they were stopped by Professor Sinistra, who had with her an injured Professor Flitwick. He had what looked like to Lee a major concussion. There was a bloodied cloth pressed to his head.

"Go back to your house commons," Professor Sinistra spoke clearly and firmly. "This is no place for students."

"What's happening?" Lee asked, the healer in him taking over as he asked Professor Flitwick to see his head.

"A battle. Professors Snape and Tonks are handling it," she said, entitled with the information, watching as the Gryffindor tried to do what he could to help the small professor before him. "It's no place for students. Go to your commons. It's past curfew."

"Is the castle under attack or not?" Fred asked. He was given a sort of brief appraisal by the witch. He offered back a stubborn look.

"No, it's not under attack," she answered.

"Professor this wound isn't that bad…But I think you have a concussion," Lee told Flitwick. The diminutive man seemed a bit out of sorts and didn't give too much of an indication that he was bothered with the boy's assessment. "Don't go to sleep." Lee looked up at Sinistra. "Where did all this blood come from?"

She assessed the boy and pulled up the sleeve on her wand-arm to display a bloodied quick-wrap job. Her hand was wet with crimson from whatever wound was beneath. Lee looked worried. "It's nothing to be concerned about," the witch told him. She let her sleeve fall back down over her arm. "Now both of you back to your dormitories. You cannot stay here."

"Are you all right?" Fred asked, wondering if he made a dash for it if she would be able to stop him.

"I cannot lift it," she told him plainly. She helped support Flitwick to walk, who was a little out of sorts but generally alright. She didn't use her wounded arm to help him along. She called backwards to the seventh years. "If either of you are still on this floor in the next five minutes, I'll make sure your detentions are set for dawn when holidays are over. Get back to your commons."

Lee and Fred looked at one another at her words.

"You know she always was one of my favorite teachers," Fred said with a grin.

"Think she's going to the hospital wing?"

"Well she's not going to the berry picking festival…" They could hear the echo of an explosion. "Think she was serious? Surely Dumbledore will take care of things, right?"

Lee shrugged. "Who knows if he's even in the castle. I've got a bad feeling about this…I need to make sure--"

"Lee Jordan! Fred Weasley! What are you doing on this floor?! Get back to the tower immediately!"

Lee and Fred were left looking at McGonagall like deer in the headlights. She looked on her last nerve. Her face held the expression that Fred had come to expect right before Madam Hooch whacked someone with her broom. He wondered how many Gryffindors had been on the receiving end before being forced back into their commons.

"What's going on?" Fred asked.

"I do not have time to tell you tales Fred Weasley!" she quickly barked, walking past them in a hurry. "You will leave this floor or I'll be writing home to your families about why you're being expelled from Hogwarts." She was gone as soon as she had appeared, and Lee and Fred wasted no time in following after her.

"She can't really do that right?" Fred said as they stalked after her. "Dumbledore has to okay it, right?"

"Merlin I have a bad feeling about this…"

oOo

_I promise promise promise we'll see dear George next chap ;D You know, if Live hasn't blown the whole castle to freakin' bits XD BWAHAH! By the way, I really appreciate the reviews and support and everything else lovely and wonderful from you guys :D Your reviews seriously make me laugh and smile and make me feel uber-guilty about not updating, HAHA! I've been trying to get back to everyone in a timely manner (leave an e-mail if you don't have a registered account here so I can get back to ya! :D) Seriously, I'm not one of those hoighty-toighty high-and-mighty authors. If you take time to say something to me, I like to get back to ya ;D Woo! HAHA seriously, I really appreciate your time ;D And to all the new readers (yes, I get notified every time someone adds this story to a favorites list or adds me to their author alert or whatever, hee hee and there's quite a few) thanks for checking me out and getting this far! O_O _

_I hope everyone has fun at the premier!! Guess who I'll be going as? Hur hur…I'll post up pictures in my artsite gallery if you want to see. I have a way better costume this year PLUS I've been doing a super-wonder woman workout so I look better too HAHA! Hee hee me and my younger sisters are going fully dressed. I'll be putting dark marks on us too, BWAHA! I've converted a lot of people this time around. If the tats I sell in my shop are any indication, we have a nation filled with Death Eaters!!! ZOMG! D: _

_And as always (though I repeat it so you know the info still stands) I _do _have a mailing list if you want to be notified when I update (though if you have a account then it should tell you automatically but I know some of you like to just pop in now and then HAHA!)_

_T. Vaughn S.  
FireValkyrie_


	58. Awakening

_Sorry guys, it's been literally an age without an update. I can only blame my university graduation that finally arrived May 2010 term, and then adult life kickin in. I'm a Bachelor of the Arts in Radio, TV, and Film now! And officially a grown-up. How utterly frightening. :O _

_DaniLionFace forced me to update what I had sitting here forever XD George isn't back in action yet XD Sorry, I was convinced not to prolong the wait and update with what I had XD Lies! I AM FULL OF LIES! XD Next chap! :D haha_

_Luv, FireV._

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers_  
by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 58: Awakening

The first thing she was aware of was the dampness. Upon opening her eyes, there was a relative dimness to go with the chill. Her body hurt and she felt weak. Live lifted her wrists, slowly sitting up, and found them chained to the stone wall above the bed. She felt a surge of confused panic.

"You're safe," a familiar female voice intoned. Live turned her head towards the voice and saw Tonks looking at her with a smile from an old chair, happy she was conscious. The pink-haired witch removed her wand and lit the room up considerably now that Live was awake. She gave her a warm smile. "Everyone has gone home for the holidays. The school is empty," she immediately spoke. She got up from her chair and tossed a scrap of paper into an empty fireplace grate against a far wall before coming nearer Live. It quickly caught green flame and disappeared into ash.

"What are these?" Live asked, confused.

"Those are the same chains that held Prometheus. You've been unconscious for two days. Dumbledore had to leave the castle but he'll take them off when he comes back. Do you feel alright?"

Silence filled the room for several long moments in which all that could be heard was the breathing of the other. Live felt dread deep in the pit of her stomach. "I'm still at school?"

"Yes."

"…i-is he…?"

Tonks' eyebrows knit together in a frown. "Your housemate?" she broached. Live slowly nodded. The pink-haired witch shook her head. "Nothing like that. He had to be immediately taken to St. Mungos. He's also unconscious…Do you feel like yourself?" she turned the conversation, her answers abrupt.

"Yeah, I'm just a little confused…" Live answered with self-worry. She had a feeling she'd done something very bad, and the fact that she couldn't remember made her sick. "I don't remember coming here."

Tonks gave her a flat smile. "Your duel shook the professors out of their beds. This was the furthest place from the rest of the students that Dumbledore felt we could keep you safely, and within the castle grounds."

"I can't remember anything after he hit me with some spell." She touched her arm in sudden realization, the chains making metallic 'clinks', and found her arm to be wrapped in bandages. It didn't hurt, but it felt odd. "_How_ did I get here?"

Tonks gave her a very serious look; one the Slytherin witch had never seen on the Metamorphmagis' face. It looked out of place with that vibrant, bubblegum-pink hair. "You need to understand how very serious this was. You were on a rampage. Your magic was controlling you. You weren't controlling _it_. That's….so utterly dangerous. I want you to think about that."

Live frowned at the advice which sounded like chastisement, more concerned over the fact that she didn't fully remember the incidents than the fact that she knew she well deserved it.

Tonks sighed, her face lighting up a bit. "It took five of us to slow you down. You…Your magic would have killed that boy." Live looked like a deer caught in the headlights. She didn't doubt Tonks' words. "We thought we were too late, but it was enough to distract you by the time McGonagall and them got there…Any of this sound familiar?"

"I….I didn't….to McGonagall…?" Live tried to gather her thoughts for things she had never thought of as possibilities, horror growing at the thought that she'd attacked a teacher.

"Don't worry, McGonagall is tough as nails. She's fine," Tonks relayed, watching Live closely. "And you didn't do anything to me, to which I thank you. Sinistra on the other hand has some nerve damage but she'll be alright. Snape's arm was broken, and Flitwick had a concussion but he's doing okay." The color drained from the Slytherin's face, her skin visibly paled. "Oh, they're all perfectly fine. They stopped _you_, didn't they? For a while I didn't think it possible. Your magic is….It is so dangerous to get into that state, Live. You really don't remember it?"

"I don't remember doing any of that," she replied, coming to the conclusion that it was probably much worse than it seemed. "I should be permanently locked away…Don't give me that look, I'm dead-serious. If I did all that…I've got to be put-away. It's common-sense. It's what I'd do to me in your situation."

Tonks looked bothered and brushed her statement off. "Everyone is fine you know. Bones can be fixed in a jiff and you can always send apology chocolates."

Live made a sour look, not appreciating the lightness of speech. "I don't think this is something chocolate can fix."

"It will be alright. Dumbledore is taking care of things even now. And the students think a troll got loose…or two. Really nasty ones. As an end of the term prank gone wrong….At least, that's what we've been telling them. No other students were around when you got into that state…. And they all went home on the express anyways so it's all right. Dumbledore will fix everything."

Live hung her head, chained hands to the sides of her face. She was scared. She'd attacked teachers, and worse, broken her Head of House's arm. She was beginning to run out of things on her list of impossible sins for her to commit.

"Hey." Tonks put her hand on Live's leg, getting her attention. "It'll be alright. We'll all help you. Just keep yourself calm."

"Will I be put into Azkaban?" Live genuinely inquired with fear, knowing someplace like St. Mungos psych ward would be out of the question for keeping _her _in check.

Tonks looked taken aback. "Don't worry about that. Don't think such things." The pink-haired witch thought the blonde before her looked full of self-loathing. Such thoughts wouldn't be fitting to improve her mind, and that was what Dumbledore was most interested in. "Think of George, eh?" she prompted. Live looked up at that. Tonks offered her a teasing-tilt of her lip. "You two still virginy-virgins?" The color returned to Live's cheeks. Tonks grinned, trying to make her smile, or at least lighten up. "You know, I'm more than surprised. With what's happened and with considering that horrid prophecy, I'd say you two danced the mattress lambada some time ago. You should do it post-haste then, you know? It might actually _stop_ your craziness," she teased, trying to make the younger witch smile. "I bet it's pent-up sexual frustration. No, I _guarantee _it's pent-up sexual frustration."

The faintest of smiles graced Live's face, but she felt horrid. "Did I hurt anyone horridly? I mean, seriously?"

Tonks' own grin faded at her failed attempt. "Aside from that boy, no. The other professors will all be alright. Please believe me that everything is okay."

Live frowned. She felt bad, but not as bad as she did for harming her professors. She recalled Putterly's determination. There had been even more to fear in him than she'd assumed reasonable. And she'd had no idea he was so powerful. She'd never sensed that in him. And he'd always struck her as such a horrid student, almost dim-witted where potions was concerned. She was glad he was not in the castle, but curious as to why she wasn't being interrogated about it.

"You know, he's not even that hurt physically. You managed to punch quite a few holes in his actual magic-" Tonks looked bewildered as she recounted, "-but everything else appeared to be collateral damage. There is nothing left of his wand but splinters, though."

Live's heart dropped down into her stomach. It was very serious to destroy someone's wand. She never thought she'd commit such an act in her life. But again, her feelings hung at a contrary balance. She was upset at herself for doing such a thing, but relieved that he was without a wand. She felt like she could breathe a little easier.

A light knock came at the door, and Tonks got up expectantly. "I summoned Professor Snape. He's to look you over before we set you loose." Live inwardly cringed at her choice in words. She must have outwardly done it as well. "I don't think he'll be….mad or anything. Just hang tight."

Live looked properly ashamed in the time it took Tonks to open the door for Snape, and the man to enter the room in all his daunting presence. He took up the area where Tonks' seat was near the bed, but didn't deign to sit. He looked for all the world as sour as ever. Live wouldn't look him in the eyes, would be happy to never look him in the eyes again, but she wasn't so fortunate.

"Look at me you silly girl."

She looked up and immediately looked away before forcing her eyes back. She didn't want to return his stare. He looked her over in close speculation. It made her extremely uncomfortable and guilty beyond measure.

"I-I'm sorry, sir-" she started in a small voice, but the look he gave her made her rethink her apologies.

"Just what were you and Mr. Putterly doing?"

She was blindsided at his bluntness, foregoing any and all pretense. Tonks hadn't asked her anything but she now realized that job had been left up to Snape. It was a perfect choice. She felt heat in her cheeks, but didn't dare play around in giving him answers. Even if he didn't show it out rightly, she knew he was angry with her. "He said he was going to take me, and I wouldn't allow it and it got out of-"

"Take you? Where would _he _take you?"

She frowned with worry as his eyes watched her, steely and black. She was entirely truthful. "I don't know. But he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer and he wants my magic for some reason." Obsessed was the word she would have used. But her Head of House was giving her a hard look, one he usually reserved for students prone to lying, and she didn't feel open to speculation. It certainly scared any embellishing out of _her _mind, and she kept talking to ease the nervousness she felt. "And he knew things," she added. "Things he definitely should not know." Snape raised a brow. She wasn't sure if it was from interest or distrust. "About me," she added, lips thin. "I wouldn't go with him- I couldn't."

"You are an idiot."

Live gave him a wounded look, her voice going defensive. "After everything that's happened-"

"I thought my instructions once given were clear enough to follow. You were to go _nowhere _unescorted."

"I…" She blinked stupidly, face reddening deeper. "I wasn't thinking."

"Yes, that much is apparent." She pursed her lips, mouth tight as he glared down at her judgmentally. "Do you have any idea of the amount of damage done to the school?"

Live felt fear deep in the pit of her stomach as her cheeks flamed in shame and guilt. She knew that she had made a mess dueling. But she really had no idea of the damage she had _really_ caused the castle. Stones were missing chips, she knew that much. She wondered if she could pay for it all…How long would that take? "…have I been expelled, sir?" she asked in a small voice.

He gave her a particularly acidic look. Her stomach gave a lurch. "Miss Hunter, you are a danger to yourself and all those around you. No doubt society would suffer anywhere you were irresponsibly unleashed. The Headmaster has decided you will remain within the castle still." Live was blinking quickly, trying to dispel the moisture in her eyes. "Mr. Putterly has been removed to St. Mungos for further treatment." She bit her lip as he glared down at her. "With consideration to your actions and past incidents, this matter is far from over."

"I…" She was dumbfounded, and moreover, she didn't want to press her luck to question his meaning, so she stayed silent.

Snape removed his wand from his cloak and raised it over her shackled hands. The iron reverberated and shook itself about her. They shrunk in on themselves and detached from the chains, leaving her with what looked like thin, narrow metal bracelets. Snape stood without wasting another moment. "You may go." He went to take his own leave, stepping by Tonks who had her arms folded with a smirk by the fireplace.

"Sir-" Live spouted quickly, curiosity overwhelmed her fear. "What is this?"

He gave her a disgusted look. She inwardly shrank and wished she could take her question back. "The Headmaster is the only one with the power to remove those shackles. I can only make you mobile. You're no more magical-threat than a muggle now." With that little tidbit of information, he left, and she sat there utterly dumbfounded.

Tonks got the door after him and then took a seat by Live on the bed. "I'm sure Dumbledore will remove them when he gets back. You won't be able to use your magic at all until he does, but you needn't worry," she said at the look on the blonde's face. "There is no one left in the castle aside from your little Gryffindor friends, and a couple of professors, and Mr. Filch. There is absolutely nothing to worry over. You'll be safe, and so will everyone else."

Live had to admit that it made her feel a little at ease, knowing no one else was left in the castle that she might harm, or might harm her… "Where is Dumbledore? When will he be back?" Tonks had to admit that she had no idea. Live pursed her lips, inwardly stewing. "Professor Snape is wicked pissed at me…"

Tonks smirked. None of them knew the half of it. "I don't know about that. He used some _very_ powerful hexes on you." Live looked bothered. "It wasn't easy to bring you down. They had no effect, of course. But that was some pretty powerful stuff," she said with a nervous laugh, letting Live have the information to do with as she saw fit. "You block exceptionally well."

Live exhaled. "It's acceptable," she said. "I would have done anything to stop me as well."

"How very forgiving," Tonks said with an amused smirk. "Snape could learn a lesson from you." Live gave her a sour look. "_You're_ surprisingly all right. At least, you had no physical wounds. By the time Pomfrey got to you she said you were fine, just out cold and a little frazzled if not magically exhausted. So don't worry about that, alright?" the Metamorphmagus said without concern. "You might have broken his arm, but he cursed the bejeesus out of you, so I think that makes you square."

Live's face held a wry expression. Even if that made them 'even', she was certain he would not see it that way. She was also more than certain he would hold a grudge at her delaying his own holiday. Most professors left the castle for the winter, as far as she knew. She couldn't recall if he stayed or left when the break began. She hung her head with a sigh, knowing there was nothing further for it, though everything else she rather accepted as necessary. Necessary and bothersome.

"Just move on, my dear little virgin," Tonks said with a wide grin. Live frowned. It made the pink-haired witch giggle. "Well hell girl, you're free now, so wanna get out of here?"

Live had to admit, the idea had merit. She didn't know what place this was in the castle, but she wanted to get out and find out for herself how extensive the damage she'd done to the building really was.

Tonks led the way out of what Live found to be an area of the castle she'd never been before, deeper than the dungeons she was so familiar with and much more labyrinthine than any of the halls she was used to. Getting to those familiar grounds, Tonks parted ways with her and bid her not return to where they'd been keeping her. Live didn't need to be told twice.

"But where are you going?" the blonde asked, worried at being alone.

Tonks winked. "It's Christmas break for the professors too, you know. I've got me some one-on-one time planned with a certain werewolf close to my heart." Live's lips turned up in a little smirk as Tonks blew her a kiss, wishing her a happy Christmas, and left her to her own devices.

The blonde sixth year wandered quietly and cautiously at first, wary though she was free to go about her business. A happy Christmas indeed. If she could survive the rest of the year without incident, _then_ she'd be happy.

She walked softly, keeping the sound she made to a bare minimum as nervousness ate at her. She didn't pay much attention to where her feet took her, but was unsurprised to find herself soon back at the scene of the crime.

Little snippets came back to her as she viewed the carnage that used to be the courtyard. Ha, a troll indeed. She didn't think a troll could accomplish so much if it tried. Rubble lay in piles, as if someone had tried to make the area passable for foot traffic, and there were signs up that promised detentions should anyone trespass as the area was deemed not safe. At least, it was what had been signed by Mr. Filch. They had bigger worries than rubble to concern themselves with.

_Several days have passed since I've done this_, she told herself. And if this mess was what was left _after_ attempts at clean up, what had it looked like when she'd finished?

Live let herself around one of the signs to get at the corridor. She touched her arm where it was bandaged from the spell that had almost blasted her bodily. She recognized the aftermath of several spells she knew quite well and without a doubt knew she had cast, and signs of damage inflicted by various others. Gnarled, unfriendly-looking roots jutted up from the snowy ground in the courtyard like great frozen snakes, and she thought she vaguely remembered it. But that wasn't a spell she knew how to cast right off the top of her wand, so to speak.

She recalled how it had felt when her strength had left her. As if she couldn't breath. The thought brought shivers to her spine and sudden terror, and she instantly did not want to be alone with herself. She had thought she was going to die. The memory made her heart speed up considerably. She was very grateful that she couldn't recall everything.

Live left the area immediately and headed back to safer, more familiar territory, still keeping her footsteps light and body alert. She would have used Kitty Nimbles to get about, but she needed to feel like herself quite badly at the moment, her sense of self like some lost companion she'd long forgotten. Frankly, she wasn't even sure if she _could_ turn into Kitty Nimbles.

"_Your magic was controlling you."_ Tonks words echoed in her head. How had she lost such control where she'd once prided herself on keeping herself in check?

For all Live's efforts to keep her presence undetected, it was ultimately for naught when a keening shriek in the tone of her name assaulted her senses. Moments later, her person was under attack by that of her younger sister in the hall of stairs.

"Live Live! Where did you come from? Where have you been?" Kara cried. "I have been searching this castle top to bottom for two days looking for you! No one's told me anything! Snape only told me to bugger off!"

"I'm okay," Live immediately reported, looking into her little sister's frowning, slightly-moist eyes. "I was….a little tied up."

Kara relinquished her hold on her sister and stood arms akimbo, her expression changing, aggressive. "Where the bloody hell have you freaking _been_? Do you know how damned worried we've all been? _TWO DAYS._ Two freaking-ass-days without anything!"

Live lightly smiled at the sentiment. "Sorry."

Kara's frown deepened. "I even used my animagus, I couldn't sniff you at all! You know how good my wolf's nose is? _Nothing!_"

"They must have totally concealed me with magic…" _Wise move, too._ "What do you know about everything?"

Kara suddenly gave her sister a violent hug. She'd been truly, truly worried when Lee and Fred had come back sans Live and all alarm. "I'm going to go Slytherin on your stupid ass…No one could tell me anything and people are all stupid talk."

"I'm really sorry for making you worry…" Live said, this outpouring of concern from her sister really getting to her. "It won't happen again." She gave her sister a wide grin that didn't reach her eyes. "Snape says I'm good as muggle now, so no craziness from me. I won't disappear again, promise."

Kara gave her a confused, worried frown, but decided not to dwell on her words. She took her sister's wrist, noted her new jewelry without much thought, and started to pull her. "You're coming back to the dorm where you belong."

oOo

Kara popped through the Gryffindor portrait hole, going ignored by the brunette and redhead sitting on the couch discussing the holidays. When she pulled her Slytherin sister through, however, the two of them took startled notice.

"Where the bleeding hell have you been?" Ginny said before jumping up to wrap Live in a hug.

"You're alright!" Hermione said jumping up. "Where have you been? We've been looking for you everywhere."

"Harry and Ron are out right now looking about the greenhouses again," Ginny informed, smiling up at the blonde before letting her go. "We knew you were somewhere in the castle. We just knew it!"

"I told you we were doing proper search-party things," Kara informed her sister with a frown.

"-And you're lucky you've been found," a male voice informed from the portrait hole before Fred showed his face with a wide grin. His robes were wet and his cheeks red, as if he'd been outside in the snow. He jumped down, followed by Lee who was in a similar state of dress. He didn't seem the least bit surprised to see her. "Kara was one fit away from accosting Snape in rather inappropriate manners."

"Kara don't you _dare_ do anything to Professor Snape," Live immediately turned on her sister, the blonde sugar piston looking at her with quirked brow. "One more straw and he'll break me."

Kara made her distaste known with a huff while Lee smirked. "Actually, I think it's Kara who the breaking will be done to," he informed lightheartedly.

"She _has _been hounding him quite fantastically," Fred said with a smirk at Live before looking away. "You'd be impressed."

Kara tugged on Live's robes. "I wasn't gonna let him keep any secrets from _me_."

"I'm alright now, so don't worry," Live said with a smirk. It touched her how much everyone cared. Lee and Fred trudged up the stairs, leaving Live wondering at their lack of interrogation themselves. She caught Hermione looking at the cuffs on her wrist and felt obliged to acknowledge them. "A little Christmas present from Dumbledore," she told the bushy-haired witch, a slight blush creeping over her cheeks.

"Can I try them?" Ginny asked, eyeing the bangles with curiosity. It wasn't exactly the type of fashion statement Live was apt to make.

Live gave her a look. "If you can get them off me, you're more than welcome to them." Ginny didn't know whether it was a threat or an invitation, but chose not to press the matter.

"I guess we should let mum know you're alright," the fourth year said. "She worried about you, you know? We've all been staying on looking for you. Well, mum's been sitting with George, but once he wakes up we'll all go home together," she said enthusiastically. Live didn't meet her eyes, but nodded her agreement. Ginny gave Kara a wave as Hermione volunteered to come along before hopping into the portrait hole herself. Live wondered if Mrs. Weasley was in the castle right now.

"Oi, watch it!" Ron's voice came agitatedly from the hole.

"Oh no you don't, Ron. I'm a girl, so let me by first."

"No, you're a sister. Out of my way. You're stepping on my robe, mate," he said to Harry behind him.

"Ron either hurry up or move!" Hermione told him. "You're so slow."

"I think it's time Gryffindor installed an express highway to ease traffic congestion," Live told Kara with an uneasy smirk. The fifth year looked intrigued by the idea as her housemates quarreled in the small space. She had no doubt Ginny would get her way in the end. "Kara, is there any change with George?" Live asked quietly, hopefully.

"Ow Ginny! That's my hair!"

"And it's gonna be my _foot _in a minute!"

Kara snorted with a look back at the portrait hole. "No. His butt sure is taking it's damned time waking up. _I've_ a mind to go into hibernation for a while. Seems the fad around here. You can wake me up after winter. But leave my meals at the door. I'll still take them."

"You do that and I'll slip you furry-fur powder again."

Kara frowned. "I am _not_ a bear."

Ron fell unceremoniously to the floor of the common room as Ginny stepped aside. Harry quickly came through before Ginny smugly popped into it, followed by Hermione's bushy hair and rolling eyes. The two boys were soaked, and there was still snow in Harry's hair. Fred and Lee must have happened to them.

"Where did you come from? When did you come back?" Harry asked, surprised to see Live standing nonchalantly in their commons.

"Right now," Kara told him.

"Bloody….rotters….ice in their trousers…get them back…Hey."

Kara raised a brow at Ron's muttering and wisely chose to stay out of it. The fiery-haired fifth year muttered what was supposedly an acknowledgement to Live, a look of relief that they didn't have to go back outside, and the two boys went up the stairs presumably in search of dry clothes, leaving the sisters alone.

"What happened?" Kara asked her sister when the boys' footsteps had dissipated.

Live shrugged. "I'm not really sure. I don't remember. Only that Putterly started it. I'm going to have to change schools…"

"_That_ asshole?"

"I don't know how this year can get any worse. I'm scared to talk to Dumbledore." Live raised a brow to Kara and gave her a tired look coupled with a sigh. "So…what do you want for Christmas?"

Kara gave her a momentarily blank look at her change of subject. But it wasn't for the reason Live thought. "You haven't _gotten_ me anything yet?"

Live laughed, and it felt good to laugh. She looked to see Kara was still frowning, and gave her a glower to match the one on her face. "I'll get you a good kick in the pants if you keep that look on your face."

Kara continued her look for another five seconds before the sound of her rumbling stomach drew their attention. She gave her sister a quick smile. "Want to get a muffin? There's blueberry."

Live smirked as her younger sister took her hand and didn't release it until muffins were being pushed upon them by very zealous kitchen elves.

oOo

"I'm also going to need my three travel-size cauldrons, one very thick and the other silver ones. The dragon-hide gloves definitely. The three books under the bed, though we probably won't have to reference them if I can read my own notes. I have enough glass bottles but we may need more. I also need the silver-bladed knife and the bronze saucer at the ready. You think you can remember that?" Live finished listing off the items they had to scrounge from various parts of the boys' dorm. She had to get to work finalizing the anti-apparating potion on which Snape was adamant she have for the ministry by the new year, and frankly with two people it would go faster. She still needed to make sure her formulas were correct, and even then there would be preparation to need doing for the eventual test batches.

"Of course I got it," Kara affirmed with a proud grin. "I _have_ been keeping our books and memorized the new potions. My mind is like a well-kept filing cabinet!" She tapped her brow. "Got it."

"Pfft. Your mind is more like someone's dirty laundry basket."

Kara gave her a frown. "Hey just because I'm a mess on the outside doesn't mean my mind's not a well-organized library."

"I'll give you that much…" Live conceded. Kara had a great proud grin. "Except the books are all in Greek and you barely understand English."

Kara's grin turned to a frown.

"And all the librarians are on strike."

Her frown deepened. "I'll dye your hair an ugly color and not change it back if you're not nice to me," the fifth year threatened.

Live smirked. "Magic or not, try it and you'll pay."

Kara turned her nose up at her sister, looking away with an affronted "Pfft."

Live looked smug and went back to checking off her list as they sat on their legs on the dorm floor. She had to immediately take up where she'd left off, no time to dwell on the scene of her crime or those she'd hurt. No time to yearn for George, trying to get the worry from her mind even though everywhere she looked she saw him in the state of the dorm.

She sighed. Though she had the initial potion finished in two different, inadequate forms, the processes to get them that way had taken a lot of trial and error, her own pizzazz in brewing strategy, and namely, time. And time she did not have. In just over a week, regardless of everything that had happened up to that point, Snape intended to make her or break her. Namely she thought he'd like to do some breaking. The way the two of them carried on, Live thought, the Hunter girls were definitely asking for it from the Head of Slytherin House.

Live groaned and Kara poked her with question. "What? I've been being nice and quiet you know?" Live started to chuckle. Kara raised a brow and poked her again. "You've finally gone crazy?"

"I'm not even sure if it matters, doing this potion. Snape probably isn't going to pass me. It probably won't be good enough. I'm going to have to switch schools after all this at best. Though the stipend from the ministry might have helped that transition along if it was a good potion….though he'll probably say it's inadequate and dump it down the drain just to make it harder on me to transfer."

The door creaked open cautiously, admitting Lee and Fred who entered after seeing everything was decent. With the two sisters, one could never be certain. Lee gave one look at Live's snickering and raised an amused brow to Kara, wanting to be in on the joke. "What's so funny?"

Live was giggling into the hands she'd plastered over her face. Kara looked up. "Live's gone bye-bye at the moment, though I expect a return any time now." Live's snickers got worse. Kara grinned at Lee, taking credit for the snickers, and Fred watched the three of them with none-too-detached interest.

"If there's anything in my bed, Kara, you don't get your own pygmy puff," Fred threatened, eyeing his bed with suspicion for Live's snickering. Kara's shocked gasp was proof enough for Fred that his bed was safe from her interference, and he plopped down in it belly-first.

Lee gave his own bed a concerned look. "Lay off _me_, Kara. It's the holidays. I need a break from your bonkers."

"Do you mean boobs? It sounds like boobs," she responded with a thoughtful look that said she was repurposing the word in her mind's dictionary. Lee stared down at her with a frown that she quickly matched. "Oi! Don't be looking at my bonkers, you!" She clasped her hands over her chest while Lee merely put a hand to his forehead.

Live removed her own hands to look at Kara's chest-guarders, her snickers much extinguished. "We have work to do."

Kara frowned, keeping her hands in place. The temporary insanity was over. Live looked up at Lee, who seemed to have a moment of Kara-inspired migraine. He gave Live a quick smile before looking away to further investigate his bed's purity.

"Can't we do it tomorrow?" Kara started. Live turned back to her little sister. "I can't work properly without some Every Flavor Beans and maybe a chocolate frog or two….And I already brushed my teeth!"

"It's still early," Live told her. Fred made exaggerated snoring noises which she ignored. Lee poked his bed experimentally. "And since when has that ever stopped you?"

"Since I'm _tiiiiiiired_," she drawled out. Live regarded the plaintive look her younger sister was giving her. It wasn't _too _late in the evening. Though they had spent a very long time discussing everything Live was aware of. And Kara was definitely exhausted emotionally. Though Live felt she personally had the energy to continue, she supposed she had been motivated and running on fear. Her giddiness for one was definite sign of exhaustion.

"Fine then. Tomorrow."

Kara gave her sister a bodily hug while Live endured it as best she could. "I'll get my bed ready!" She jumped up and left the room with more energy than she had claimed to have.

Lee raised a brow and spoke to the back of Live's head. "You're sleeping in her dorm?"

She turned to look at him when Fred spoke up the thought in the air. "If you catch anything from sleeping in her bed, you're not sleeping back in here."

Live stuck her tongue out at Fred, though it went wasted on him as he had his face stuck neatly in his pillow. She considered his words as she gathered up her nighttime items and met Kara in her dorm for the "Fun fun sleepover!" as the blonde sugar piston was calling it. One look at the candy wrappers littering Kara's bed, and Fred's words touched quite close to home.

oOo

One night in her younger sister's bed had Live convinced she'd never feel clean again. Whether it was through bribery of the house elves not to touch her bed, or if Kara indeed had an addiction, Live had never plucked so many cellophane wrappers out of bedding in her life. And the thought all through the night of bugs marching over them for sweet morsels had given new meaning to the word "nightmare". That Henry the pygmy puff had taken to twitching throughout the night on her chest didn't make her sleep any more comfortably.

"I'm sleeping in George's bed," Live told her little sister at dawn. She was wide awake, eyes in pain, and sweaty where Kara was peep-peeping her in the night. She felt stiff and cramped, and itchy where Henry was ensconced at her neck, purring.

"Wha…? What time is it? What are you doing?" the younger blond asked sleepily, grasping her sister's good arm.

Live shortly thereafter disentangled herself from her sister, threatening immediate harm if she didn't release her, and that she'd be plenty safe with Lee and Fred, and that the drool on her pajamas had better not stain. Henry's pleased humming as she dragged herself into the boys' dorm and into George's cold bed didn't do anything for her demeanor, and if it hadn't been so early in the morning, she would have made Fred pay for the snickering she heard as she closed the bed curtains with a huff.

oOo

"I feel like my brain is melting," Kara whined.

"Impossible," Live said as she measured ingredients that could be prepared before any brewing began, "You have to _have_ a brain in order for it to melt."

"Go blow Merlin's-"

"Finish that sentence and I'll end you," Live said with a sharp look at her sister.

Kara's sour look immediately turned innocent. "I was about to say 'whistle'. Merlin's _whistle_."

"_Ahhh_." Live scratched her head with both hands, frazzling her hair. "I think _my _brain has melted. And my fingers hurt."

"Well I told you that I could handle cutting things for a while," Kara said wryly. "If you're too tired and write stuff down wrong later, you can't yell at me if your potion doesn't work."

Live snorted. "If it doesn't work, I'm bollocksed either way." She exhaled. "I need a break."

Kara brightened. "Wanna take a walk?" The Slytherin's smirk didn't go wasted on her. "I _don't_ have a leash and if you ever try putting one on me again I'll bite your bum."

"So I should return your Christmas gift then?" Her smirk was met with silence. "It's patent leather….with a cute little dog tag. No?" Kara's eyes turned to slits and Live grinned. "Alright huff puff, let's go for walkies."

"In the spirit of Christmas, I'm going to let that slide."

The two girls tidied up the things they'd been preparing, putting them in _relative_ safety, as there really was nowhere safe from Lee and Fred, and exited the dorms and common room into the unnaturally quiet castle.

"This is nice," Kara said after a while, down on the main floor of the castle.

"Hm."

"No one's around. I could walk about in my pajamas if I felt like it."

"It's too cold."

"Not if I cast a warming charm on it."

"Filch might see ya."

"…It's too cold."

Live grinned. "Did Hermione really say she'd help with the brewing?"

Kara nodded. "If your notes are legible, she said she'd help. You know, between snogging Ron." Kara grinned toothily. "I've got just the right idea about what I'm getting _her_ for Christmas."

"I don't want to know about it," Live warned with a smirk.

Kara smiled. "Want to visit George?" Live's smirk died. "Well we're headed in that direction. I know you can't go in but his mum might be in."

"Um…No…" Live said weakly, changing their path with the next corridor. "Do you have a copy of _The Prophet_ I could read?" she said changing the subject. "I feel like I'm going to go stir crazy."

Kara looked at her a bit surprised. "No…I already threw out the last copy."

"Oh."

"Why do you keep doing that?"

"Doing what?" Live asked.

"You keep looking around."

"Do I?"

"Like a lizard."

"If I have to warn you on the reptile jokes again…"

Kara lightly smiled. "Just calm your snakey-bum down."

"Snakes don't have bums, Kara."

Kara gave an upturn of her lip and leaned way back to look presumably at her sister's rump. "Are you _sure?_ Because what I'm looking at here-" She dodged the smack Live sent flying her way and startling cackling. "I see you're making up for the rest of the reptile world." Live took another swipe at her and Kara took off at a jog out of reach. Live quickly gave pursuit as Kara's cackling turned to quick laughs intermingled with shrieks when her sister got too close for comfort.

oOo

"I give up."

Kara gave the Slytherin a gimlet-eye from behind a stack of books. She was running low on candy, but deeply focused on the work they were doing. "The bugger you do."

"I can't think anymore. I need to just start brewing. I feel like I'm wasting time with all this prep-work. I don't normally do things this way."

"If you think we're starting brewing tonight you can forget it. I'm not sitting up all night watching your smelly things boil. If you didn't sleep so late we could get an earlier start on things!"

Live stuck her nose in the air. "My potions are not smelly. Nor do I just leave them to boil!" Kara stuck her tongue out in reply.

"Don't stick it out unless you intend to use it," Fred said with a grin from the couch in the common room.

Kara stuck her tongue further out at Fred even as Live spoke. "Fred Weasley you will not say such lewd things to my little sister."

"…_is what Lee said_," Fred amended with a huge grin, turning his eyes to Lee. Live rolled her eyes, but seeing the caught look on Lee's face, as well as the following hitting of Fred in the shoulder, took her by surprise.

"Lee Jordan you have a filthy mind."

"I didn't say that!" he affirmed, glaring at Fred. "I said something else!"

"Yeah, what he _did_ say was way more _nffphmhh_!" Lee had both hands wrapped around Fred's face and clasped tightly to his mouth. While Fred seemed amused momentarily, he wasn't so when Lee refused to let go.

"-_breathe_!" Fred murmured as he shoved at Lee.

"Breathe through your nose!" Lee told him with a deep frown.

Kara's snickering took Live's attention from the two seventh years. "You're enjoying this."

"No, I was just thinking of a new idea…." Live didn't like the sound of that. "You should probably stay with me again tonight. They're both _way_ too pervy."

"If you catch something-" Fred huffed, having secured one of Lee's hands, "-you're not allowed- Lee get _off!_- you're not allowed back in the dorm! _Oof_!"

Kara showed Fred the Slytherin Finger and Live outright frowned. In the spirit of sisterly unity, she wouldn't mention how close Fred's words touched to home, but she inwardly cringed at the thought of spending a second night awake in Kara's sugary bed.

"Where's Hermione?"

"I dunno. Probably off snogging Ron in the library," Kara said with a grin.

"As if she'd profane the library that way…" Live muttered. She wanted to get to work and wanted to pick Hermione's brain on a few theories she had. And she had limited supplies to just test them with haphazardly.

There was a brilliant 'thump', followed by an annoyed sound from Lee and Fred standing to full height with a victorious smile.

"You're both idiots…" Kara told him.

He upturned his lip to Kara and lost the snarl when informing Live. "She and Ginny went home with mum earlier this afternoon."

"Eh?" Kara said, surprised. "Why didn't anyone tell me this?"

"It's just for the night, and _you_ were off in the kitchens," Fred continued, shunting Lee off his person as the other boy tried to drag him down to the floor. "They're helping mum ready for Christmas." He offered a grin. "If we could wake my bloody twin up we'd be up to our ears in mum's holiday pudding by now. But I can wait."

Live somberly returned the smile.

oOo

Through a repeat of the night before, Live left Kara's dorm at dawn to drag herself and her pygmy puff back into George's sugar-free bed. As sleep was fitful at best during the night, she slept late past noon in the boys' dorm. That is, until Kara decided it was time to awake.

"Mmf."

"Hey….peep peep…"

Live cracked an eye open, and had to blink a few moments to make sure she wasn't dreaming. As she decided she would definitely not dream about Kara's huge toothy grin and too-bright eyes, she opened her other eye and laid groggily looking at her younger sister. "What is it, Kara?"

"Check this out." There was paper shuffling for a moment when Kara produced a well-worn booklet. She leafed through it a moment and opened the thing, sticking it in Live's face. An ugly looking oversized drawing of a ferret stared her back.

"This is what I want for Christmas."

"No way."

"Yes, way."

"No, I mean, there's no _way_ I'm buying you one of those."

"But he's so cute!"

"He'll eat your face clear off."

"No, they like gnomes."

"And your tasty flesh after it has a try."

Kara pouted. "Christmas isn't even a handful of days away and you _still_ haven't gotten me anything!"

"…define handful," Live muttered without a care as she flipped herself over, turning away from her sister's face and her too-sweet breath. She'd been having chocolates again, and Live worried over the possibility of a contact-sugar-high.

Kara pressed the palms of her hands flat to Live's covered back. "_Liiiiiive_…..get up…It's already past noon." Live ignored her. "Peep peep…."

"Kara, get the hell off me…"

"You smell. And we have work to do."

"Pfft. _You_ smell," she countered childishly back, though she hadn't showered in what felt like ages. At least, after spending too much time in Kara's company. She wouldn't be surprised if she was growing a sugary outer-coating.

Kara grabbed her and tried to forcibly turn her back towards her hugely-grinning face. She accidentally grabbed Live's bandaged arm, and at Live's hiss of annoyance, she immediately let go with a sheepish grin. "Sorry…." Live glared. "Did I hurt you?"

Live rubbed at her eyes, deciding that Kara really wouldn't be abandoning her course anytime soon. "No…fix it for me though."

"Should we get new ones from Madam Pomfrey? Aren't these icky now?"

"No. They're enchanted. Tonks told me not to worry about that, among other things." She held her arm out, brushing Henry aside with her free hand as his orange tongue searched for her face. "It's Kara's breath you smell, nothing I have," she muttered to the miniature puffskein as Kara fixed the bandage at her arm.

"What….What is that?" Kara asked, pausing in her ministrations. Live raised a brow and looked in the direction Kara gazed. Her face blanched as she saw the skin for the first time.

"Oh my god…what's wrong with my arm?" she said, sitting up in a sudden panic.

"I've seen that before," Kara intoned, looking bewildered. Live waited for explanation, eyes wide with panic. "Does it hurt? What should I do? Should I get someone? Should I get Lee and Fred?"

"I don't know," Live answered quickly, afraid to touch it. It didn't hurt; it felt the same as it had since she'd discovered the bandage. But the skin where the spell had grazed her held a resemblance to iridescent crystal. She hadn't had a chance to see what exactly had been bandaged. It didn't look like it belonged to her body at all.

Kara experimentally touched a finger to it very carefully. When Live didn't flinch or otherwise make a noise, Kara rubbed her finger with more pressure. "Does it hurt?"

"No, it feels odd. Like numb, but I can feel it. What the hell did he do to my arm?"

Kara stroked the crystal-like flesh with her finger. "It looks like that Soul Bubble, Live." Live's eyes widened more. She could feel her heart thundering in her chest. "Like the same one you were in." The two girls were silent a moment, each had racing thoughts. "Should I get someone? Should we take you to Pomfrey?"

Live shook her head. She couldn't go anywhere near Madam Pomfrey and the hospital wing. She wouldn't risk it, not with George there. "Snape and Tonks didn't say anything about this." She began to get angry. Was the idea to just let her find out about it on her own? Or had her flesh not looked like this before? "Oh hell, this can't be normal," Live said, pushing the covers aside in a panic as she hopped off the bed.

"What should we do? Should we get someone?"

"Snape. We'll see Snape," Live said as her mind recalled that Tonks was no longer in the castle, nor Dumbledore for that matter, and she wouldn't dare venture anywhere near the hospital wing in case she put George in danger. She only hoped her Head of House was around somewhere.

She haphazardly threw clothes on as Kara searched for shoes and tucked the purple pygmy puff in her pocket. They were ready in less than two minutes, flying down the stairs to the common room and to the portrait hole.

"Oi, what's the rush?" Fred looked up from a book as Live just disappeared out the portrait hole.

"Gotta find Snape," Kara quickly threw back as she, too, disappeared.

Fred raised a brow as the portrait closed and looked up at the ceiling of the common room. At least things weren't _totally_ dull. Though he had to admit the girls were on to a different definition of keeping it interesting in searching out Snape during holiday.

"Alright, I've put him in Ron's canopy," Lee said with a huge grin of satisfaction as he came down the common room stairs. "I looked everywhere for that blasted spider but now he's safe in their dorm."

Fred's mouth quirked. "That should make things a little more lively."

"Next on the list is spreading some holiday cheer to Filch. I've a mind to see what he'd look like with violet hair. Do we have any more of those hair bombs?"

"You'd have to ask Kara. I don't have any."

Lee smirked and nodded, making his way back upstairs.

"Where're you going?" Lee gave him a look like he was an imbecile. Fred elaborated. "Kara and Live just left."

Lee's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. "What?"

"You just missed them."

"…buggering….bollocks…" Lee muttered as he quickly changed course to hop into the portrait hole.

"Oi! Where're you going _now_? _They're_ going to see _Snape_. We're not scheduled to do him 'til Friday!"

Fred was left with the echo of his own voice and the crackle of the fire in the hearth for company. He exhaled, forgoing his book and returning to his view of counting cracks in the ceiling. It was too quite. He was bored.

"Why am I always getting run over?" Ron's agitated voice suddenly came to Fred from the portrait hole. He smiled to himself. New entertainment was sure to follow.

oOo

Finding Snape thankfully in his office, Live and Kara practically burst through the door. A scowl raised towards her that went ignored, Live beseeched her Head of House. "Please professor, something's wrong with my arm." She lifted her sleeve to show him the alien skin, worry overtaking propriety.

She ignored his disdainful glare, but the brush off he gave her in returning to what he'd been doing made her indignant. "Sir-"

"I see nothing so extraordinary as to redirect my attentions," he said dismissively.

Kara spoke up, riled herself. "But her ar-"

"Miss Hunter," he interrupted one sister to scowl at the other, "I assume you're making sufficient headway on your proposal potion for the Ministry. Do I need remind you of the conditions of your arrangement and the remaining days therein?"

While his statement didn't take her total attention away from the fear of her arm, it did serve to increase her agitation and incense her at his disregard. "No, sir. I recall our agreement."

"Then I suggest you stop wasting what time you have and continue with your work. I will make no exceptions."

Live gave a curt nod knowing he'd be of no help, shoving her righteous anger down, and in looking to her sister, signaled it was time to go. Kara on the other hand didn't follow after her elder, and turned her attention on the Head of Slytherin. "Is that thing going to hurt her?" she demanded to know.

Snape fixed her with a withering scowl, as if Live's arm should be the very last thing on the Gryffindor's mind. Kara didn't shrink under his venomous expression, giving no ground.

"_That _thing," he repeated her words with a snarl, "poses no threat."

Though Kara was fully aware of _his _underlying threat, she kept her own face stern. "Thank you," she said curtly before turning and leaving the room with her elder sister following, face beet-red.

Once outside, door shut and in all possibility barricaded from the pair, Live gave her younger sister a frown, cheeks hot with mixed emotions at her sister's bravado. "Kara-"

Kara punched a fist into her hand, satisfied as they walked. "You gotta be tough to get what you want," she said particularly triumphantly. "Show 'em who's boss!"

Live frowned deeper, but there was a smile in her eyes. "He probably knows a million ways to poison and make it look natural, Kara. I wouldn't push it."

Kara offered her an unconcerned smile. "Well now we know you're not contagious or anything."

Live's face still felt hot, but she was glad the interlude had been brief. She knew deep down that if she was in any instant danger, Snape wouldn't make so light of it. It must have been a side effect of the spell she was hit with, and nothing more. "You're lucky he didn't take any points off. Or give you detention."

Kara grinned without concern. "It's the holiday spirit."

"Yeah, and I'm just _sure_ he's got cheer coming out the whazoo."

"No….Fred doesn't have him scheduled until Friday."

The both jumped out of their skin in nearly colliding with Lee around a corner.

"Leeee! You scared the holy hell out of us! And that goes double for Live!"

Live scowled. "Why does it go double for me?"

"You're a Slytherin. Wicked and all."

"Bite me."

"Did you guys see Snape?" he asked, out of breath.

"Yeah…" Kara told him as both girls looked him over. "Did you _run_ here?"

"No…"

Kara raised a brow at him, only to find Live was doing it too. So _that_ was where she picked it up. "I think you _did_," Kara said speculatively. She eyes narrowed. "Were you _trying_ to scare us?"

"No!" Lee affirmed. "Geez you bints are off it. You know we're not scheduled to do Snape 'til Friday?"

"That's what I said." Kara looked at Live for good measure.

Live gave her sister a pensive look. "While we're together, I want to visit my dorm," she brought up suddenly. Both Gryffindors looked surprised. "What?"

"The _Slytherin_ dorms?"

"I _do_ happen to be a Slytherin, you twits."

"Damn, no, I don't have any prank items on me!" Lee mourned.

Live scowled. "You're not going to town on my commons while I'm there."

"Wait, I just-." Lee looked torn. After a few moments of some rather odd expressions, he held up his fingers. "Five minutes…I've gotta get Fred." He took back off down the corridor he'd come from as Live yelled after him:

"You're not vandalizing my commons!" She sighed, and gave a little huff. Her commons should be the last thing on her mind. She saw Kara was giving her a too-toothy grin. "You're not either."

"I wasn't going to do anything!"

"This is a preemptive warning, Kara. Keep your hands to yourself and don't do anything without asking me first."

"You know…I didn't make any rules for _you_ to be in Gryffindor…"

"That's because I know better," she countered. "Half the crap in there is most likely booby-trapped, so if you like the number of fingers you currently have, keep your hands to yourself."

Kara muttered until they got to the wall that would give way to the Slytherin dormitories. Live had to take a breath before stepping inside, but was much grateful for Kara's sisterly shove.

"It's cold in here," Kara noted, cautious in the common room though the place was empty.

"Well everyone's gone home. No fires. But you can light one if you want. We _are_ under the lake."

"You see, that's what I don't get about Slytherin House," Kara said as she removed her wand before the vast hearth.

"What?"

"You snakey-snakes need warmth to work properly….I'd think you guys would be in full-blown hibernation year-round with how chilly it is down here…." She couldn't see the glare Live was giving her back, and smiled into the warm flames growing in the pit. "No wonder you're all in rotten moods all the time."

Kara turned around to give her sister a large grin. Live's tone promised pain. "Any more reptile jokes and I'll feed you to a skrewt."

"Boo-_hiss_," Kara tempted fate.

"Shut it." Live sat in one of the leather couches by the fireplace. It was so totally quiet. Absolutely no one stayed behind but she still didn't feel at ease. It bothered her. "Good to be back," she muttered ironically.

"Wanna raid the boys' dorms?" Kara proposed.

Live stared into the flames and thought on that. "They're all locked and most likely booby-trapped if I know my house mates. There's nothing left to trust down here."

"But _I _have a _wand_," Kara pointed out. Live narrowed her eyes at the unintentional jab.

"You also _don't _have _my _reflexes. Wand or no wand."

"The reflexes of a s-"

"If you say _snake_, I'm seriously going to end you."

Kara grinned a wicked grin. "Skank. I was gonna say _skank_."

Live huffed and made a grab for Kara, but the younger blond side-stepped it. "Fine," she surrendered. "Let's first see the mess Viv and Becca have left my dorm in."

With a loud "yay!" Kara trotted off down the hall before Live, and in coming to the dorm, happily worked her magic and got the door open.

"Don't tell me they didn't ward it?" Live asked of her younger sister as they entered. The room was very much the same as Live had left it, only it looked like the house elves had been by to clean after Vivian and Rebecca had left.

"No…You guys just never change your spells. It's a breeze for me."

"Only because I told you how to get through it."

"Pfft. Don't take away from my majesty."

"Majestic you most certainly are not," Live muttered as Kara stood with arms akimbo and a triumphant grin. "Oh these must be their presents!" Live said of the two gifts lying on her bed.

Kara's grin turned to a frown. "What the bloody hell? You still haven't gotten _me _anything for Christmas and _you_ get your presents _early_?"

"Oh shut up or I really _won't_ get you jack squat." Live lifted one of the items on the bed covered in bright silver and jade striped papers. Kara took the other, weighing, shaking, and listening.

"Gonna open them?"

"No. It says 'do not open 'til Christmas'."

"What if _I_ opened them?"

"No."

"It's like you didn't_ technically_ break the rules…."

"No."

"What if I use my wand and-"

"No."

Kara frowned. "Can we raid another room please?" Live was silent. "I'll raid you a present." Kara's face took on an evil gleam. "Hey, let's go ruin that guy's room. Steal his stuff and use it for target practice!"

Though Kara hadn't used a name, they both knew to whom she referred. It bothered Live immensely, but one image stuck out in her mind. "We need potion supplies that I'm just not going to be able to order in time….And he has a trunk-load of them." Kara's grin grew sizes Live had never seen. "I wouldn't say that makes it any less dangerous though, especially considering."

"Alrighty, say no more, I'll be all eyes and wand! Let's steal us some just desserts!"

Taking little to no time on Kara's part to get the door which Live indicated open, both girls stood on the threshold looking in. Live was having doubts as to the wisdom in her decision, and suddenly would have rather dumped her own potions than use his ingredients, stolen or not.

"I've changed my mind."

"Oh come _on_," Kara said. "Where's the Slytherin in you? Isn't revenge best served icy and nasty and horrid?" Kara stepped tentatively into the room, body alert, and looked about unimpressed. "If this is how purebloods live, frankly I think we got the better end of the stick."

Live tentatively took a step in. Though she had never had an occurrence in there with Putterly himself, she was still wary. "All the potions stuff is in that trunk," Live indicated. "But be careful."

Kara gave her a look. "I know all about biting-trunks and protective hexes, you know?" She steeled herself for the worst, though the trunk wasn't even so much as locked. "Pfft, I think you Slytherins are all talk," she said, getting up after a moment with disinterest. Live got into the trunk and rifled through for items needed while Kara stalked about the room. "Ew."

"What?"

"Leeches," Kara said with a disgusted face, rifling through the belongings on the top of a bureau.

"Well I don't need any of those."

"Good." She took the jar with disgust.

"What are you doing?" Live asked, still watching her as she crossed the room.

"Leaving a gift," the younger blond replied, approaching one of the beds. Live grimaced and turned away, removing bottles of dried, jewel-colored beetles and pickled red things. There was a wet slosh as Kara dumped the contents of the jar and then calmly proceeded to put the empty container back.

"We're going to need to make two trips," Live muttered.

"Mm." Kara pulled a picture off the bureau and studied the man holding a woman in a tight emerald dress, grinning from the frame. She gave it a disdainful shake before depositing it back where she'd found it. "You need snake skin?"

"Not to my knowledge," Live replied without a look.

Kara grinned and placed the mottled, dried papery-substance over the portrait to spite the occupants of the photo. "We really shouldn't have come here unprepared," Kara noted.

"What do you mean?" Live asked, her skirts lifted to form a temporary basket for the items she was taking.

"This is, like, a Fred- and Lee-sized job. And I don't have a single prank item on me." Live was silent, the clinking of bottles Kara's response. "We should definitely do Malfoy's dorm too."

"Kara, he's not very smart, but there is no doubt in my mind his dorm might be dangerous," Live spoke up. And without a wand, she didn't want to risk her little sister. Malfoy was dumb enough to leave dangerous items out in the open, and Kara was curious enough to touch anything.

"Oh!"

"What?" Live asked as she whipped around at her sister's outburst.

"I just had a thought!" Live scowled at her for causing alarm. "We should grab a sneak-o-scope! If there's anything wonky it should pick it up! Okay you stay right there, I'll be back super fast!"

"Dammit Kara, wait a minute!" Live declared. Kara gave an echoing call that she'd be back, and to let Lee and Fred in, and soon all that Live was left with was the ghost of footsteps. "You twat," Live said aloud to herself, squatted on the ground with a skirt full of potions ingredients. She continued to dig around the trunk, checking, when a letter caught her eye. And reading the scrawled address, her stomach dropped, mind bewildered.

She got up, holding her skirt's items though more interested in the letter. She spirited quickly back to her dorm, depositing the bottles with clinks on her unused bedspread as her hand shook, holding the letter. It shouldn't have been there. Why did he have it? How did he get it? This was the letter she had written to Melinda Harris in the hospital ward at St. Mungos a while back. It had slipped her mind that she hadn't gotten a response yet. And now she knew why.

She didn't know why her heart was beating so fast, but the silence of the dorm did not sit well with her. She was wary once more, and decided this was a wait she would make outside the commons. But she had never been one for patience, and soon found herself walking back to Gryffindor Tower, wondering what the hell was taking so long and why in the world that letter had been in Putterly's trunk.

Making it to the entry hall cross section, Live caught sight of Dumbledore's person to her left down the way. She was startled, but grateful as he represented a whole other batch of questions that needed answering. She slowed her pace however as her vision soon gave way to more than just the ancient Headmaster in the hall. Snape was there, engaged with Dumbledore, and there was a stranger in dark robes she had never seen before. He was a tall, gaunt-looking man with some of the orangest hair she had ever seen. It was too late to change her course, however, as he caught sight of her. She continued her slowed walk and offered the man a meek smile, inclining her head in respectful acknowledgement to his silent stare. Her presence in the atrium of the castle was taken notice of by Dumbledore.

"Ah, Miss Hunter," Dumbledore greeted warmly. "You are looking quite well, my dear."

"Thank you, sir," she replied, wondering how she could best either speak to him in private or remove herself from the situation she'd walked into. The stranger had not removed his gaze from her. She turned to her Head of House, which proved just as large a mistake as he was looking at her with no less regard.

oOo

Kara was leading the way with Lee and Fred behind her, their steps causing audible clinks and clonks from their loaded robes. Between them they had a veritable arsenal of goods which they planned to release unto the Slytherin dormitories. Kara had grabbed a good chunk of her own 'specialty' items aside from the Sneak-o-Scope, and was giddy with the prospect of proper destruction in mind.

Surprise hit her as they emerged from a stairwell into the main castle atrium. There were people on the main floor, and her sister was one of them. She was unsatisfied to see her in the company of her Head of House among Dumbledore and another she couldn't rightly see. So much for expecting her to wait. Though this was unexpected.

"Kara, she looks in the middle of something. Hang back a moment."

"Yeah," Kara agreed to Lee's instruction, watching Snape and recalling one of her latest experiences. "Professor Snape is still sore about tripping over me. Frankly if he had just spoken to me when I went to see him, I wouldn't have had to camp outside his door would I?"

"There are laws against stalking, Kara," Fred said with a smirk. "Though I thought you had better taste."

"Don't even drag me into this," Lee said to the look Fred gave him. The fiery-haired seventh year smirked, but remained silent as the three of them got closer but stayed a respectful distance away. It was no easy feat.

Dumbledore inclined his head to Live. "I would like to introduce you to Mr. Brown," Dumbledore spoke as she turned her attention back to the stranger. "He is a very old friend."

Live regarded the man before her with nothing short of respectful caution. He stood as tall as Dumbledore, but unlike the Headmaster of Hogwarts, he had a severe look about him. His eyes were a bit close together, the look in them steely and deep. His gaze frightened her. Not just for the intensity with which he held his speculation, but because of the depth of intelligence and activity she could see within them. She was certain she could see his mind literally working through the panes of his eyes, and he gave off the impression of someone far older than they appeared.

His eyebrows in particular stuck out, both literally and to her perception. She had never seen such long, full eyebrows. Unless in a hex. And it was apparent that he was quite old, though his hair was as orange as the fruit that bared that name. His beard was as long as Dumbledore's, and just as rusty as his eyebrows. But it held no decoration like the Headmaster's.

She swallowed once before she realized she'd been silent a bit too long, and gave the stranger a curt nod. "Hello sir."

He made no remark back, but merely stared intensely at her. Her growing discomfort turned to a feeling something akin to a threat. This silent speculation didn't feel right. And why weren't the other two men breaking the uncomfortable silence and saving her? She would have looked to them for help in the awkwardness if she wasn't worried about breaking eye contact, her body tense and alert with awareness. She felt like the mouse having a stare-down with a snake. She wondered if he was trying to hypnotize her or worse yet, cast some spell on her. Not that Dumbledore would allow anything like that. Did it feel like he was casting some enchantment? She couldn't tell. But she didn't like it flat out.

She was aware of the bracelets around her wrists, heavy and cold. They visibly sparked once each, and she suddenly felt as if all the strength had left her body. She sank to her knees without volition, barely catching herself in that much of a stance as she suddenly felt too weak to stand, startled fear pumping adrenaline through her veins.

Live momentarily wondered if she'd made some horrible mistake. If it wasn't Dumbledore and Snape before her and she'd fallen ill to some trap. She thought she heard her sister's voice though that didn't quite make sense. She looked up from her intent gaze on the stone floor to gaze at Dumbledore with betrayal, face hot. His own face was concerned though unsurprised. She was startled as she was picked up off the ground from under her shoulders to a standing position, and flushed red with shame as her Head of House supported her in a barely self-sustainable standing position. Her limbs felt like jello.

"Live!" Kara's shriek came loud, and Live turned her head to the side to see her little sister trying to take up Snape's position, elbowing and wiggling without care to the potions master in a manner to support her with her own body. The little witch, however, didn't prove to be quite as good a post as the Bat King of Slytherin, and Live was left in what she considered a most unflattering slump against the fifth year Gryffindor's side. She didn't dare raise her eyes to look at her Head of House, who'd taken his place back next to Dumbledore.

"Kara, let me help," Lee muttered as both Gryffindors manhandled Live's person. She was decidedly set upon hexing them both when she got the first chance for all the shame. For now, she fixed her eyes upon Dumbledore and tried to make her muscles obey to keep her vertical. The ancient wizard opened his mouth just slightly to speak, but was immediately cut off.

"She will do, Dumbledore. I will take her with me."

The students' heads snapped up in attention. Live's stature became a bit more pronounced, suddenly aware that this was more than just a chance meeting.

"What do you mean? Take her where?" Fred shot, standing halfway between the trios.

Live tried to use Kara's shoulder as leverage and stand herself ever straighter. "Professor these things…" Live said of her restraints. It didn't take a genius to realize the shackles-turned-bracelets had suddenly zapped her of her strength. She'd felt paralyzed. And she intuitively realized that if this man meant to take her somewhere, no one would stop him. Or as a niggling feeling in the back of her mind corrected, no one _could_.

"They'll be removed once we get back," the man called Mr. Brown said to her.

A panic flared in Live and for a moment she entertained popping into Kitty Nimbles and running off, damn every consequence that would bring on her. She felt very seriously threatened. She wanted George. She wanted to be off from here.

"You're not taking her anywhere!" Kara affirmed, taking a step in front of her sister (and nearly throwing Live off-balance in the process). Fred put a hand on Kara's shoulder protectively. He knew more or less what to expect of Snape and Dumbledore, but this man had an entirely different feel to him.

The orange-haired wizard moved his attention from Live to that of her sister, and a few moments passed before Kara was pressing back against Live, an arm around her older sister's waist that trembled just slightly, but defiantly didn't let her go.

Live's bracelets suddenly sparked once more and she seized a moment before going fully limp. It took Kara by surprise, who nearly fell over, and made Lee slump in subsequently catching both girls. Fred stood over them all protectively, his expression accusing.

"Her will is sufficient, Dumbledore. This will be engaging. Thank you for the opportunity."

Kara was patting her sister's cheek and shooting the three men standing behind her death looks. The man called Brown took his leave of them without any ceremony and went about his own business. As Dumbledore didn't make anything of it, Kara could only assume it was being allowed.

"Headmaster, are you quite certain this will be constructive to maintaining her?" Snape asked Dumbledore quietly, but not quiet enough, with a sidelong look at his student on the floor between Gryffindors. What Kara shockingly took to be his concern did not go unheard by her ears.

"What's going to happen to my sister?" Kara asked. "What did he do to her?"

Snape shot Kara a scowl full of venom for her disrespect, but Dumbledore merely gave her a knowing look. "He is here to help her learn to control her magic. And I am sorry for it, but those shackles will need to remain on for her own safety."

"They're killing her!" Kara cried, despairing at his statement and yanking at a bracelet on her sister's wrist, trying to slide the thing off. It shrank at her attempt, and was snug against Live's skin.

"She was only deprived of the magic she wished to expend, subconsciously or otherwise. She will be just fine," he assured. "Mr. Brown will help get that under control. I promise."

Fred muscled Kara out of the way as he and Lee maneuvered Live from the ground. Kara quickly squirreled between them and stoutly refused to let go of her sister. Tears were in her eyes as she looked accusingly at Dumbledore and Snape.

"And just who is this 'Mr. Brown', then?" Fred asked with a frown. "And what's with those bracelets?"

Dumbledore had an eternally patient expression on his face. "He is the only one I believe that will truly be able to help her control her magic. And those shackles are necessary for restraining her power. For a time." Fred wasn't satisfied with that answer, and his expression said as much.

"You may not have had a taste of her magic unrelenting yet, Weasley, but you have neither the skill nor power to comprehend the kind of damage she is capable of," Snape said in low monotone.

Fred visibly paled, and Lee grew still behind him. They had an inkling of what Live's magic completely unfettered could do. They had been there when she had dueled Putterly a few days previous.

Live's fingers twitched. "Ka….Kara…"

"I've got you, don't worry," Kara told her sister. "Let's put her back in the tower."

oOo

"Brown is not his name," Tonks explained in the Gryffindor common room. "I doubt anyone knows his name. Dumbledore might, but even that's debatable. Sorcerers are, frankly, hard to come by. They hide their names so they cannot be used against them. And they're an odd sort to boot."

"That's putting it mildly," Kara spouted, the frown she was wearing deeply-etched into her face.

"And I _have to_ go with him?" Live spoke.

"Yes." Tonks sighed. "I'm real sorry, Live. I was supposed to tell you about this before he arrived, but he got here early and I suppose I got a little sidetracked."

"By a certain werewolf I'm sure," Kara muttered to herself.

Tonks grinned. "You'll be back in time I'm sure."

"Back in time for what?" Kara asked with raised brow. This entire conversation didn't sit well with her.

"For Christmas, for one," Tonks brought up.

"That's several days away!" Kara spouted.

"I have to be _days _away with him?" Live spoke up.

"I'm real sorry, girls. But that's the very least he can manage."

"What if…What if I don't want to go?" Live spoke up calculatingly, regarding the Metamorphmagus with a look.

Tonks raised her eyebrows, surprised. "You mean if you were to run?" Live gave no indication of her meaning. Tonks gave her an indulgent smile. "He's going to help you, Live. He's the only one who can teach you in ways you can understand and use. That's what Dumbledore believes, and I'm inclined to think so too."

Both sisters were silent, and Live gave her no further input. Tonks sighed. "He would find you and take you with him anyways. There's no escaping a true sorcerer, Live. They're not like wizards."

"So I don't have a choice."

"If you look at the alternatives, this is your _best _choice."

"And how is _this_ her best choice?" Kara spouted. Live shot her a look for the rude outburst, though Tonks didn't take offense. She looked to the older blonde.

"That new jewelry of yours is not permanent. It's a temporary fix at best. How did Dumbledore explain it…Let me see…You're like a dam with a crack in it. The water is all contained, and some gets out, but it's no big deal. You can lower the floodgates and release some of the water pressure to save the dam. But that's not a permanent fix for the problems. As all that pressure builds behind the crack, it creates a hole that starts to destroy the wall. Lowering the floodgates no longer has any effect, and the wall is destroyed as the water escapes in one horrid burst.

"Your dam is gonna burst and destroy you, Live, if something isn't done."

Both girls looked blankly at her. She wondered if she hadn't explained it properly after all. "Um, let me see…there was another way he put it with bees…."

"Tonks…"

"Yeah?"

"How in the _hell_ do you know so much about dams?"

She put up a knowledgeable finger. "For educational purposes, of course!"

Live smirked, though she was greatly unsettled. So her choices were to explode due to lack of control, or go on holiday with a man who positively terrified her. "Lovely," Live muttered. She sighed, giving up. "I guess there's no other way then."

Kara shot her an incredulous look. "That's it? After all that you're just going to go with him?"

Live smirked. "It's not like I have a choice."

"Of course you have a choice! That's dangerous!" Kara spouted.

"It'll be more dangerous if I don't."

"He's going to teach her control," Tonks input to Kara.

"Why can't he do it here?" Kara demanded. "Why does she have to leave?" Tonks had a grudging look on her face. "What if someone tries to snatch her?"

Tonks looked at Live, and then back to Kara. "That would be impossible with that man."

"The castle is safer if I'm not here," Live said, understanding it well herself. "And this is faster I guess."

"But I mean- we don't know this guy! Just because Dumbledore says so doesn't mean he's alright!"

Live looked conflicted, like she was about to lose her collection of her wits. "Kara, just wish me luck with whatever he can teach me, and please watch Henry for me."

"But-"

Live's face took on a terrified edge to it, like she was barely holding back. "Just tell me to go and have a good time, okay? Even if it's a lie?"

Kara's face was all scowl, but she did as her sister so desperately needed, and in a very serious, no-joking tone. "If you don't learn anything from this then I'm completely cutting you out of the business. I'm not kidding. It wouldn't be unfair of me to cut you out. Do you know how much money that is? I'm going to be wicked pissed if you waste the time you're gone. I'll hold it against you all year."

Live's face held the ghost of a smile. "…You can't cut me out of business. That part's not funny."

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" Kara asked, face serious. "You waste this time, I won't forgive you. I'm serious here. Do I look like I'm being funny?"

Live's terror was turning to anger, which for all partys concerned, was far more constructive. "I said to tell me to have a good time."

"I don't care. You bollocks this up and that's it. You're ruining the last days of the year so this had better be damn productive you wank."

Live's frown was getting less amused and all the more serious.

"Girls, maybe this isn't the best way to-"

"And I won't let you see Henry again. If you're unsafe then there's no way in hell I'll let you be around that puff."

"The fuck you'll keep me away from my pygmy puff," Live said, standing up getting genuinely angry. Her sister's tone was one reserved for inflicting pain and anger, and it was getting on Live's nerves to be talked down to by her younger sibling.

"And how are you going to stop me once you're gone?" Kara questioned.

Ready to sock her sister one, Tonks stood up to block the Slytherin's way. "Live, maybe you should see to whatever things you need to get in order. Don't you have that potion for the Ministry of Magic? Professor Snape mentioned it to me…."

"Pfft," Live exhaled without care, giving her younger sister the gimlet eye.

The portrait hole to the common room opened on a tense scene, but as all three inside waited, no one popped through.

"Oi, you're letting the heat out you know!" Live hollered to the empty hole, her bad moon not going wasted.

"Live Hunter. Come out here."

Live's anger was momentarily cut in half at the voice. She looked at both Tonks and her sister.

"I wouldn't make him wait if he wants something," Tonks said aside.

Live approached the portrait hole and hopped through, Kara and Tonks at her back. She was displeased to find the orange-haired man waiting for her with the expression of intensity that unnerved her, her own face blank and mildly hot. Kara didn't bother hiding her own displeasure and openly frowned at him. Tonks politely greeted him.

He held out his hand, palm flat facing skywards, towards Live. She regarded it but didn't move her ground. Any other person she'd have taken their hand out of habit. His she looked at as if it were made of spiders.

"Place your palm across mine," he instructed.

Nothing under heaven or earth could have made her comply, and she stood there defiantly, what was left of her anger quickly giving way to fear. "Why?"

"It's time to go."

She took a step back while Kara simultaneously took one forward.

"What?"

"What do you mean it's time for her to go? Why isn't Dumbledore here?"

"I-I'm not packed or anything," Live told him, heart rate increasing.

"You'll be taking nothing with you," Mr. Brown said.

Live's mouth opened partway in shock.

"But it's the dead of winter!" Kara pointed out.

"You will be providing for your own needs yourself during this experiment," he said to the elder blonde.

_Experiment_. Why did he have to put it that way?

"I'm not ready," Live told him with more authority than she felt, fighting every instinct in her body to take off.

He either ignored her statement or frankly just did not care, and further extended his arm to her, palm beckoning.

Live didn't put another thought forth; knew she wouldn't be able to do it if she wasted another moment. She extended her hand and placed her palm atop his, a last glance at her sister as her surprised intake of breath was cut off as they were suddenly gone.

"But…What…Where'd she go? Tonks? What just happened?" Kara turned a full circle, looking around, all confusion. "_Tonks_?"

The Metamorphmagus looked startled herself. "I didn't know it was going to be like this," the witch said, looking regretful.

"What do you mean? What did he do? You can't apparate inside the castle! _What just happened?_" Kara waited for Tonks' reply, but the older witch was busy in inner contemplation. Kara grabbed her arm. "_Tonks_? Seriously! What was the plan?"

Tonks opened her mouth to speak but her attention was drawn away to approaching footsteps.

"He has gone, hasn't he?" Dumbledore asked, his voice reaching the two witches before he was actually seen. Kara was all antsy and closed the distance.

"Professor where's my sister? What did he do? Where did he take her?"

"He's taken her to train. We shall see her again in a few days time. This is all planned."

Kara was not pacified by his answer whatsoever. But Tonks beat her to her second line of fire.

"They just disappeared. But it wasn't apparating," she started.

"True sorcerers are not like witches or wizards," he supplied. "There are things they can do that even I could not manage in my wildest dreams." Kara was eagerly awaiting further elaboration, but it was not supplied.

"How did he get out of the castle? Where did he take her?" The young Gryffindor was fearful of the true lack of control on the situation. She would have thought that for certain Dumbledore would have seen Live off, or there would have at least been a little more pomp and circumstance. Not what she would rightly call the abduction of her older sister.

Dumbledore regarded the teary-eyed Gryffindor before him. "She is in good hands, and I have his word they will only be gone a handful of days. It was the least amount of time he would allow and the least it will in all likelihood require for your sister to gain some sort of control again. Her situation is not progressing the way I would like it to."

Kara frowned, not the response she'd wanted, and not the answers to her questions. She started at the hand Tonks put on her shoulder, worry all-around. "She'll be back in time for the holidays."

"That's right," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Keep in mind that it is to help your sister that she is gone. It may help until she has returned."

Kara wasn't happy in the least at how any of this had progressed, and she wasn't sure what to believe. Though Live had entrusted her with the job of readying and testing all last potion preparations, it did little for Kara's peace of mind. Especially when Christmas Day came and went and Live had still nto returned to the castle.

oOo

_Yep, I lied about seeing George this chap XD O HO HO! _LIES! _Well, it was either update what I have (that was 38pgs just now you know) or wait even longer, because it's the parts coming up that have had me muddled over….god only knows how long it would still be without an update; just thinking about what's ahead makes my brain hurt D: Sorry guys! Sorry sorry sorry! Yeah, I suck, we all know AHAHA deal with it XD _

_That said, harass harass harass me XD It makes me feel soooo bad when readers are like "Where's our update? D:" several weeks/months after I last updated LOLOLOL! Especially when I've left everyone hanging for like, what, an entire year? :O And when several of you have re-read the story a veritable shitload of times since I've last updated D: I am the epitome of apology! XD Sorrrrrrry! :D Even if it's like, July or something when you've finally gotten this far and I STILL haven't updated…sorry, give me a kick and say to get on it! :3 hee hee. I am still around even if this story goes months without update or my front bio page is also looking stale XD I love my OCs and Harry Potter in general so this is never very far from my mind, even if the updates are late at best XD_

_In summary, adult life blows, hopefully me and my little sister will be moving out of our parent's house together come March (I'm gonna be a 25yr old loser sob sob sob) aaaaand I'm STILL looking for a supplemental job to my Etsy shop XD Dammit._

_In closing, I love all of you better than chocolate and more than Jenny loves the block. :3_

_T. Vaughn S._

_FireValkyrie_

_ElectrikPinkPirate _

_:D_


	59. Queen to Knight

_Few quick notices about my crazy life: **1)** I have a new shop now (ElectrikPinkPirate shop is currently down :P) :D But visit the new one. I make pinback buttons now omg O.O Use code MotWB20 to get 20% off LOL! CustomCuriosities . Etsy . com ...no spaces o'course ;D **2)** I'll be applying in November 2011 for a yearlong assistant language teacher position in Japan from 2012-2013 so I'll be crazy in a few months time XD….god I hope they accept me, I want it so damn bad O_O…If not, I'll be hosting another season of our tv show XD **3)** I'm currently on my 5th__ language, STILL job hunting, and back in school for fun, so please PLEASE prod me to write XD Tackling so much I end up letting this fall by the wayside, and even being 'busy', it is a lot of fun to write, but I need motivation D: And honestly, guilt gets me writing better than you realize XD Regular prodding on twitter is the most effective, and it's actually THE reason I sat and wrote this whole chapter this month…Real-time twitter-guilt XD _

_I know, I'm like totally a horrid person :3_

_Luv, FireV._

_The Misadventures of the Weasley Brothers_  
by  
FireValkyrie

Chapter 59: Queen to Knight

Kara was more nervous than ever with her sister gone. And the closer it got to Christmas, the more agitated she became. It was now Christmas Eve, three days past since Live had literally disappeared before her eyes, and still not a word. Though Fred had continually been pointing out to Kara that Live would in all likelihood not be 'writing' while she was gone, it had taken one well-placed Bat Bogey hex from Ginny to shut him up on that front.

With the amount of internal frustration she was dealing with, Kara's outer focus was surprisingly stalwart. Every day she threw herself fully into the attempted perfection and proper brewing of Live's anti-apparating potion. Hermione's help, while very well-meaning and actually rather informative, tended to put Kara in a bad mood in the evenings. Hermione was a by-the-books kind of girl- at least where actual books were concerned. Rules and other fun she, Ron, and Harry got up to didn't fall into any exact category of recognized science- unless general mayhem and unorthodox escapades were now an elective course. Kara rather thought she'd be at the top of the class if that were the case.

So while Live had left a rather messy but informative cache of notes and instructions, there was plenty still left undirected. Hermione, while she had a mind for the combinations and qualities of different ingredients, took a schooled approach to improving Live's potion. Kara on the other hand subscribed to the Hunter School of Thought, which was mainly "screw with it and take that one-percent odd chance". Being Live's own sister, she knew how the other thought and her style and techniques when brewing. If the book said five minutes, she'd do just under or over that going by her gut. If it called for squeezing, she preferred doing it by hand and not the extracting tools available. A dash and a pinch definitely had varying amounts associated with each, but if you asked her the differences she could never convey it. Largely, Live went by full observation, quick-thinking, and what Kara always referred to as "a whole lot of balls for a lady".

So while Hermione's practical approach to brewing would yield the desired effects in regular brewing situations, it was not the strategy Live employed, and not one always followed to the letter when inventing a new potion. _Especially_ when inventing a new potion. Couple all this with Kara's agitation over what she was still calling her sister's "abduction" and one did not have a very amiable Gryffindor by the end of the evening.

"I know Live has it scrawled down here as 'puncturing over the bowl', but maybe we should do it on the cutting board instead…What if we drop more than we should?"

Kara stroked Henry's fur in the top of her shirt. "Live would just take that chance and offset it with valerian root if that happened…" she replied with agitation.

"But then we've upset the balance inside the whole cauldron."

"So we just fix it and up the amounts."

"That's just so wasteful though….I don't think Live would want us wasting her materials so haphazardly."

"If it gets the potion right then I really don't think she'd care. Besides, we have more than enough of everything."

"Right now yes, but what about later? I don't know if the shops in Hogsmeade will have anything good right after the holiday. For the shops that are open, anyways."

"Well then we really have to make everything count!" Kara affirmed.

"Maybe it's time for a tea break," Lee interjected as the two girls worked. Kara shot him an annoyed look. "You've been at it for a while and most of these things need to sit and properly brew before the next steps."

Hermione agreed that tea would be good, and Kara sighed in aggravation. Lee was keeping track of their progress, taking notes to be helpful as to the steps and every little thing they did for later replication. It wouldn't help if they managed to make the potion in the correct state and couldn't do it again. And while it wasn't part of his official job description, Lee was also keeping the peace as Live's absence was exponentially making her younger sister's mood less than agreeable.

Getting up off the floor, Hermione brushed herself off before giving Kara a tight-lipped smile. "Let's continue after we've had a bit of rest."

Kara nodded begrudgingly as the other girl left the dorm. She was stroking Henry's fur with a thinking frown on her face, mad at herself for being annoyed with Hermione, mad at Live for having had to leave at all, and mad that the past three days of effort hadn't resulted in anything she would have called progress even if they were still only in the setup stages.

Lee's legs appeared before her, but she didn't look up, still petting Henry with that frown on her face. Her tone of voice was one of challenge: "I already know that she's just trying to help, so you can shut up."

"I wasn't going to say anything," Lee told her, extending his hand. Kara took it, frowning, as he pulled her up from the floor.

"If Live doesn't make it back here tomorrow I'm going to be pissed off."

"I don't think that's very much in the Christmas spirit."

"I've got a whole boot-load of Christmas spirit for her right where it counts."

Lee gave her a side grin and put a hand on her shoulder. "Want to get a butterbeer?"

Kara pouted but muttered a begrudged "Hell yeah".

sSs

Christmas arrived but Live didn't. Kara's very visual disappointment was somewhat lightened by the fact that early Christmas morning, George finally regained consciousness.

Fatigued, dazed, and confused, George blinked into the faces of his parents like a kitten opening its eyes for the very first time. His mother's tears threatened to spill down her cheeks and the relief his father felt took away the weary look he'd been carrying about the eyes for the past three weeks. It would have been all well and good if George had been aware that he'd spent most of the month in the hospital, and that no one of any consequence was left in the castle.

But he didn't know these things, that days instead of mere moments had passed. A slightly confused look of apprehension and recognition- like he had just remembered something very important- passed over his face a moment before he was attempting to get out of the bed with sluggish determination.

"George don't try to get up so quick," his mother quickly insisted, putting her hand on his shoulder.

"You're alright. You've been asleep for a long time," his father added with some concern over the look on his son's face. "Take it easy."

"No I-" his voice croaked, throat dry. He felt shaky, his heart rate increasing too quickly for someone who'd spent most of the month dead to the world. "Mgh…Live," he said gruffly, swallowing in trying to wet his throat. "Where's Live?"

"Son take it easy," Mr. Weasley said again, placing his hand on George's shoulder and trying to ease him back into bed. "She's fine. Just relax."

"No it's not," George managed, fighting the pressure his father was putting on him, which wasn't easy. "Dad let me up…"

"You've been in that bed most of the month. You're not going anywhere," he said sternly, concern for his son's well being taking the form of a frown.

George's determination didn't wane before his father's, but the panic in his mind was growing by the second. He could recognize he was in the hospital wing, and he recalled Putterly had hit him with a spell, and after that he didn't know. And if he had been here for as long as his dad said… "I gotta see Live….She….Fred or Lee…"

"It can wait, you'll end up hurting yourself."

As weak as he was, George was putting up a great fight trying to get out of his bed. His rising panic was affecting his mother, further worries about his mental and physical state multiplying in her mind. George was quickly becoming violent and erratic, physically wearing himself out after so long a period of inactivity. It took his father to restrain him with both hands before Madam Pomfrey could sedate him.

"I think he'll be just fine, in my experience," Madam Pomfrey said to a teary Mrs. Weasley as George was nodding off. "I was hoping he'd be calm but his reaction is normal enough with everything considered. I'll check him over when he wakes up but I'm sure that boy is as healthy as a hippogriff."

Mr. Weasley let loose an uncomfortable chuckle, patting his son's leg. "And how long until the next uprising?"

Madam Pomfrey smiled with visible relief that they all felt. "Not too long. He's a strong-willed boy."

Mrs. Weasley wiped at her tears with one hand and stroked George's face with the other. So relieved. This son alone was stressing her into an early grave, not to mention his twin and other siblings. But the weight of worrying for him with each passing day was slowly melting away. He'd be okay. His magic should be fully restored by now, no holes, nothing that would jeopardize his being. That's what Dumbledore had said when he'd been brought into the hospital anyways. Quarantined from Live for the better part of the month and resting, he'd be back in ship-shape in no time. It had been the wait that was maddening.

News that George had regained consciousness was spread by Ginny when she had stopped in that morning to wish her parents a Happy Christmas. If their family couldn't all be in one place for the holiday, then Mr. and Mrs. Weasley decided it would be simple enough for them to stay with their children. That George should choose Christmas Day of all days to finally wake up struck Ginny as something that he _must _have planned just to be dramatic. She didn't know how and didn't think it was actually possible, but oh, she _knew_ he did it on purpose. And she was never more grateful for it.

Kara went back with Ginny to see George, though he was still sedated at that point. Ron was relieved as well as Harry and Hermione, and had what Hermione thought was maybe too much relief in asking if they could all go home and sample his mother's Christmas pudding now. That had earned a sound smack from Ginny, and the dismissal of the whole lot of them from the hospital wing by an agitated Madam Pomfrey.

Fred had opted not to come with the group, and see his twin later on his own as he didn't trust himself with how he might react in front of everyone. But once he had regained what Lee was calling "manly composure", the two seventh years made their way to the hospital wing and were lucky enough that George had roused somewhat from the stupor Madam Pomfrey had forcefully put him under. It was obvious that he was still out of it, but seeing his twin did wonders for his soul.

"Oi George…You look like hell. Happy Christmas." George managed to pull off a comically 'dead' expression that only managed to half-raise Fred's smile. It might have gotten a rise out of Lee had the healer not been wishing Mr. and Mrs. Weasley a Happy Christmas and assuring them that George was indeed an idiot, but one that was tougher than nails.

"Oi…Fred," George beckoned his twin close, looking tired and still under the effects of Madam Pomfrey's careful skill.

Fred put his hand over his twin's, gripping it with a relieved smirk, and came closer. "How you feelin'?"

"I want Live…Where is she?" George asked dazedly. Fred found it hard to tell his twin that he couldn't have her, but that she was perfectly alright and that he should rest up. George visibly calmed, but didn't blindly accept it. "Where is she?" Fred didn't answer him immediately. "She's not in the castle, is she?"

Fred returned George's gaze. "No, she's not. She's perfectly safe though."

George closed his eyes and sighed groggily, scratching at some invisible annoyance above his heart. "I didn't think so. But as long as she's safe…" George's eyes quickly sought out the others in the room before looking back at Fred, beckoning him even closer to whisper. "He knows…Putterly knows everything about the prophecy."

sSs

"The end result has to be something she can present to the ministry…As far as she's messed with it right now we can still only keep _items _from apparating."

"She wants it to work on living beings next, right?"

"Yeah," Kara said in nod to Hermione as they sat drinking warm spiced cider in the Gryffindor common room that afternoon. "That's the idea anyways."

"But wouldn't that create some problems?"

"…also need a solution that can counteract it after it can work on people….probably have to test length of time it'll last before another application is needed…make time-different batches…." Kara rambled off.

"Wait we need to do _all that_ before the new year? Professor Snape expects that much to be done? We're going to need a bloody time-turner to pull that off!"

Kara looked up, wide-eyed at Hermione's outburst. She settled with an apologetic smirk. "Oh no, sorry. Just thinking out loud…"

Live would have her work cut out for her if the ministry accepted her potion. Kara was able to follow the instructions Live had set out and try the things in her notes but it went beyond her own potion brewing skills- and regardless of what Snape might think of her personally, Kara had a knack for brewing herself. But this potion Live had set up bordered on crazy in difficulty. She didn't know why her sister had even set out to create such a thing or if it was just a fluke, but if she could properly get down the right formula she was looking for, the possibilities were endless.

"There's only so much further we can go though," Hermione noted. Kara nodded. "A few of the cauldrons will need supervision but it's going to be up to time relatively soon. Some of those things need a full day sitting and brewing."

"And we have to sit on our hands in the mean time," Kara said with aggravation, worry writ on her brow. Patience was not something the Hunter girls had in spades, and they couldn't spare the time anyways. In one week Live was set to present a good-quality working potion. At best she'd manage it and get an audience with the potions council. At worst, Snape would fail her…Though to Kara that wasn't necessarily the end of the world, but to Live it might as well be where her potions career and record was concerned, not to mention her pride.

Where in the _hell _was Live? She had assumed "back before the holidays" meant back by Christmas. Well, it was Christmas, and there was still no Live. George was awake, which Kara thought would have made Live extremely happy to know, but she couldn't so much as owl her sister. She wished she could have given her her Christmas present ahead of time now. Live had been very generous this year to Kara indeed even with everything else considered. But it wasn't as fun to have or enjoy without her there. She had picked over the gifts given by her sister but they remained largely untouched.

"How do you think that Brown got out of the castle anyways?" Kara asked for the hundredth time.

Hermione sighed into her cooling cider, knowing where Kara's thoughts were centered. "I honestly cannot wrap my mind around that." And she'd said as much since the day Live had disappeared. Even though they were working together to set up Live's potion, Hermione had been using the time not dedicated to that task at gobbling up every book she could that might give her a hint as to how Mr. Brown had done it. Sure there were ways around certain magic, but to disappear right before their noses from _within_ the castle was something else entirely. So far her search turned up fruitless, though she suspected her answers lay somewhere within the forbidden books section, if they lay anywhere at all.

"She'd better hurry the hell up," Kara grumbled. "If we end up perfecting this thing completely on our own I call authoring credits. Not to mention any cash she's going to get."

Hermione smiled at that, thinking Kara had a legitimate claim there.

Fred and Lee came through the portrait hole. Both girls looked up expectantly knowing where they'd come from.

"George is awake now," Lee spoke as he hopped down. "Awake and chatty."

"OH! Really? I'll tell Ron!" Hermione opted, leaving her cider glass to the mercy of the common room in search of George's siblings. She was fairly certain Ginny was still out and about, but taking the stairs quickly she figured she'd check up on that as well.

"Kara, we need to talk to you," Fred told the blond, taking up the trail Hermione had just tread. He was perched on the stairs looking behind him until she got up, and then the three of them convened in the seventh year dorm.

"So what's all this then?" Kara asked, comfortably plopping down on Lee's bed like she owned it. The seventh year gave her a frown.

"George knows you've been in his bed, Kara." The blond looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "And he said to get bent."

"Pfft, as if," she grumbled, looking away as the statement was as much of an accusation as an affront on her person. She hadn't had any chocolate in that bed for a while after Live had clobbered her last.

"_Actually _what he really said wasn't fit for lady's ears," Fred told her with a grin. Kara showed him her lady's finger for all she cared on the sentiment. "I think it would be nice of you to ask the house elves to do a really thorough cleaning of the sheets before either him or Live get back."

"I didn't dirty them! I didn't eat anything with fall-off-able sugar in it!"

"All the same," Lee said, wrinkling his nose at where she drew the line as she was currently occupying his own real estate, "I think it would be a nice Christmas gesture on your part."

"That Putterly bloke knows about the prophecy," Fred said, dropping the bomb without missing a beat.

Kara blinked, looking like the deer for a second time. "Who talked?"

"We don't know how he knows. But I think it's very good timing that your sister is out of the castle," Fred said. "And it makes more sense of why he's such a prick." He paused a moment in troubled thought. "He plans on making the prophecy come true…or fulfilling it anyways."

Kara quickly ran through this in her mind. Putterly should still be in St. Mungos if the kind of damage Live did to him meant anything at all…Live herself was currently MIA, George was out of commission, and none of them would have said anything to an outside source. This meant a few very troubling things. How long had Putterly known? _How _did he know? She wouldn't even entertain the idea that he was bluffing. And just what did he think he had to _do_ to make the prophecy come to pass? Kara found everything about it vague at best, and she couldn't fathom what he'd think he'd get out of it.

"So what's this mean?" Kara looked to the two seventh years for answers. They gave her blank stares right back.

"Well it's definitely not good, regardless of how long he's known."

Kara wrinkled her brow. While she considered the fact that Snape might expel Putterly, she wouldn't put her money on it, and that made things all the worse if he came back to school when and if he got out of St. Mungos. It made sense why he'd been acting weird around Live, though 'weird' was putting it mildly at best. Live was just trying to live a normal life as she and George had decided to up and ignore the prophecy if they could. It didn't look like her outlook was shared on the matter though. What part did Putterly think he had to play in it? Things became too complicated when people focused too hard on prophecies. That's the decision they'd all come to. The attention and heed given to one could make it come true all on its own, and though they didn't know what it would mean if it did, they all rather decided they didn't like it.

"I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it," Kara said with worry.

"At least we're not in the dark anymore," Fred told Kara. But what bothered him the most was that Putterly had told George at all. Why do that? Maybe he thought he'd get away with getting Live out of the castle after that. All of them would be further on guard now. "Just another reason to be wary about Slytherins."

"Mm," Kara murmured in response. They were all silent a moment in thought. Just when they thought they'd been given a break, something new and nasty poked its head from the sand. "Everyone's still been burning their _Prophets_, right?"

"I haven't seen anything else in it, but yes," Lee nodded.

"Good. Live doesn't need to know about any of that." She didn't impart that she'd kept copies hidden in which to get back at the writer of such nonsense later, but the boys didn't need to know, and frankly she didn't feel like sharing. Were the writers of that damn paper having a slow news week, or what? They needed to keep their noses out of school business in her opinion. Kara sighed. "Well, hell…I guess everyone else should be given a heads-up about Putterly."

"I don't think he'll be returning to school after what Live did to him," Fred imparted. "It's probably alright."

"If she punched holes in his magic, we won't likely be seeing him again," Lee spoke with a nervous laugh. "I don't think I've ever seen someone do that. It was definitely scary."

"You wuss," Kara replied with a wry look.

"Though if what she did was anything like what happened with George," Fred spoke with care, "then Lee's probably right."

Kara exhaled in response, nothing to say on that matter. "So…George is chatty then?"

Fred gave Kara a smirk. "I wasn't kidding about the bed sheets you know."

With a determined frown Kara glanced at George's vacant four-poster. "That bed has seen a LOT worse than anything I could ever do to it."

Fred and Lee both broke out in laughter. Kara's statement likely held more truth than either of them really wanted to spend time thinking about.

sSs

George was in and out of consciousness all night, body and mental fatigue contributing to his restlessness. He was having nightmares about being in the hospital wing, which as he actually was he couldn't distinguish dream from reality. He was trying to get out of bed but couldn't, trying to reach the soul bubble Live was inside but he just couldn't make his limbs work to drag himself off the cot. There were creatures and things approaching and he couldn't get anyone's attention as they all chatted standing about in the infirmary, and Putterly stood laughing at him with a bloody nose, and he tried to call out but his voice wouldn't work.

"Oi, George." A hand on his side, gently shaking him. He roused from sleep to see his father looking down at him. "You were having a bad dream is all."

He blinked sleepily a few times, rolled over with what sounded like "thanks dad," and went back to sleep as Mr. Weasley smirked and returned to his own cot. George's quickly deepening-breathing signaled that he was already returning to restful sleep. Mr. Weasley couldn't remember the last time he'd needed to soothe one of his boys from a nightmare, but he was glad George would sleep soundly now. Tomorrow would be an entirely different day, one that would hopefully see his son better-rested and coherent. He got back into a comfortable position and smirked when he saw his wife looking at him from the neighboring cot, smiling.

sSs

Ginny was aggravated for two reasons. And it showed in the way she was briskly tromping about the otherwise bright but chilly castle.

Reason number one happened to take the form of her elder brother's incessant whining over Christmas pudding and cakes and other treats their mother usually made this time of the year. That he was letting his stomach dictate policy in basic manners when their older brother had just woken up thoroughly irked her. Calling him a glutton only got the argument of "It's a once-a-year thing!"

Reason number two was that Harry hadn't realized her request to bring Hedwig a Christmas treat up in the owlry was actually a veiled invitation for some light-to-moderate snogging, and would he like to come along? That he'd told her to feel free and give Hedwig a pet for him had thoroughly annoyed her to no end. She was currently trying to stomp out the stones she walked on wondering why in the hell boys were so thick and couldn't read between the lines, especially when a girl was in need of a good snogging indeed.

Ginny nearly tripped herself in stomping a particular irksome stone, abruptly stopping as something caught her eye out one of the third story windows. Trying to see if her agitation was playing with her vision now, Ginny gaped at the figure in the snow just inside the castle grounds. Her breath fogged up the cold window pane and she quickly wiped it, deciding it wasn't her imagination and indeed a dark-robed blond figure was coming up the path.

Sprinting back the way she'd come over many a well-stomped stone, Ginny bust into the common room out of breath, shocking the occupants therein.

"Bloody hell, you trying to give a man a heart attack?" Fred asked his little sister as she stood there out of breath. "Everything alright?"

"_Where is Kara?_" she asked in a huff, directing the question to Hermione whose hand was paused in the book she'd been reading.

"She should still be up in the dorm brewing," the bushy-haired witch replied. "Is everything alright?"

"Live _is coming up the drive_!"

She got two pairs of blank eyes staring at her. "What?"

"Are you sure it's her?"

"She's right outside coming up to the castle main entrance! Come see for yourself!"

Hermione left her book forgotten as she jumped up and mounted the stairs to burst in on Kara and Lee in less than dignified fashion.

"Holy hell Hermione!" Kara shouted at her in shock. "I've got volatile stuff here! You want me to blow the dorm to kingdom come? This is delicate stuff!"

Lee smirked, acting like he hadn't been startled, and picked up the quill he had been just previously taking notes with.

Hermione eyed the ladle the blonde witch had poised over the cauldron she sat in front of, liquid being slowly measured and added. "Is that _Erumpet _fluid of all things?" she asked. She got a grin in response, and Hermione inwardly cursed at the timing. Kara wasn't kidding. If she didn't pay attention to what she was doing she could very well blow the dorm up in a very twins-esque fashion. "Kara, pay attention to what you're doing-"

"Duh, of course."

"-and listen to what I'm going to say." She got the full attention of both at that. Or at least, the full attention of their ears as both watched the metallic pot she stirred. "Ginny says she just saw Live."

Kara almost dropped the ladle she'd been stirring with into the pot as she gaped at Hermione. Lee dropped quill and jaw. "Live? Where?"

"She's coming up the path to the castle right now."

"Well I- this stuff- I just added- Damn and hell and _damn_!" Kara stuttered and cursed as she was getting to her knees, her stirring of the cauldron quick and agitated. She gave Hermione a helpless, eager look. "Just go and meet her! I'll be right on your tail!"

Lee was already off his seat on one of the beds. "Kara you can just-"

"No. If I don't get this fully dissolved and mixed in it could set everything back several days and ruin everything for Live!" She looked at Hermione beseechingly, and at Lee, too. "I'll be right behind you, just, make sure it's her!"

"I'll wait with you," Lee opted, staring at the cauldron as if he could hurry the mixture on with will alone.

Hermione waited a moment watching the other fifth year stir furiously. Kara was loyal to her sister. No one could accuse her of ever being less. With an acknowledging nod Hermione left and quickly took the stairs back down to the common room. Ginny and Fred were waiting on the outside of the portrait hole.

"Well is she coming?" Ginny asked, looking behind Hermione as the bushy-haired fifth year hopped out.

"She'll be right behind us, so let's hurry on."

Ginny quickly led the way without further question as they made their way through the castle to the front entrance. Their footsteps echoed on the stone around them as Fred's questions about Brown went unanswered by Ginny. She'd only seen Live. Or at least, who she thought was Live. She supposed Brown could also be down there, but she'd only seen from a snowy third-floor window. Hermione questioned if it really was her or not, but of course, Ginny had no answers.

The three were out of breath by the time they made it to the castle entrance. Wrenching open the door was another matter but they had that settled in a few moments. Scanning the castle grounds quickly produced the form of Live right within sight, but Fred stopped either girl from trudging out into the snow.

"What's the big idea? Let go!" Ginny told her brother with a frown and huffed aggravation.

Walking up the path to the castle, slowly, trudging through snow at a zombie's gait, Live didn't raise her head so much as to see where she was going. She was nearly within shouting distance, and she looked sickly, paler than usual, and even a little thinner in the face. Her robes were filthy and darkened, and looked ripped and ruined in some areas. Overall posture spoke of senses being dead to the world, bodily navigating towards home that was the castle. She didn't raise her head as their voices came to her on the brisk breeze.

Fred was scrutinizing the figure before them. "Just hold on a second. What if it's not her?"

"Oh Fred stop being stupid," Ginny told him, wrenching herself of his grip though not attempting to further proceed.

"I'm not being stupid," he responded resolutely. "We told you lot about Putterly."

"Yeah, so? There is absolutely no way he's out of St. Mungos yet. Let alone that he'd be able to successfully impersonate _Live_. And Godric only knows why he'd even want to try that."

"Regardless of us knowing she hasn't been about, that doesn't mean the rest of the world is aware of that. The grounds aren't exactly safe just because she's been gone."

"You're being ridiculous," Ginny told him bitingly. "Right Hermione?" she implored as she turned her head towards an odd clicking noise behind them.

He scrutinized the figure before them, ignoring the two girls at his sides. "Oi! Live!" Fred hollered out in one of his rare moments of being overly-cautious.

The girl in question raised her head, no immediate reaction on her face at seeing the three waiting in the doorway watching her progress. In moments her eyes suddenly went wide and face broke into a full, genuine grin. The change in her expression was so immediate it gave Fred enough alarm to shove his hand into his robes for his wand, but he was suddenly knocked over from behind as Lee's voice told him to watch out a few moments too late.

While it was a white wolf that had lunged into the snow and jumped at Live, it was a blonde fifth year that attacked her in a hug.

"Sorry mate, I tried to give you a heads up," Lee huffed as he trotted over, out of breath. "She's damned fast."

"I told you it was fine," Ginny said, leaving arm in arm with Hermione to venture out into the snow as her brother was helped up by the huffing healer.

Kara's eyes teared up as she held on to her sister, nearly knocking the both of them to the snow in her grasp. "How did you get here? Where the hell is that bastard?"

Live toothily gave her sister a tired, wearied grin. "…he made me learn how to apparate…told me to get back on my own…Kara….I need to sleep," she half grumbled, voice sounding weak with exhaustion.

Kara took notice of how much her sister was leaning on her, the circles under eyes which looked almost vacant. Yes, she needed to get in bed pronto. "Yes yes, let's go," Kara told her, linking arms.

Live was shaky, exhausted. "Nope…I'm not gonna make it," she amended with an apologetic grin at her little sister. And shocking everyone else present, Live turned into Kitty-Nimbles and promptly fell to the snow, unconscious to the world thereafter.

Kara hauled up her limp cats' body under the arms, cradling it to take her to the dorm as she had figured Live had intended. Though it disturbed her to be carrying such a limp cat, she didn't know how much time she'd have to get her to the dorm while in that state, but she didn't waste what she was granted. She gave everyone staring at her a quick "What?" moments before sweeping past them in all haste to get her sister in a proper bed.

sSs

"Now I can explain," Kara started at the looks of accusation by association she was getting in the common room.

"Why am I not surprised?" Lee said, looking like he was getting a Kara-induced headache. "Seriously, not surprised at all."

"Bloody Kitty-Nimbles is your bloody sister?" Fred exclaimed for the fifteenth time, his own reactions fueled by the same terror the cat had put them all through. "Now we know why that damn cat only ever liked Ginny…"

"Godric, I think I've undressed in front of that cat," Lee muttered to himself, pacing in thought.

"She's not a legal animagus of course," Hermione intoned, looking troubled by the thought.

"And you'll all have the good taste to keep it to yourselves," Kara threatened pointedly with a glare to Hermione. "What Harry and Ron don't know won't hurt them."

"George is going to bloody-well flip," Fred spoke to no one, but kept his sour look aimed at Kara.

"George already knows," Kara stated matter-of-factly, brow raised in surprise that George had kept such information solely to himself.

"…_course he bloody does_," Fred muttered to himself in disappointment.

"We learned together," Kara supplied her little audience. "It was summer and we were bored as hell…I bet Live several galleons that she couldn't do it."

"And you lost," Ginny said with a grin, still smirking in Fred's direction because Kitty-Nimbles had always liked her best.

"OH _big _time," Kara said with a smirk. "And she taught me because I said I'd rat her out if she didn't-"

"Are you _sure_ you were sorted into the right house?"

"-and _anyways _it was good for spying and playing pranks on the neighbors," Kara finished with a wry look at Lee. "And for infiltration of other houses. We all know what you do on your _own _time, _Lee_."

Lee's face got hot. "I don't do anything untoward!" Kara's grin made him continue, "And if you say anything about the Room of Requirement incident I'll make a coat out of your fur and sell it to Hagrid!"

That got a snort from Fred.

While Lee made various demands of Kara in exchange for his silence on the matter, hoping to at least get a Kara-free zoning-promise out of all this, the fifth year reminded him that this was _Live_ he'd be dealing with. Her wrath coupled with an agitated wolf animagus who could sniff him out of any hiding place promptly shut him up. Ginny smirked and promised that of course none of them would say anything, remarking that some things were fun to keep a secret, and she'd personally never done anything to get on Kitty-Nimbles' bad side to begin with. Hermione looked bothered but also promised to keep it to herself.

With a toothy and innocent grin, Kara disappeared back up the stairs and left the four of them to their own. She suspected that they'd be bonding over the experience and exchanging Kitty-Nimbles war stories in no time.

sSs

Live slept for an entire day, not waking up once even though Kara had spent most of that time budged up right next to her in the fifth year's dorm, playing with the bracelets on her wrists and never letting her out of her sight.

Everyone who was left in the castle had been notified that Live had returned. Madam Pomfrey had demanded to see her at once, and it took some finagling but they had temporarily moved the brewing station they'd set up in Kara's dorm into that of the boys'. As far as Kara saw it, even _with _Professor Snape's knowledge, the mediwitch wouldn't be thick enough to leave unquestioned the kind of large setup they currently had going, and Kara didn't want any interference whatsoever with so much hanging in the balance.

Aside from general fatigue and exhaustion, Madam Pomfrey's declaration that the Slytherin witch just needed a whole lot of rest and some good hearty meals was some of the best news Kara thought she'd ever want to hear. Dumbledore would want to see Live himself of course, so if the fifth year could please advise her sister in that matter when she woke up, she'd appreciate it.

Sometime after breakfast during what Kara was calling the Official Reptilian Hibernation Period, Live had stirred in bed and blinked tiredly a handful of times before dragging herself blindly into the bathroom, eyes slits with low energy. What Kara had also assumed was one long pee-break turned into one long showering session. Only after the fifth year was fairly certain her sister had used all the hot water in the castle did she disturb her solitude.

"Oi, Live. You develop gills while you were gone or what?"

There was a lowering of shower pressure before Live's voice could be heard through the door. "You have NO idea how filthy I am." Kara grinned on the other side of the door. "Burn those sheets."

"You hungry? Madam Pomfrey said you needed good meals. Want a good meal?"

"I'd eat anything right now," came a clearer reply as the water was turned off. Kara could hear splashing. Apparently Live was going through an amphibian phase.

"How about some pot roast? Muffins and potatoes and all those gross vegetables you like?"

If Kara could have seen her sister's face, she was sure she would have been bug-eyed for her tone of excitement. It made the fifth year smirk. "You bring me something like that and I'll let you do whatever you want to the Slytherin dorms."

Live didn't hear anything else from her sister after that, and spent a good ten minutes scrubbing her body clean for the fifth time. By the time she'd done all she physically could to be and feel clean, Kara had come back and the two had taken up seating on Kara's bed. Though the two girls hadn't exchanged many words thus far, Live's extreme gratitude and pleasure at the hot cooked meal was fully communicated in what Kara would call poetry format through the gusto with which she ate. It made the fifth year smirk and leave her sister to the meal as she checked the various bubbling cauldrons that had been moved back to her vicinity.

Live thought she'd never tasted anything better in her entire life. Kara had to tell her to slow down because she was _not_ going to be giving her sister mouth-to-mouth if she choked, and why the hell was she scarfing like it was her last meal anyways?

"What the hell did you eat while you were gone? Didn't he feed you?" Kara prodded as she watched with morbid fascination. "You've lost weight."

Live paused over her next bite, putting it down in favor for pumpkin juice. "I don't want to talk about the things I've eaten to stay alive," she told her, taking a long drink from her goblet and looking minorly ill. Kara gave a quirk of her lips, wanting to know all the more for that statement. "He made me handle those matters by myself."

"But you were gone for a long time."

"…I'll never hurt another rodent as long as I live."

Her statement silenced the fifth year who'd stopped rocking on her heels at that point, crouched in stillness next to the cauldrons. She chucked another blueberry muffin her sister's way, not wanting to think about it herself, and shoved her hands into her robes in thought.

"You know, George woke up Christmas Day."

Live stopped in her demolishing of the muffin and swallowed with disbelief."…George is awake? Is he alright?" Live's voice was so utterly hopeful it kept any teasing well out of Kara's voice.

"You want to go see him?"

"I…mm. I can't," Live settled, though she looked thoroughly agitated about that, her mind working on problems Kara couldn't see.

"I'm sure you can. He's all better. Dumbledore said so."

"I can't get anywhere near him. Not unless Dumbledore personally says it's alright."

"He's FULLY better. Pomfrey said that Dumbledore said that once George got his strength back he could go back to everything he does normal. He's just a little weak right now so he has to stay in bed."

"He's still in bed, huh?" Live shook her head, though her eyes said different. "No I…That's not a good idea." Kara harrumphed but Live paid it no mind, instead viciously ripping apart more muffin. The fifth year tried not to imagine it as some fuzzy little creature happily frolicking about the forest. And speaking of fuzzy creatures…

"You want Henry?"

Live brightened at that. And producing the purple puffskein from her blouse, the platinum blonde handed him over to her grateful sister. Kara thought at that moment that she lavished a great deal of affection on the puff that she couldn't on George, and if Henry's pleased humming was any indication, he was happy to see her again too.

"Lee almost sat on him once, and I lost him in the covers for an hour the other day but he's been a very good fuzz ball."

Live let the "sitting on" comment slide and pushed away what was left of Kara's procured meal, leaning back and shoving the puffball into the crevice of her neck to nuzzle and scratch it. The only noises in the dorm were Henry's oblivious humming sounds and the bubbling in the various pots. Kara chanced a look at her sister, who was staring up at the ceiling of the four-poster.

"So did you learn much?" Eyes shooting to the fifth year, Live raised a brow. "You've still got those bracelets on."

Live's eyes went to the manacles on her wrists. She offered her sister a smirk. "I have to physically concentrate to take them off-"

"_You can take them off?_" Kara interjected.

"Yep," Live replied. "It's not easy yet though. I have to connect my thoughts and emotions to my actions. I can do it about three out of four times though." She offered the younger year a grin. "I still haven't managed to get both off at once by myself though, but it gets the job done."

"I thought you said Dumbledore could only remove them."

"That's what I was told. But according to Brown, only someone of Dumbledore's _power_ can remove them. It was a cinch for him to take 'em off. And he made me learn how to get around it. Otherwise he was perfectly comfortable with leaving me as powerless as a muggle for the rest of my life if I couldn't. At least until it ended me," she finished with a grin.

"If you think you're anywhere _near _as powerful as Dumbledore, Slytherin destructor of all things holy or not, I'll eat Henry."

Live laughed, but it was a heavy, burdened sound. "Not in the slightest. He made it crystal clear that I'm no sorcerer." She stroked Henry's purple fur, deciding she wouldn't be returning him to her cannibal of a sister. "It's not a wand," she spoke, lifting one of her wrists to her sister's vision, "but he helped me figure out how to channel magic _around _the obstacle of these things in the same way we normally use wands for direction." She put her wrist down, sighing. "I'm going to be like a little kid again in that sense," she said with frustration. "I'll be Seamus: year one," she added, laughing and earning a snicker from Kara. "Though he actually told me that the next step would be to get a new wand and keep building from there."

"So you can actually have one now?" Kara asked without missing a beat. "I thought Dumbledore didn't want you to have one. Pfft, well I'm with Brown on this one."

"Well I can see why now," Live told her, "but after what I've had to go through….Frankly if Brown says I need a wand, then dammit I'm getting a wand."

Kara's grin was wide and pleased. "What in the hell _have_ you been doing all this time?"

Live gave her a side smirk in response. After several moments of unanswered silence, Live sighed. "Surviving."

"And what exactly does that entail?"

The Slytherin witch was silent a few more moments before settling on an answer. "I'm not really ready to talk about it."

Though Kara made a disappointed noise, she made no further mention on the topic, and went about scribbling some notes down on parchment instead.

Live was laying across Kara's bed in the silence, belly sated and body clean. It wouldn't be as easy as drowning herself in the shower to clean her mind. But she'd work up to that as she had had to with everything else. For now she occupied her thoughts with the fact that Kara was working at cauldrons Live recognized as her own. The Slytherin supposed they hadn't had an amazing breakthrough after all then. "Sorry I missed Christmas."

"No biggie."

Live pursed her lips at the nonchalant response. She put her arm across her eyes as she spoke, vision black to the world but ears open. "You know, it's nice that you've been keeping at it but I've already accepted that it's all over; we're not going to get anything after all this time. So you can just stop. Why _are _you still brewing?"

"What do you _mean_? I've been at this for _days _and you're just going to give up? The hell you are."

"I've already accepted that it's over," Live told her from the bed. "And that's okay. I'm okay with it."

"No it's not! Don't say that when we've all worked so hard! And you have _no_ idea what it's like to brew with Hermione for days on end!"

Though Live's arm covered most of her face, her mouth quirked in a smile. "Kara, I have been gone for three weeks. Three bloody weeks. I've counted the sunrises. It's done. I've accepted it. I'll probably be taking potions class with you now instead of George." She started laughing. "Or maybe the three of us will be togther with all the work he's missed. Snape is going to hate that decision. But you know what? I'm okay with that, so don't worry anymore."

"What in the hell are you talking about?" Kara stopped with what she was doing and looked at her sister with very real concern.

"Well if Snape thinks you're trouble on your own, then _clearly_-"

"No, no Live you've been gone _five _days. _Five_."

Live sat up and looked at her sister, Henry tumbling to the bed. "No, three _weeks_. I have counted twenty sunrises since he took me."

Kara's look went from mild concern to alarm, and her tone was soft, carefully measured and worried. "Live, Christmas was just yesterday."

Live looked lost, wondering if she was losing her mind. She knew she had counted a total of twenty sunrises. She _hated _sunrises. She wouldn't mess that count up. It didn't make sense. "If you're playing a joke it's not funny."

Kara shook her head. She recognized the expression on Live's face, trying to debate if Kara was having a go at her expense or if some part of her had lost it. She worried for her older sister. "I think we should go see Madam Pomfrey…"

Live's eyes were searching, her mind running over the time she was gone. There was no way she was mistaken. She gave Kara a distrustful look. The fifth year gave her a frown back.

"Don't you think if you'd been gone that long then everyone would be back? You think the castle is _normally_ this quiet?"

Live threw her legs over the bed, needing to be in motion. She wasn't sure what was happening but it meant only one thing. She suddenly looked at Kara, as if renewed. "Holy shit you mean there's still a chance?"

Kara nodded, her frown of concern still in place. Live settled bright-eyed next to her little sister, full of vigor and drive while her pygmy puff hopped forgotten among the bed sheets.

"Well what have you accomplished so far? What stage are we at?"

Kara handed over the notes as she watched her sister quietly, observing for anything out of the ordinary. That Live thought she'd been gone for three weeks irked her. That she'd given up on her potion was bothersome as well. Kara wondered at her behavior overall thus far. "You know Fred and Lee have it out for Kitty-Nimbles now, right? I mean they really, _really_ weren't happy about it."

Live looked up, a haughty expression on her face as if she'd done nothing wrong. "They can go get stuffed." She turned her attention back to the loose leafs in her hand as Kara's mouth slowly broke into a smirk.

_There_ was the sister she knew and loved.

sSs

Distracting her mind with the potion task at hand, still disbelieving that she had time and not all was lost, Live was making several adjustments and writing new notes on the formula. Kara had taken over the job she had delegated to Lee, helping to take notes herself and hopefully make the goal they were shooting for. Live threw herself into the task at hand wholeheartedly the rest of the day and much of the next. She was close to getting it right. She just knew it. And though Kara's wand still did not agree with her entirely, they were able to make satisfying progress to the point where Live was almost ready for field testing.

George had been told the day before that Live had finally returned to the castle, and now that she was up and active, he was getting incredibly irritable and impatient that she hadn't been in to see him yet; something he was quite adamant about vocally, and it was beginning to grate on Madam Pomfrey's nerves.

His parents had returned home at his gentle prodding ("Leave me alone already! _I'm not an invalid!") _and Ginny, Ron, Hermione and Harry had all gone with them to enjoy the remainder of the week and holiday. Live had urged Kara to go with the group, appreciative for what she'd done for her sister thus far, but for several obvious reasons Kara had declined most vociferously as well, and Lee and Fred were damned if they were going to trade a full house for having run of the castle to themselves.

The final stages were set, all that remained was to refine the potion and test, and make changes as needed. It was a hectic and aggravating time just waiting, and when Live's snark had reached an all-time high and Kara had had it with Lee's secondhand commands to get Live in to see George, the fifth year innocently suggested a walk about the castle.

"If you don't take a break and end up messing up all _my _hard work I'll still cut you out of the company," Kara had threatened. And as the castle was at an all-time low for bodies dwelling within, Live had agreed that a little jaunt would do them both some good. That the destination for their afternoon expedition was the hospital wing Live didn't need to know.

"Neville sent some sap from the aloe plant I gave him," Kara remarked to her sister as they descended stairs.

"Oh? Good or bad?"

"The crystal kind," the fifth year informed. "I haven't thought of a use for it yet, but I think we could do something fun with it."

"Define '_fun'_," Live said with a smirk. "You know how hard that stuff is to get."

"Expensive too," Kara input. "Which is also why I gave the plant to Neville. Only he could raise it up to that point successfully."

Live snorted. "You're devious." Kara only offered a toothy grin in response. "Well, as long as it will keep for a while, I think we should save it. That stuff has properties that could be really useful in a pinch."

Kara gave her a wry look at her lack of enthusiasm for experimenting with the unusual substance. Live suddenly stopped, a look of realization on her face. Kara was hoping this would be something fun. "What?"

"I just thought…How in the hell are we going to test my potion when it's ready?" Kara gave her a look like she was stupid, and Live frowned. "I'm not allowed outside of the castle if you recall. And this is an apparating-related potion, _as in_ we can't bloody test it."

"Well you know how to apparate now."

"What part of 'not outside the castle' don't you get? Not to mention I've only done it two times."

Kara looked momentarily pensive. "We can have Fred and Lee take it down to Hogsmeade and test it." Live frowned at that idea, and soon Kara was frowning at that as well. "This is problematic."

"Yeah, ya think?" Live retorted.

"They'd like to tear you a new one for being Kitty-Nimbles."

"Fuck my life," Live muttered, and resumed their walk.

"We could bribe them," Kara suggested. "Though I don't think they'll come cheap."

"No," Live replied, "That's just you."

Kara paused at the top of the stairs Live was already halfway down. "I told you I am _not_ a _whore!"_

Live smirked at her sister. "I hope you have some good dirt to blackmail them with…It would make the bribing cheaper." Live got a shove as Kara came down the stairs for her "cheap" comments. She snickered and hopped over to her younger sister in a surprisingly lightened mood. "And this will need to be accomplished pretty much yesterday," she remarked.

"I can do it," Kara affirmed with a frown. She turned her focus on Live. "To start with, you're visiting George."

Live stopped though Kara kept walking nonchalantly. "I can't do that."

Apparently Kara's blackmail would start with her older sister. "I'm going to tell him you said that. _And other things_."

Live frowned, and caught up with Kara. "_What_ other things?"

"I'll come up with something," the fifth year replied darkly.

"I haven't talked to Dumbledore yet," Live argued.

"So? Madam Pomfrey has and she says it's cool."

Live was muttering various profanities and threats as they walked the path she recognized would lead right to the hospital wing. She wasn't happy like Kara would think she should be, but afraid, worried, and anxious. She did not think this would be a good idea, though she figured as long as she didn't actually enter the wing, she could look in from the door. That was the most Kara would get out of her.

Kara muttered that it was going to be costly indeed to get Lee and Fred to help them, and that her potion had best damn work, when Live thought for a moment that she was hallucinating. But standing in the cross-section of the large hallway before them was the sorcerer she'd gotten used to referring to as simply "Brown". He was standing looking at her in the usual way, though she had no idea where he'd come from or where he might be going.

She'd stopped in her tracks without realizing it, felt a tug on her robes from Kara but ignored it, her left hand already removing the bracelet on her right and affixing it to the other. Brown's normally expressionless face quirked in a smirk. Live placed her weight on the leg behind her, already casting a spell as Brown flung one her way completely without warning. She remotely registered Kara's yelp of surprise, but paid it no mind, concentrating on blocking whatever was coming at them.

He didn't say anything, but she heard the words he'd said to her on that first day repeat in her mind as worries about her younger sister behind her began to creep into her mind and unsettle her, threatening her focus.

"_You are no sorcerer so you truly cannot best me. Quit retreating to your magic's recess and use your brain." _

_His words had come so clearly that they'd cleared the fog in her mind as she'd tried to defend herself. She'd felt like she kept being rolled by waves, and whenever her head happened to go under, she began to lose the control, instinct only keeping her head above water._

_She didn't know how long they'd been dueling that first time. It could have been only a few minutes or well over an hour, but Brown had been determined to assess her full abilities right from the moment they'd dropped to the snowy wood in the middle of nowhere. Her shackles had enlarged and fallen to the snow without warning, and without a word he'd begun a full assault on her person. _

As Brown's magic was on a collision course with her own, Live was watching expectantly as the main force of it broke into two, attacking from different directions. Exposing her back to him but shielding spell already up, Live turned and addressed the second problem with another spell, too late to shield like the first but in time to divert it. She repelled the orange spellfire to curve it right back at him as the first bulk of the spell had already struck the barrier over her shoulder. She'd already turned back at him, keeping track of Kara close to her side gripping her by the arm, to launch a counter-attack as he easily dispersed the magic thrown back at him. Though the spell she'd aimed at him with her own magic was anything but weak or forgiving, he easily diffused that as well.

The grip Live had on Kara's forearm was painful, but Kara was too attentive to the situation to care, let alone do anything about it. Her sister's body was taut, anticipating the next action from the orange-haired man, and while Kara had produced her own wand fairly quickly once the attack had begun, she hadn't interfered both out of shock and in reaction to the death grip Live had had on her the entire time. In the moment that seemed to stretch in eternity, Kara decided to raise her wand against the man in order to assist her sister, but Live forced her hand down with double-manacled wrist, not sparing Kara a glance but keeping her focus on Brown. She was trying to predict what he'd do next, and if she'd be capable of blocking it, or countering, or if she had no chance and they'd have to physically dodge.

Brown did something Live hadn't experienced before, nor did she expect it from the powerful sorcerer before her: he snorted in amusement.

She blinked, unsure, but not relaxing her stance in distrust. Kara tugged her arm slightly in Live's grip, and she unclenched just a bit. But the Slytherin was anything if assuming after having spent so much time in this man's presence. Though he merely raised his hand, palm facing her. Live was ready to spring and pull Kara with her, but he only spoke and then turned his back on the sisters, taking his leave.

"Miss Witch."

It was dismissing, satisfied, and as close to commending in tone as she'd ever heard. He'd never used her name once when she was "training" with him, but had simply referred to her as "Miss Witch" when he wasn't attacking her person. Live knew a caustic remark when she heard it, and the epitaph was meant to remind her how small she was. As this had been her Head of House's method of teaching since she'd been sorted at Hogwarts, the treatment didn't phase her all that much, but she had to admit that perhaps he was pleased with her this time in using his debasing title for her being.

She had questions for him that needed answering, but at the top of her mind was survival even if he appeared to be taking his leave. She wasn't stupid enough to _completely _relax until he was well out of view and on his way to wherever he may have been going in the first place.

"…will you let go of me already?" Kara asked, giving her arm a tug. Live released her sister with a muttered apology and looked at her a moment before her eyes went back to scanning and observing, wary. "What just happened?" Kara asked as she rubbed life back into her arm.

"A reminder," Live answered, slight frown on her face, still looking around. "…what was he doing back here?"

"Seriously, what in the hell just happened?" Kara repeated, feeling a little shaky from unspent adrenaline in her system. She was staring at her sister with something akin to alarm and awe. So much had just happened completely without warning. It had blindsided her. "What in the hell were those spells?"

"I don't know," Live replied automatically, "but they _hurt._ They _really_ hurt." Kara was giving her a wide-eyed gape. Live wouldn't be able to put into words the kinds of spells she'd experienced and what they'd done to her physically if not mentally, and she didn't attempt to do so now. "I don't think he'll be back…" She was edgy. "Let's get a move on." It was Kara's turn to grab her sister's arm. Live winced. "What?"

"What. In. The. _Hell_?" Kara enunciated, not able to articulate just how messed up and weird and surprising and frankly frightening the sudden encounter had been. The fifth year was gaping at her sister, her command of her magic alone not being something she was used to seeing these days. Should they tell someone? Did Dumbledore know the man was here? What was he even _doing_ here? Kara wasn't about to surrender her sister for a second time.

Live looked at a loss for words. "That wasn't anything. It caught me by surprise is all. I didn't expect him to come back to the castle." She thought for a moment. It made sense on some level. The ways he'd messed with her mind, confusing her, making her think her sister and friends had been with her out in those woods. Illusions that for a while she had thought were real. He'd really tortured her mentally, though it had made her realize how serious a lack of control of her magic could be. And now she was back in the familiar and safety of the castle, not some backwater forest. She hoped that if this was a test with the real people themselves, then she'd passed and he'd leave them all be. "I honestly didn't think I'd ever have to see his face again."

"You're going to need to tell me everything," Kara stated flatly, still holding on to her sister's arm.

"Yeah," Live murmured, pulling away to get moving. "Don't worry about it. It was just a test. I'm sure."

Kara let go and Live's left arm was hanging at her side a bit unnaturally. It didn't take long for Kara to notice and draw attention to it as they went warily along. "Did he hurt you?" She hadn't seen them take any damage, but as far as the sorcerer was concerned, that didn't mean much.

"Oh, no," Live remarked casually. Her left wrist was home to two bangles now, and it was starting to affect her. She hadn't replaced the right one on her other hand yet. "It's just hard to move after a while with two on one arm," she said. Her fingers barely twitched as if she was attempting to move them. To Kara it looked like she had intense nerve damage. "There has to be balance while it's restrained. He told me that much, but I don't want to put it back on yet," she informed. "I wouldn't put it past him to show up again unless that really satisfied him, and like I said, I can only manage this three out of four times. And you're no match for the crap he's capable of."

Kara huffed in agreement and thought that was a good idea. To her understanding, Live had full access to her magic at the moment, and it would be a good idea to keep it that way if he came back. "Make's sense," the fifth year said. "Does it hurt?" she said, looking at her sister's limp arm with perplexment as they walked.

"Yes," Live replied with a smirk. Kara's brow shot up. "It's not fun to be me," she tried to joke. They were silent several moments as they walked. Live sighed, tired and strained. It would take concentration to put things right again. She'd like to kick Brown's ass for that, though she knew that compared to him in power, she was an easily crushable bug. She only hoped that he was satisfied with whatever that was supposed to have been.

"You need to get your shit together," Kara remarked with wisdom. That earned a surprised laugh from Live.

"You don't even know the half of it."

They were largely silent as they continued on path to the hospital wing, but the closer they got, the more Live dug in her heels, literally and figuratively. Kara kept telling her to shove it and that she was going in, and Live kept arguing against it, and by the time the two girls stood before the doors, Live held her ground firmly rooted in place, refusing to go in.

sSs

"I'm not joking, mate. There will be hell to pay for this," Lee remarked.

George grinned. "I didn't think it was any of your business about the things my girlfriend can or can't turn into."

"This is a matter of security! I'm nearly _positive_ I've undressed in front of that cat," Lee affirmed with a glower, not amused. "Not to mention all the scratches and other tortures we've endured."

"And that means retribution," Fred informed his twin solemnly. "On you."

"What? Why me?" George asked as he tried to look faultless. "Kitty Nimbles got me a bunch too!"

"Because we can't exact our revenge on _her_," Lee informed him, looking troubled.

"Why not?" George asked with a smirk.

"Well first off, because she's a _girl_," Lee said as if it were obvious.

"That's never stopped anything before," George informed, his smirk growing.

"And also- Wait, what do you mean '_why not_'?" Fred backed the conversation up distrustfully. "She's _your_ girlfriend. You'd allow us to get revenge on her?"

"Go for it if you think you can," George said with a grin.

Lee and Fred were both giving him distrustful, disbelieving looks. "And what's that supposed to mean?" George was silent, trying to keep the smirk on his face from growing any larger.

"So you think we wouldn't succeed then?" Fred posed to his twin.

"I never said that."

"Or he thinks she'd wipe the floor with us instead," Lee proposed, giving George a betrayed look.

"Wait, do you think we'd fail or that _she'd_ get _us_?"

"Isn't it the same thing?" George questioned, trying to keep the genuine amusement off his face.

"No. No it is not the same thing," Fred said with a frown to his twin, a very mock-insulted look upon his face.

"But the end result would be the same," George murmured with the straightest face he could manage without bursting into laughter.

"You traitor."

George did start snickering then. "Maybe you should just let it go," he suggested with a laugh.

"Not bloody likely," Lee said crossly, wondering what else he might have done with that cat in the room when he'd thought he'd been alone.

There was a creaking and some aggravated, high-pitched tones before the door to the hospital wing opened. The three seventh years looked up expectantly, and Kara marched her blonde way over to them looking disgruntled. Her body language matched Lee's tone and own stance.

"Speak of the devil," he murmured.

"You'd better not be referring to my sister," Kara said crossly, though her joke had been spot on. She gave Lee a dirty look when he looked surprised and caught. "Oh shove it, Lee."

"Where's Live?" George asked expectantly.

"Yeah, I thought you were attached at the hip," Fred intoned.

"She's outside," Kara informed them. All three had the decency to actually look shocked. Kara herself looked bothered and insulted. "She won't freaking come inside."

"What?" George looked insulted at the idea itself. "Tell her to come on in!"

"Yeah, what's the deal?" Fred asked. "_He_ won't bloody shut up about it until she does."

"Oh bugger off," George told his twin. He was flinging back the covers as Lee tried to stop his evident intent.

"And what do you think you're doing?" Lee asked, the healer in him taking over.

"If she won't come in then I'll just go out."

He was smacking Lee's hands away from him when the other boy put both hands on his shoulders and looked him right in the face. "You ain't gettin' out of bed, mate." Not after all the worry and nonsense he'd put Lee through in trying to watch over Live for him. His ass was going to stay put proper for once.

Fred agreed. "Why won't she come in? Pomfrey says it's fine."

Kara looked even more aggravated. "That's what _I_ said. She's scared to." All three boys regarded her with quirked looks. George's face took on a frown. "It was all I could do to get her this far."

Fred let out a bothered huff. George tried to get out of bed again when Lee threatened him and looked to Kara for answers. "You told her it's absolutely safe now?"

"Yes, especially with all things considered." She looked pointedly at Lee. "I tried dragging her in but frankly that didn't go too well." She also took threats to root-beer devastation and candy-stash burning very, very seriously.

"Doesn't she want to see me?" George asked, starting to get concerned. Kara gave him a look like he was stupid, and turned back to Lee, waiting.

"Well what do you expect _me _to do about it?" he asked. She shrugged as if it wasn't her problem. "Oh for Godric's sake…" Lee decided to man-up and left George's bedside to tackle the problem outside the wing. He tried to put matters relating to Kitty-Nimbles and sensitive information out of his mind, though it was obvious that he was not happy about it.

Kara smirked after him, hoping he might have some success where she didn't. Live needed to see George. She knew that. And after the nonsense they'd just had to deal with, and everything else up to that point including the stress of an experimental potion, and Kara really thought that George was the only answer for her sister's peace of mind.

"Why'd you have him go and not me? Not that I'm especially complaining," Fred asked Kara as they waited on Lee.

"Because you have no tact," she said matter-of-factly, earning a huff and a glower.

George would have laughed at that, except all his attention was on the hospital wing doors. He wanted to know that Live was alright, that nothing had happened to her. While he'd been fully informed by his twin about the goings-on while he'd been out, and the assurances by Lee that she was just fine even after returning to the castle, George wanted to see it with his own eyes. He found everything that had transpired without his knowing hard to swallow, but his main concern was over her state of being.

"She does know Dumbledore is the one who okayed everything, right? What's taking so long?" Fred complained.

"She's stubborn and she's scared," Kara informed him. He huffed again in annoyance. "And we were attacked by that sorcerer just short of getting here, so she's being all difficult to boot." Both twins regarded Kara with slack-jaws, shocked silent by her nonchalant statement. While it hadn't been the blonde's intention to say anything on the matter, this was taking longer than she'd expected, and Live's mood wasn't exactly in the best of states at the moment anyways.

She raised a brow as she realized both seventh years were still staring at her. "She's alright," she added to her previous statement. "According to her, '_nothing happened_'," she finished sorely.

George was halfway off the bed before Fred fully sat on him to keep him in place. "What the- What do you _mean_ you were attacked? What's that man doing in the castle?" Fred asked as he was shunting George's attempts to forcefully move him off. He remembered the sorcerer quite well, and could have done without knowing he was back inside the castle. One could count on gunpowder and fireworks to get you if you weren't careful, but where honest-to-goodness sorcerers were concerned, Fred thought he rather preferred the company of explosives.

Kara shrugged. "No clue. Live said he was testing her. Frankly I don't like that man."

Fred started to threaten his twin as George was promising bodily harm of his own if he didn't get up. Kara told them both to shut up with an aggravated yet thinking look on her face. She hoped her sister would just come in on her own power. She _really_ didn't want to risk Live destroying the root-beer stash just to get her in here, but she knew that this was something the Slytherin witch needed to just get over with and do.

The door creaked back open and Lee stood to the side, trying to coax Live inside the hospital wing. While it was mercifully free of people or general activity, she was still hesitant to enter. As far as she had trained herself, she was not to go into the wing under any circumstances. Staying away from it was beat well into her, and this was the closest she had come in so many weeks. She was still unsure of how her presence would affect George's health regardless of the assurances she got from others. She didn't want to accidentally hurt him.

As she wouldn't enter of her accord, and Lee was getting impatient and huffy, he wrapped an arm about her back and moved her through the doorway. She was inside the hospital wing for the first time in a very long time, and stood rooted to her position, nervous and observant. Meeting eyes with George as he and his twin were tangled in what looked like an uncomfortable wrestler's position, the boys stopped whatever they were doing, and Kara smirked, glad Lee had come through.

Live saw George mouth her name and smile, but she couldn't make herself get any nearer than this. While it didn't feel as if she'd violated any barriers or anything, she didn't know for certain and didn't feel right being in the vicinity.

Lee, however, had had enough of her stubbornness, and brought it upon himself to get her where she needed to be. He took both of her shoulders behind her and just started moving forward until she gave.

She was being forcefully propelled towards George, her heart rate increasing dramatically, and she was scared and stayed rigid as a board as she was being moved forward by a very determined Lee. George didn't have to press Fred too hard to get off of him, and the other twin went to stand by Kara with a smirk at the healer's obvious bravery in this matter. Lee steered Live right to the bedside to deter George from moving from his bed.

Kara muttered under her breath how stubborn Live was, though she was smiling at the situation. But finally being close enough to touch, Live still didn't, and kept her distance.

George sighed, though his annoyance was feigned as his eyes quickly studied her, bright and happy. He gave her a placating look and quirked his brow. "Honestly." He held out his hand to her, and very tentatively she brought hers to him. As her fingertips brushed his palm, he hissed at the contact and she immediately jumped back, retracting her arm as if she'd stung him. "Haha I'm only joking!" he laughed with a wide grin, holding his arms open to her invitingly.

She frowned, unable to find words, and knocked him one while Fred laughed at his twin. Live was muttering under her breath at him, various profanities, and it made the other boy snicker.

"It's what you get, you worrisome arse!"

"I suppose you're right," George said and grinned at his twin, grabbing Live's hand (and Fred gave her a shove from behind for good measure) sending her right into George's waiting arms. He wrapped them around her and made to drag her further off her feet as she fumbled and struggled to regain her balance, scared and shocked and worried and just so, so glad to be near him. His face was in her neck and his hand in her hair, wondering how he'd managed without her in his arms. It felt like a missing piece of him had been returned. "I've missed you, Live," he whispered.

She hadn't counted on what his closeness would do to her after a month of pining for him. His scent, his warmth, his embrace. She'd resigned herself to pushing the memories of it all down so she could cope better and focus on the difficult tasks in front of her mechanically. But she was shaking. She couldn't hold back the tears.

She brought her arms up to hug him around the neck, her face buried in his shoulder. He sighed with a smile and pet her, keeping tight hold on her. He wasn't going to let her go for anything, so relieved she was indeed alright. And judging by how she nestled up to him, she wasn't opposed to the idea. It relieved him of the worry Kara had been spouting before.

"I'm sorry, George! I'm sorry!" Live told him fervently as she cried into his neck. She couldn't stop her tears, and her whole body shook as she held on to him. How she'd missed him so much. Everything she'd crushed down came bubbling up to the surface and she couldn't stop any of it.

"Don't apologize," he told her. He felt her move to look back at him, but he let his face meet hers before she could look at him. He kissed her cheek, and then her lips, and brought her back against his chest to embrace her. "There's nothing….there's no reason."

"Geez, get a room you two," Kara said with disgust, though she was grinning.

"Oi, don't say that!" Lee turned on Kara. "That's _our_ room!"

Kara's lips quirked in disgust yet again. "Ew. Pervy. You and Fred need all the privacy you can get," she said, deciding to leave on that note as she was confident Live would be there for quite some time, and it would be safe to let her be.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Fred hollered after her.

She turned around to look at each boy for the same measure of time. "I've seen the things you two get up to when left alone…"

"Oh do not _even_, Kara," Lee started, face getting hot.

"Yeah, bugger off. Though that _was_ kind of funny," Fred stated, though his frown said otherwise. They still owed George for _that _little prank.

"That reminds me…I have a bone to pick with the two of you," she said with a grin, her words chosen for the exact looks they incited in both seventh years. "Step into my parlor," she said before taking leave of the hospital wing.

Lee was frowning, looking to Fred for choice if they should follow or not. With one look at the way George was carrying on with Live though, the choice was obvious. "I guess we follow the lesser evil," Fred said with a smirk.

"Are you sure she's the lesser?" Lee said not without doubt as they left the wing.

"I'd rather not ponder that," Fred decided. With a last look into the hospital wing, they followed Kara out, worry and perhaps just a little curiosity as to what she had planned that required their presence.

The wing doors creaked closed and George looked up in surprise. He hadn't noticed the three had gone. He smirked and held Live close, kissing her cold cheeks as she still wept.

Live couldn't imagine how grateful she'd be to be held in his arms again, to smell his scent, to feel his warmth. It was all real and all right. He was really okay. Her magic hadn't done irreparable harm leeching his from him. "George…I've missed you so much," she told him again, tears still flowing and voice full of pain. "I didn't know if you were going to be okay or not and because of _my_ magic-"

"Don't worry. You're hardly going to be the death of me," he said with a smirk. He realized that she didn't think that was funny, and he wiped the grin off his face and wiped at her cheek with his thumb. "Everything's all right. Okay? I can't stand to see you cry."

Her hand was over the one he had on her face. She closed her eyes on the sensation, so relieved she couldn't do anything but cry. If not for the clarity of her mind she thought she might be dreaming. She hugged him again and kissed his skin. "It was close, George. This time is was really, actually _close_."

"I'm sorry I worried you," he said softly. He stroked her hair for the few moments they were silent, her hitched breaths becoming more relaxed, though she wasn't sure her tears would ever stop at this point. "I love you."

"Love you too," she said into his shoulder, holding tightly to him.

George's hands were roaming about her person, but not for their usual intent. "Are you alright? Fred- _and the others_- mentioned some things."

She met his eyes, and they were full of concern, underlying worry writ deep within. "I'm fine," she told him with a smile.

"You've lost weight," he stated, tone safely neutral. His statement caused her eyes to look troubled.

"Kara says it's only been a few days since I left…" she paused and looked him in the eyes, as if asking for him to believe her, "But I swear George, I've been gone for three weeks. I don't know how, but I have. Brown definitely had me for three weeks."

He pulled her against him at that, not believing she could have been gone from the castle so long and be perfectly fine. He was grateful, though it drove him nuts to have been out of action for so long. "Did it help?" She nodded into his chest. "Sorcerers _can _perform magic we can't without the use of a wand. I know that much.…Maybe he reordered time."

She looked up, mind working quickly. "Is that possible?"

He shrugged, drying the remainder of tears from her face with his palms. "We can do it with time-turners, so I don't see why he couldn't do it without. Though from what I've heard about them, that's not magic you wouldn't notice."

Live looked troubled, and he hugged her again, kissing the side of her face. "…maybe he did it when I slept," she proposed, not having come to a conclusion to account for the lost time. "Though I didn't ever sleep for very long by my account."

George pulled back until she looked up at him, worry writ on his face. "What did he do to you?"

She was silent for a long time, long enough that anyone else might have thought she'd decided to answer the question with silence. But George was patient if not on-edge, giving her the time she needed to order her thoughts.

"It was a lot of surprises," she told him ponderously, tone disturbed. "The first day he dueled me till I passed out." She felt George's grip tighten on her, but he remained silent. "He's powerful, George. Too powerful."

"That's usually how they are," he said, tone carefully measured.

"He told me three things: If I didn't get food and shelter, the elements would kill me; If I didn't anticipate his attacks, he'd kill me; And if I didn't utilize my magic for the first two, my magic would kill me."

She could feel George's heartbeat strong and fast in his chest, his body uncomfortably rigid and grip on her very firm. "And _Dumbledore's_ the one who said this guy was going to help you?" he asked in a too-soft tone that made her frown with worry.

"He helped me in ways that I don't think Dumbledore was capable of, George."

"Damn right! _Dumbledore _wouldn't have put you through anything near that crazy!"

"_Exactly_," she said matter-of-factly, and then just looked at him in the silence that followed. His frown was etched deep into his face, thoughts of the harm he'd like to do the man evident in expression. She sighed, but knew he wasn't stupid enough to pick a fight with a very real and very powerful sorcerer. "It was very practical, George. It was a good method."

"_Good_?"

"Well I don't want to say '_good_'," she countered quickly, "but it was effective."

George was silent, thinking on the matter, and she didn't say anything herself until he spoke again. "So, you think it was all just to teach you, then?"

"No, I'm sure he would have left me to the elements, and while I don't know just how powerful he is, he didn't go easy on me with his spells. I recognized what some of them were, and the other ones I now know to dodge under any circumstances."

She'd opted for her true opinion on the matter, though the result of it wasn't what she'd hoped for. George looked murderous. Live buried her face in his neck, inhaling his scent and trying to make his stiff body respond to the pliancy of her own. "The Death Eaters didn't show me mercy. Putterly….Well I don't think he knew what mercy was. I'd thought Brown might've gone easy on me since he's an acquaintance of Dumbledore, but he didn't either. And I'm glad. I need to be able to defend myself properly under _real_ circumstances, George. And that was as _safely_ real as it could have gotten. Dumbledore might have been able to create similar circumstances but deep down we all _know _he wouldn't be able to hurt one of us. With Brown, I was desperate." She looked up, catching his eye and trying for a smile that came out pitiful looking. "You know when I get that way I can end up hurting people…and I don't even know I'm doing it. That's the worst of it, but I have some control over that bit now at least. _And _he wants me to get a new wand."

He didn't smile, still frowning, and while she wasn't happy about what she'd been through either, she was just grateful she'd come out the other side with a little more control over her magic. Given the option to do it over, she wasn't sure she would take it, but she was glad that she was more stable now. She hugged him around the neck, pressing her lips to his throat and his jaw, then his cheek and his lips, and he kissed her back.

She needed this. She needed it so badly after so much worry and isolation and separation. He was devouring her mouth, making her gasp and sigh, and there were silent tears running down her face again. She loved him so much, and needed him after so much pain and mental anguish. Though it may have only been a few days for him, she'd had to go without being near him for what seemed like months, and feeling guilty about it the entire time. She'd forgotten how warm he was, the feel of his lips or the breadth of his hands on her back. It made her incredibly lonely even though she was right there with him.

He stopped what he was doing to wipe her face with his hands, and kiss her lips once. "Don't cry, Live. I'm just glad that everything's turned out alright."

"_Please _promise me you won't go off and secretly do anything dangerous anymore," she pleaded. "I know it's a little selfish, but you have no idea how much I've needed you these past weeks."

He held her against him apologetically. "I'm sorry, Live. I really am." He pulled back so she'd look at him, and he gave her a half-cocked smile. "I promise anything even remotely dangerous I have planned, I'll do it all out in the open."

She didn't looked amused like he thought she might, but troubled. She looked away, inwardly sorting out her thoughts. "I mean it, George. If I've ever meant anything before, I _really_ mean it now." She turned her eyes back to him. "If I had to watch you die again, I think it would break me. Completely break me. So just please…please _don't_."

He quirked a brow. "_Again_?"

She heaved a sigh at the thought. "Out in the woods, Brown cast illusions. Only they weren't just illusions. I could touch them, and they had flesh and blood. I don't want to say that he was reading my mind; I think everything considered I would have noticed something like that. But it was more like he could see into my heart." She looked pained at the memories, fresh but silent tears dripping down her cheeks. "I had to watch every one of you die because I couldn't keep it together. I wasn't able to hold him off or get my magic under control."

George looked utterly shaken. "That's_ sadistic_."

"That's life. Or it very well could be. I know what could happen if I don't keep it together. My magic could manifest in ways I'm not aware of and I never want to be out of control or helpless again. And though at some point I realized it wasn't real, I could never take the chance that it might not really be one of you. Watching an illusion die is still just as painful."

The memories were fresh and painful too. She'd wanted to go home. By the fourth day, tired, hungry, and sick of running, hiding, and dodging, she was begging for him to take her back, but her cries fell on deaf ears. And like some godsend she'd come across Kara in the woods. Live had been confused, bewildered, but never more grateful. She'd wondered how far they'd been from Hogwarts after all and if Kara had sniffed her out in wolf form, and did she think she could get them back? Was she alone? Were the others here? A slow nod had told her 'yes', but as to the location of anyone else she didn't say.

She'd shaken Kara, asked what was wrong, moved her head side to side checking for injury or other reason she was acting so odd. Then Brown had attacked out of nowhere.

She'd managed to hold him off a good ten minutes, struggling with her manacles, struggling to manifest her magic and keep track of Kara around the volatile, unpredictable man. Her sister wasn't acting normal, but dazed, not herself. Brown got in a good shot, something that paralyzed Live with ice-hot pain, and she could barely move in the snow. Kara wouldn't run as Live yelled. She couldn't deter Brown from his course. She had tried so, _so _desperately to move, to get off a spell that could do something, but like a lamb at slaughter Kara had stood there as Brown had delivered a spell she herself had used before to similar ends: _Esclicier_. She felt part of herself die as she watched her sister drop to the snow, convulsing in a spray of blood, and then cease to move.

It had destroyed her. She couldn't move her body. She couldn't get to her sister. Her magic wasn't obeying her. She'd cursed Brown, degraded him, tried magic that couldn't work on him, begged him to take her life too. He'd regarded her with a look as if she wasn't worth his time, and wandered off, simple as that. When she had finally been able to move again, all out of tears and dead inside, her sister's body was gone. Nothing was left but blood on the snow. Soaked through, freezing, murder pumping through her veins, she'd tried to find Brown but that has resulted in nothing. Further trekking through the snow, following the footprints Brown had left behind had resulted in another set and treaded paths. It was the beginning of the slaughter of her friends. Ginny had been next. Hermione after that. Lee had followed suit, and it all lead up to George.

When she had been exhausted, barely able to stand and the spells she'd been able to manage barely effective, Brown had taken the last thing she'd had left. Looking back in her mind, she found it obvious that Brown had saved George for last. She also thought she should have known by that point that it wasn't possible or any of it real. But that didn't change the fact that the robes she'd returned in still had blood stains on them that shouldn't have belonged to a phantom, and his illusions had been more than real enough for her at the time. Looking back now, safe in the castle, it all seemed almost too obviously-crazy to have been the least bit believable. But after four days, alone, tired, and pushed beyond limit, Live was right where he'd wanted her.

She rubbed her eyes dry, so tired of crying, and then buried her face in George's neck. She wanted to burn that set of robes when she next had the chance. She would have nightmares for a long time, she knew. But at the very least, with George on the mend, and putting the ordeal with Brown behind her, she could get back on track with her life. At least, she hoped so.

"Just, please don't do any secret dueling anymore, George," she said softly in his ear. "Putterly or not, just…_don't_."

"I promise," he said, stroking her hair and trying to contemplate what it was like to watch everyone you loved die before you, even if it wasn't real. He decided he hated Brown right to his core. How she was handling it without being a bigger mess than she was outright astounded him. "I won't hide anything from you anymore. I'm sorry. I'm just glad everything turned out alright."

"Yeah, this time." Her tone was troubled. She held fast to him, worried over the effect the things she'd told him would have on him. She hugged him firmly. "Putterly is a lot more powerful than I gave him credit for."

George frowned. "Didn't seem like it to me."

She shook her head. "It wasn't just because I didn't have a wand. But he knew what he was doing. He was determined. Just…Don't underestimate anyone, okay?"

"Bastard." George pet her once, and looked down. There was still trouble they had to deal with. "He knows about the prophecy."

She nodded, bothered. "Kara told me." She didn't like knowing that he thought it was his duty to see it fulfilled. It made her shiver.

"I don't know how long he's known, but it would explain a lot." He tightened his grip on her. "I'll protect you against anything, Live. You won't have to go through anything like any of this ever again."

"Just no more doing it secretly, okay? Fred and Lee knew but I sure didn't." Her tone wasn't worried so much as it was offended. He had the decency to smile sheepishly.

"I didn't want to worry you."

"Well you ended up worrying me a lot more by not doing so." She sat up and looked him in the face, a lot more calm and composed than he thought she might be. Her face looked determined. "I may be your girlfriend but that doesn't stop me from being one of your friends, and I'm just as powerful as either of them. I would have liked to have been there. Not that that's an OK for you to go around dueling everyone."

He grinned, incredibly pleased with her words. He grabbed her against his chest with a smirk as she uttered a surprised cry. "You're my best friend, you crazy Slytherin broad. It's why we work so well together," he said in her ear. She nodded into his chest and exhaled as if relieved. No more secrets. Then one of his hands snaked inside her robes and under the back of her shirt. Her sharp intake of breath gave his grin a wicked edge as he attempted to undo her bra.

"_George are you crazy_?" she whispered as she tried to back away, looking around nervously as his hand fidgeted with her clasp.

"Maybe a little…" he said with a wolfish grin as she grabbed his forearm. "I have a lot to make up for I think…And we don't have the time to put that off."

"…you…this is the hospital wing! You can't do that!" she tried to point out with wide eyes, nervous. "It's the middle of the day!"

He leaned forward to lick her neck, causing her whole body to shudder. "Fred says everyone's gone home, Pomfrey's not here right now, and as far as I see it we've got the entire wing to ourselves for awhile. This will be good for the healing process."

Her breath was coming hitched as he'd successfully undone her bra, and his hand was sliding up her stomach to delve underneath. Her heart hammered in her chest and suddenly she was too hot. She swallowed as he held her bare breast in his large hand, and clasped her own hands to the front of her shirt to still him. "George." Her mouth had gone dry. She wanted him. _Oh_ she wanted him. Or maybe _needed_ was more correct, but her still-functioning brain disagreed with time and place. "This is the part where someone walks right in and bans me from the hospital wing, and I already have trouble looking enough people in the eyes for this kind of thing!"

He just grinned, completely undeterred by her argument- which was, he had to agree, a valid point. "Maybe a little activity will help me to heal faster," he whispered gruffly before kissing her neck. "And I know for a fact Live, _you_ need this."

"I…No, you need rest…_ah_." He was snaking his other hand up her inner thigh, and she clasped it quickly in her own. He gave her a wicked grin. "No way," she choked out, but it sounded breathy, craving. She wanted him too much and the stranglehold she was putting on her desires wouldn't last much longer.

"I haven't been able to touch you in far too long," George murmured against her ear. "And though my mind might think otherwise, my body definitely knows it's been far _far_ too long, especially for you…"

Her breath was shaky. She loved his hands on her. It _had_ been far too long. She was a few threads of restraint away from climbing right into hospital bed with him, and let anyone who wanted see for all she'd care. "George…someone might…the castle…"

"We practically have the castle to ourselves," he told her wolfishly, and kissed her lips once. Then he looked like he was about to have an epiphany. Live gave him a thinking frown, worry about how his next thoughts would affect her sense of restraint. "We-." He stopped, giving her an enlightened look, wondering how the thought had eluded him before now. "We could do it in your common room," he stated as if surprised that he'd _just_ come to that revelation. An empty castle meant a _world_ of possibilities.

Live's face took on a horrific look. Frankly, George was surprised at her expression. "George do you have _any_ idea how many people _have_ done it on the couch in our common room?" His expression suddenly took a turn. "If you ran a black light on it that thing would glow brighter than the sun. I don't want to think about what the house elves had have to go through…"

George snickered and roved his hands shamelessly over her skin. Though the thought of _any_ Slytherins getting it on in particular had somewhat cooled his jets, he wasn't completely deterred in action by the one he currently had his hands on. He kissed her neck again right in the spot that drove her nuts. She made a sound between a whine and a gasp that made him grin extra wide. Yes, he'd left her alone unwillingly for far too long indeed.

She clung to him, whispering in his ear as she quickly came over to the idea of messing around. "I still haven't given you my Christmas present."

His brows shot up. _Christmas?_ Hell, he'd forgotten about Christmas. This whole hospital stay had really put a stop in what he'd need to do for his Christmas gift to _her_. But he supposed he could still manage it proper if he just set his sights on it harder than before. Though at the moment he was more preoccupied by the idea of what pleasures lay in store with her gift. He realized he was breathing hard, not saying anything as his mind went wild with fantasies. He kissed her lips, swallowed her sighs as he let his hands do as they pleased.

"…George….get better fast," she managed to get out. She got a grunt in reply, and smiled with amusement. "…George…I have an idea…Where's your wand?"

His eyebrow shot up, and his mind went right to the spot where hers was. "Nah-uh…No cheating….this is best left to good old-fashioned hard work," he said with pride as his hand snaked up her inner thigh again. Her breath hitched and she caught him in a death-grip while she still had control of her senses.

"No….I mean…" Her eyes still went to the hospital doors, worry _still_ evident that they'd be caught, but no longer deterred by the idea to fool around. She surprised him as her hands were doing their own exploratory journey of the greater expanse of his crotch. "We don't have time. To do what we want," she added thickly, brain addled by the lusty look on his face. "But if we were to….half and half it…." she trailed off, cupping him beneath the sheets. "…you know…"

He grinned widely at the idea. Half and half eh? He could live with that. "It's probably in the drawer…" he muttered of the bedside table. Thankfully Madam Pomfrey had indeed stored it there along with the clothes he'd been wearing when he'd been brought in. He grinned wolfishly, holding it up. She immediately snatched it from him with a smoldering look.

"Since you started this, you're first," she told him, kissing and biting his neck while her left hand kept itself busy. She whispered a warning into his ear as his breath came in huffs, "And I have more control now, George."

While a specific spell is supposed to normally have a singularly desired result- that being the very nature _of_ a spell- the caster doing it can have a direct effect on the degree of just how successful it's pulled off, not to mention smoothness of execution. And apparently with the removal of a bracelet and a smoldering look of focus, Live had become _quite_ proficient in the enhancing of _Mortuua Petit._

George was fairly certain that if he already wasn't in the hospital, that this encounter with her would have put him there from extreme pleasure overload.

sSs

_Long chapter cuz I felt guilty. Yeah yeah, what a way to end a chap :P So shoot me.…this chapter was going to end a LOT sooner…Like, right after reuniting them. But I felt I owed you guys something at least for putting you through the long wait, not to mention having kept George out of action for so long D: It will be a VERY eventful homecoming O3O Here's to another update in a year and a half? AHAHAH ~is shot~ My update rate is shameful, I know._

…_seriously, I only got this done (started and finished) all within this month because I was successfully harassed and guilted daily on twitter. You know who you are O_O Make my day, bitches XD _

_Much love, FireV._


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